Behavior
Assessment Team UPPS No. 07.10.05
Issue No. 2
Effective Date: 09/05/2012
Review: April 1 E3Y
01. POLICY
STATEMENTS
01.01 The purpose of the Behavior Assessment Team (Team) is to provide consultation
to university administration, faculty and staff who have expressed concern
about the behavior of a student who appears to be potentially dangerous to self,
to others, or could be disruptive to the academic mission of the university.
01.02 This policy outlines procedures for Team assessment and consultation
with university faculty and staff.
02. PROCEDURES
FOR ADRESSING REFERRALS
02.01 The Team:
a. May
refer the case to the assistant dean of Students if the behavior could be
considered a violation of the Code of Student Conduct.
b. May
refer the case to the dean of the college where the concern originated if it is
assessed to be a classroom management case.
c. May
refer the case to the University Police Department if it is determined that
immediate intervention is necessary.
d. May
develop a strategy to address the behavior, including communicating with the
reporting units or personnel.
e. May
make recommendations with appropriate administrators, faculty, staff or students
affected by the behaviors, but will adhere to the Family Education Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA), state and federal laws, and relevant university policies
and procedures.
f. May
assist with coordinating a university response to disruptive students.
03. TEAM
COMPOSITION
03.01 The Team reports to the vice president for Student Affairs through
the associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of Students.
03.02 The Team will be chaired by the dean of Students or a designated representative.
The core members of the team will include:
a. Dean of Students
b. Assistant Dean of Students and Coordinator of
Student Justice
c. Director of the Counseling Center or
designated representative
d. Director of the
University Police Department or designated representative
e. Director of the
Office of Disability Services or designated representative
f. Director
of the Student Health Center or designated representative
g. Director
of the Department of Housing and Residential Life or designated representative
03.03 An Academic Affairs representative, appointed
each year by the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, will serve on
the team in situations that involve or affect faculty, academic administration,
classroom behavior or other academic activity.
03.04 The Team will consult with The Texas State University System (TSUS)
Office of the General Counsel as needed. A representative from the TSUS Office
of the General Counsel will serve on the team in situations where there are
legal issues and concerns.
03.05 Other university officials may be asked to
serve on the Team, in specific situations as needed, including, but not limited
to:
a. Human Resources director or designated
representative
b. University News
Services director or designated representative
04. OPERATIONS
AND PROCEDURE GUIDELINES FOR CASE MANAGEMENT
04.01 Each year, at the beginning of the fall semester, the dean of Students
will send a notice to faculty and staff, through appropriate communication channels
to notify them that the Team is available to them for consultation when they
are concerned about potentially harmful, threatening, or disruptive behavior of
a student or students. The notice will be presented as a “proactive measure” and will include
the procedure for requesting a Team consultation.
04.02 Issues or concerns may be referred to any Team member by any member of the campus community. The
preferred method of referral is to the dean of Students. If a criminal act has occurred or has been discovered during
the course of the team’s inquiry, the University Police shall be notified
immediately and advised of the incident.
04.03 In time-sensitive high-risk situations, a special Team meeting may be called by any member.
04.04 The Team will meet with affected members of the campus community
who desire to discuss the situation with the Team.
04.05 The desired outcome of a consultation meeting is a recommended
course of action based upon the Code of Student Conduct
and appropriate UPPS documents to the affected members of the campus community
and to the university administration. Specific issues for consideration include:
a. assessment
of potential violence;
b. mental
illness as the possible cause of the behavior;
c. containment
of disruption;
d. appropriate
referral resources;
e. setting
appropriate behavioral boundaries within existing university policies; and
f. specific
departmental procedure or course of action.
04.06 Recommended departmental courses of action will be carried out only through appropriate administrative channels.
04.07 Courses of action recommended to departments
are for consultation only. They are not
binding and do not carry the force of university policy.
04.08 Following a case management situation and subsequent recommendation,
the Team will meet to debrief and evaluate
the outcome of the situation.
05. CASE
INFORMATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY PROCEDURES
05.01 Members of the Team may provide
each other or faculty/staff/students involved in a particular case, or outside
parties in connection with the situation, with information as is necessary to
protect the health, safety, and privacy of the student or other persons and to
generate a recommendation for a course of action in accordance with applicable
legal and professional standards of confidentiality and with UPPS No. 01.04.30, Release of
Information Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act and UPPS No. 01.04.31, Access to
Student Records Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights Act and Privacy Act
of 1974.
05.02 If the student involved in harmful, threatening, or disruptive
activities is already a client of the Counseling Center or a patient of the
Student Health Center, information about that student’s relationship may only be obtained by the Team
from those agencies with written authorization of the student in
question or in accord with federal and state
law. Federal and state laws that govern the privacy and confidentiality of
students’ health and mental health information and records include:
a. Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (federal)
b. Psychologists Licensing Act (Texas)
c. Texas Health and Safety Code, Title
7, Ch. 611 Mental Health Records
d. Texas Health and Safety Code, Title
2, Ch. 181 Medical Records Privacy
e. FERPA
05.03 The purpose of the Team meetings
is to provide consultation only. Therefore, official minutes and meeting
records that contain identifying names or other identifying data will not be
maintained.
06. REVIEWERS
OF THIS UPPS
06.01 Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:
Position Date
Associate Vice President for Student April 1 E3Y
Affairs/Dean of Students
Director, Counseling Center April 1 E3Y
Director, University Police
Department April
1 E3Y
Director, Department of Housing and April 1 E3Y
Residential Life
Office of the TSUS General Counsel April 1 E3Y
Provost and Vice President for April 1 E3Y
Academic Affairs
07. CERTIFICATION
STATEMENT
This UPPS has been approved by the
following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State
policy and procedures from the date of this document until superseded.
Associate
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students; senior reviewer
of this UPPS
Vice President for Student Affairs
President