Student Affairs

03:34:00 Behavioral Intervention Team

1. Chattanooga State Community College’s Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) is a multidisciplinary team that engages in proactive and collaborative approaches to detect patterns, trends, and disturbances in individual or group behavior.  Upon assessment, the BIT makes recommendations to mitigate associated risk via an established protocol.  The safety of the campus community is a responsibility shared by the BIT and all members of the campus.
2. Key Objectives
   1. Centralize the campus community’s process for collecting reports of concerning behavior;
   2. Assess student and employee behaviors using established threat assessment tools;
   3. Respond effectively to students, faculty, and staff whose behaviors are distressed, disruptive, and/or dysfunctional;
   4. Develop a coordinated plan to help students, faculty and staff in crisis, mitigate risk, facilitate early intervention, protect and maintain campus safety;
   5. Mandate actions when necessary, pursuant to specified College policies and procedures;
   6. Balance FERPA, HIPAA and counselor privileges with the College’s need-to-know and emergency communication needs;
   7. Provide team members and campus community with annual/ongoing training.
3.  Policy Statement
   1. ​It is the policy of Chattanooga State Community College that the president of the institution shall appoint a Behavioral Intervention Team.  The BIT may include representatives from the institution’s police department, student affairs (to include counseling), academic affairs, human resources, and TCAT.  Depending on the nature of the case, the BIT may call upon expertise of other members of the college community to provide consultation on risk assessment and appropriate interventions.  The BIT will meet monthly or more frequently if needed. 
   2. The BIT serves as the central point of contact for behavioral assessments involving students and employees.  The team is empowered to take timely and appropriate action consistent with TBR and institutional policy and applicable law to include one or more of the following actions:
      1. Take no further action;
      2. Gather additional information to evaluate the threat based on the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association’s (NaBITA) Threat Assessment Tool;
      3. Refer to appropriate staff pursuant to 02:01:00 Academic and Classroom Misconduct;
      4. Refer to appropriate staff pursuant to 06:44:00 Employee Progressive Disciplinary Procedures (Faculty and Staff);
      5. Refer to the legal system to initiate appropriate criminal proceedings;
      6. Refer to other resources as appropriate.

Reference:  TBR Policy 7:02:00:00 “Behavioral Intervention Teams”

Submitted to Policy Review Committee on 2019.02.18

Submitted to Policy Review Board on 2019.04.08

Approved by Policy Review Board on 2019.04.24