VII. Classroom Order, Safety, and Campus Security
Overview
Faculty are responsible for maintaining orderly, respectful, and safe academic spaces. Most classroom problems should be handled calmly by the faculty member. Serious disruption, threats, violence, weapons, medical emergencies, fire, or active danger should be reported to Campus Security or emergency services immediately.
The Details
Oakridge College expects faculty to protect the learning environment.
Disagreement, difficult questions, and tense academic discussion may happen in college life. These are not automatically safety concerns. Faculty should allow serious discussion when it remains connected to the course and does not become abusive, threatening, or disruptive.
A situation becomes a safety or security matter when ordinary classroom authority is no longer enough.
Faculty should use good judgment, remain calm when possible, and escalate concerns quickly when there is danger.
Classroom Order
Faculty may:
- Redirect discussion back to the course topic
- Remind students of classroom expectations
- Establish speaking order
- Pause the class or activity
- Give a clear warning
- Separate students when needed
- Ask a disruptive student to leave
- End the class or activity early if safety or order cannot be restored
- Contact the Department Chair, Dean, Campus Security, or senior administration
Faculty should not use classroom authority to punish disagreement, silence reasonable questions, or embarrass students for personal reasons.
Ordinary Disruption
Ordinary disruption should usually be handled by the faculty member first.
Examples include:
- Talking over others
- Refusing to stay on topic
- Interrupting repeatedly
- Minor argument
- Disrespectful tone
- Failure to follow class instructions
- Distracting behavior
Faculty should respond calmly and directly.
A normal response may be:
- Redirect the student.
- State the expected behavior.
- Give a clear warning if the behavior continues.
- Ask the student to leave if the disruption continues.
- Report the incident if it was serious or repeated.
Removing a Student from Class
A faculty member may remove a student from class when the student’s behavior prevents the class from continuing safely or reasonably.
A student may be removed for:
- Continued disruption after warning
- Harassment
- Threats
- Intimidation
- Refusal to follow basic class directions
- Unsafe conduct
- Behavior that prevents other students from participating
A student who is removed from class is expected to leave promptly and without further disruption.
If the student refuses to leave, the faculty member should contact Campus Security.
Faculty should document the removal and report it to the Department Chair. Serious removals should also be reported to the Dean.
When to Call Campus Security
Campus Security should be contacted when a situation moves beyond ordinary classroom authority.
Faculty should call Campus Security if:
- A student refuses to leave after being dismissed
- A threat is made
- Physical aggression occurs or appears likely
- A student is being cornered, harassed, followed, or intimidated
- A weapon is displayed, implied, or reported
- A person appears to be stalking or pursuing another person
- A person is impaired and unsafe
- A medical emergency occurs
- Fire, smoke, gas, or hazardous material is present
- The situation disrupts nearby campus activity
- The faculty member cannot safely restore order
Campus Security should not be called only because a student disagrees, expresses an unpopular view, or participates in a tense but controlled academic discussion.
Emergency Priorities
In any emergency, faculty should focus on these priorities:
- Protect life.
- Move people away from immediate danger when safe.
- Call Campus Security or emergency services.
- Warn others nearby if it can be done safely.
- Follow instructions from emergency personnel.
- Report the incident after the immediate danger has passed.
Faculty should not delay emergency action in order to preserve a class, event, lesson, or schedule.
Active Shooter or Active Assailant
An active shooter or active assailant situation is an immediate life-threatening emergency.
These situations are dangerous, fast-moving, and unpredictable. There may not be one perfect response. Faculty, students, and staff must quickly choose the safest option available.
Oakridge follows the basic emergency model:
- Run
- Hide
- Fight
This guidance is for survival. It does not replace instructions from law enforcement, emergency responders, or Campus Security.
Run
Run if there is a safe path away from the danger.
Getting away from the attacker is the first priority when escape is possible.
Faculty should:
- Leave immediately if it is safe to do so
- Tell students to move with them if they can
- Move away from the sound of danger
- Use exits, emergency exits, windows, or alternate routes if safe
- Leave belongings behind
- Keep hands visible when approaching law enforcement
- Prevent others from entering the danger area if it can be done safely
- Call emergency services or Campus Security when safe
Faculty should not wait to gather property, finish class, lock up materials, or confirm every detail before escaping.
Hide
Hide if escape is not safe.
Faculty should:
- Move students out of view
- Lock the door if possible
- Barricade the door with furniture if possible
- Turn off lights
- Silence phones and devices
- Stay low and quiet
- Keep away from windows and doors
- Spread out when possible instead of grouping tightly
- Stay hidden until law enforcement, Campus Security, or trusted emergency personnel give clear instructions
Faculty should not open the door for unknown voices, alarms, or messages unless they are certain it is safe. Attackers may try to trick people into opening doors.
Fight
Fight only as a last resort when there is immediate danger and escape or hiding is not possible.
This means acting to survive when the attacker is close and lives are in direct danger.
Faculty and students may need to:
- Commit fully to stopping or disrupting the attacker
- Use available objects as shields or distractions
- Throw items
- Work together if possible
- Move decisively
- Escape as soon as there is a chance
This option is only for last-resort survival. Faculty should not seek out the attacker.
When Law Enforcement Arrives
When law enforcement arrives, their first task is to stop the threat.
Faculty, students, and staff should:
- Keep hands visible
- Avoid sudden movements
- Follow instructions immediately
- Do not run toward officers unless told to do so
- Do not point, shout over commands, or hold objects that could be mistaken for weapons
- Leave belongings behind if ordered to evacuate
- Provide information only when asked or when it is safe
In the first moments, law enforcement may not stop to help injured people. Their priority is to stop the attacker. Medical help usually follows after the threat is controlled.
Information to Report
When calling Campus Security or emergency services, give clear information if it is safe to speak.
Useful information includes:
- Location of the danger
- Number of attackers, if known
- Description of the attacker
- Type of weapon, if known
- Number of injured people, if known
- Direction the attacker moved
- Your location
- Whether you are hiding, evacuating, or trapped
If speaking would put people in danger, stay silent and communicate only if safe.
Fire, Smoke, or Gas
If there is fire, smoke, gas, or another hazardous condition, faculty should stop class or activity immediately.
Faculty should:
- Evacuate the area if safe
- Use stairs, not elevators
- Avoid smoke-filled areas
- Pull a fire alarm if appropriate and available
- Contact Campus Security or emergency services
- Move students away from the building
- Do not re-enter until cleared by emergency personnel
If evacuation is blocked, faculty should move students to the safest available location, close doors, block smoke when possible, and call for help.
Medical Emergency
A medical emergency should be treated seriously.
Faculty should contact Campus Security or emergency services when a student, faculty member, staff member, or visitor:
- Collapses
- Cannot breathe normally
- Has chest pain
- Has a seizure
- Is badly bleeding
- Is unconscious or confused
- May have been poisoned or overdosed
- Has a serious injury
- Appears to be in immediate medical danger
Faculty should not move an injured person unless there is immediate danger from the location.
If trained, faculty may provide basic aid until help arrives. If not trained, faculty should stay with the person if safe, keep others calm, and wait for emergency responders.
Threats and Weapons
Threats and weapons must be reported immediately.
A threat may be spoken, written, displayed, implied, or shown through behavior.
Faculty should report:
- Threats to kill or harm
- Threats of violence against the college
- Weapons on campus
- A person claiming to have a weapon
- A person reaching for or displaying a weapon
- Violent messages
- Stalking or pursuit
- Attempts to intimidate others with force
Faculty should not try to personally disarm someone unless there is no other survival option.
Harassment, Intimidation, and Stalking
Faculty should act when a student or colleague is being harassed, cornered, followed, or intimidated.
If the situation is not immediately dangerous, faculty may:
- Interrupt calmly
- Separate the people involved
- Ask the targeted person if they need help
- Direct the harassing person to stop
- Report the concern to the Department Chair, Dean, Student Affairs, or Campus Security
If the situation appears unsafe, Campus Security should be contacted.
Lockdown or Shelter-in-Place
A lockdown or shelter-in-place order may be given during an emergency.
Faculty should:
- Stop class or activity
- Bring students inside if safe
- Lock or secure doors
- Move away from windows
- Keep students quiet and calm
- Silence devices if needed
- Follow official instructions
- Remain in place until an official all-clear is given
Faculty should not release students during a lockdown unless official instructions say to evacuate or remaining in place becomes more dangerous than leaving.
Evacuation
An evacuation may be required for fire, gas, violence, structural danger, severe weather, or another emergency.
Faculty should:
- Stop class or activity
- Tell students to leave calmly
- Use the safest available exit
- Avoid elevators unless emergency personnel direct their use
- Move away from the affected building or area
- Help direct students away from danger
- Report missing or injured people if known
- Wait for official instructions before returning
Faculty should not remain behind to collect personal items or classroom materials.
After an Emergency
After an emergency or serious safety incident, faculty should report the matter as soon as possible.
Reports should go to the Department Chair, Dean, Campus Security, Student Affairs, or senior administration depending on the incident.
The report should include:
- Date and time
- Location
- People involved, if known
- What happened
- What action was taken
- Whether Campus Security or emergency services were contacted
- Whether anyone was injured
- Whether follow-up is needed
Faculty should keep reports factual. Avoid speculation, insults, rumors, or unnecessary personal details.
Supporting Students After an Incident
Students may be upset, frightened, angry, confused, or unable to continue after a serious incident.
Faculty should not force the class to continue as normal after a serious safety event.
Faculty may:
- Pause or end class
- Move students to a safer place
- Refer students to Student Affairs
- Notify the Department Chair or Dean
- Allow students time to leave
- Provide basic information about next steps
- Avoid pressuring students to discuss the event publicly
Faculty should not promise confidentiality when safety, misconduct, or college reporting duties are involved.
General Rule
Faculty should handle ordinary classroom disruption calmly and directly.
Faculty should call Campus Security or emergency services when there is danger, refusal to leave, violence, threats, weapons, medical emergency, fire, or any situation the faculty member cannot safely control.
In emergencies, the priority is life safety. Classes, schedules, property, and procedure come second.