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Honor Code Violation
When a student is found cheating, the teacher must issue a grade of zero for the assignment and complete an Honor Code Violation Form.

Cheating has been defined as giving or receiving, in any form, information relating to a gradable experience including the use of sources of information other than those specifically approved by the teacher, either during or outside of class.

Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to, visual exchanges (cheat sheets, copying, open books or notes, writing on hands, shoes, or desks, calculators, etc.), verbal exchanges, or coded exchanges. Other examples include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, discussing tests with students who have not taken the test, copying homework assignments, not citing sources, etc.

When a student is found to be cheating, the teacher must issue a grade of zero for the assignment. This assignment may not be made up nor will the student be eligible for recovery. It is the responsibility of each classroom teacher to adhere to this policy. The teacher will complete an Honor Code Violation form, have the student sign, and follow-up with a phone call to a parent/guardian. The office will mail a copy to the parent/guardian and place a copy in the student’s disciplinary file. Honor Code violations will be reviewed when considering students for awards and recommendations.

It is felt that every teacher should ensure that the work being graded is in fact the work of the student receiving the grade; otherwise, the purpose of teaching and evaluation has been defeated.

Plagiarism is the borrowing or restating of another’s words or ideas and claiming them as one’s own. The following are guidelines set down by The Hartford Courant on the entry blank for the Scholastic Writing Contest:

“Plagiarism is a serious offense punishable by law. Before submitting a manuscript, the entrant should ask himself:

1. Have I copied, word for word, all or part of another writer’s work without giving specific credit to the other writer and using quotation marks?

2. Have I copied the work of another writer, making changes here and there, but retaining the main thought and structure?

3. In the case of fiction, have I used a plot invented by another writer, even though telling the story in my own words?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of the above, the manuscript is plagiarized. Those who submit plagiarized manuscripts are certain to be detected when the manuscript is published, and the consequences of such exposure can be both personally and legally painful for the entrants, their friends, their parents, their teachers and their schools, can result in a lawsuit by the original publishers."

The above should serve as a guideline for all papers, homework, and quizzes submitted in fulfillment of class requirements. In addition, the following should be noted: the student who gives his/her original work to copy –in whole or in part to turn in as an original assignment is guilty of a very serious wrong. Such action constitutes willful participation in a deliberate deception; the student supplying the work should expect to be dealt with accordingly. It is the student’s responsibility to resolve personal questions concerning his/her work in relation to the above.

Plagiarism and the related act of allowing another student to use one’s work as described above are not to be considered as inconsequential pranks. Such acts involve serious moral implications. Bluntly, they constitute lying and stealing. They are unjust to teachers who, in good faith, spend valuable time evaluating the paper. They are ultimately harmful to the very student committing the act, who is deliberately undermining his/her integrity, destroying his/her reputation, and breaking the trust that must exist between a student and teacher.