STUDENTS

Cheating/Plagiarizing

A. Generally

Cheating and plagiarizing are unacceptable behaviors which have moral and legal implications. Cheating is violating established rules or codes of ethics. Plagiarizing is falsely claiming authorship. Cheating and plagiarizing are serious offenses. Cheating also includes knowingly giving or offering aid to another student on a test or assigned work unless specifically authorized by the teacher.

B. Guidelines

1. Teachers have the responsibility to:

1. Teach or review the correct use of sources when assigning work,
2. Structure conditions during testing to alleviate the possibility of cheating,
3. Specify the types of collaboration that are discouraged and those that are encouraged.

2.  Students have the responsibility to:

1. Avoid situations which might contribute to cheating or plagiarizing,
2. Avoid unauthorized assistance,
3. Use sources in the prescribed manner,
4. Document borrowed materials by citing sources,
5. Avoid plagiarism by:

1. Using quotation marks for statements taken from others,
2. Acknowledging information and ideas borrowed from any source,
3. Consulting faculty about any questionable situations.

C.Implications

Students who violate "the spirit or the letter of the law" as regards cheating/plagiarizing must accept the responsibility for their actions, and the accompanying penalties. Penalties include but are not limited to:

1. A failure on work presented which includes unauthorized assistance from other students, unauthorized use of sources, or failure to document by citing source,
   
   
2. A failure on a major assignment which is totally or partly plagiarized,
   
   
3. Parent-student-administrator conference as a result of infractions involving either cheating or plagiarizing.

Approved by Superintendent: September 21, 1993 (Effective August 14, 1993)
Revised by Superintendent: March 17, 2006