District Honor Code

We, the faculty, administrators, and Student Council representatives, encourage all students to achieve at the highest level of their abilities with academic honesty and personal integrity. Students should cultivate a positive attitude toward learning, derive pleasure from the discovery of new ideas and concepts, and strive to gain the best education they can. In the words of Thomas Paine, "What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; 'tis dearness only that gives everything its value."
The Academic Honor Code has been created to establish a common understanding among staff, students, and parents as to what constitutes cheating. The penalties are intended to promote growth in character and not simply to punish students.
To promote academic honesty, we encourage a sense of fair play with credit sought only when it is deserved. The Honor Code serves as a guide to uphold academic honesty.
To promote personal integrity, we remind students of the proverb, "A good name is sooner lost than won." Treasure your reputation. It is easier to maintain a good one than it is to regain a lost one.


Homework
Homework is assigned as a means of reinforcing classroom instruction and is often used as an indicator of student comprehension or progress.

Honor Code violations

• • copying or paraphrasing all or a part of another's homework.

  • allowing another to copy or paraphrase your work.

  • receiving help on assignments that have been identified as work to be done solely by you. Example: take-home tests.

Penalty:
Penalties may include the following but are not limited to the following:

• • no credit or a zero

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society adviser

Tests/Quizzes:
Obtaining help from your classmates or giving help to classmates prior to or during a test or quiz is considered cheating.

Honor Code violations:

• • passing test questions or answers to students in your class or in another class.

  • receiving test questions or answers from students in your class or in another class.

  • copying someone else's answers.

  • allowing someone to copy your answers.

  • possessing or using "crib" or cheat sheets.

  • obtaining a copy of the test or quiz before it is administered.

  • attempting to gain an unfair advantage before or during a test, such as looking at another student's work; turning around, leaving books or notes open; signaling, deliberately and repeatedly choosing to miss classes through unexcused absences, lateness to school, or early dismissal to avoid taking a test or handing in an assignment.

Penalties:
Depending upon the severity of the violation, the penalties may include but are not limited to the following:

• • no credit or a zero

  • revocation of Renaissance Card or ineligibility for Renaissance Card

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society adviser.

  • loss of membership in National Honor Society or loss of admission to NHS

  • disciplinary action by vice principal

Research Papers and Essays
Plagiarism is the act of stealing, using, and passing off as one's own the writing, ideas, etc. of another. Properly document the sources of information used for your research paper and essays so that you will not be guilty of plagiarism.

Honor Code violations:

• • copying phrases, sentences, or paragraphs without using quotation marks and giving proper documentation of the source.

  • paraphrasing or summarizing ideas without giving proper documentation of the source.

  • submitting another student's research paper as yours.

  • downloading from the Internet a research paper or article in its entirety or in part to submit as your own work.

  • asking someone or paying someone to write a research paper for you. 

  • selling or giving someone a research paper to submit as their own.

Penalties:
Depending upon the severity of the violation, the penalties may include but are not limited to the following:

• • a reduced grade

  • no credit or a zero

  • revocation of Renaissance Card or ineligibility for Renaissance Card

  • loss of membership in National Honor Society or loss of admission to NHS.

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society advisor.

  • disciplinary action by vice principal

Lab Reports
While you may work in the lab with a partner and each of you will have the same data, the remaining sections of the lab report should be your own work. This includes any computations, graphs, diagram, and conclusion questions.

Honor Code violations:

• • attempting to corrupt another student's data.

  • presenting another student's work (computations, graphs, diagrams, answers to conclusion questions) as your own work.

  • misrepresenting laboratory data.

Penalties:
Depending upon the severity or the violation, the penalties may include but are not limited to the following:

• • no credit or a zero

  • revocation of Renaissance Card or ineligibility for Renaissance Card

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society advisor.

Penalties:
Depending upon the violation, the penalties may include but are not limited to the following:

• • no credit or a zero

  • revocation of Renaissance Card or ineligibility for Renaissance Card

  • loss of membership in National Honor Society or loss of admission to NHS

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society adviser

  • disciplinary action by vice principal.

LMC:
Misuse of the LMC computers and materials deprives others of access to needed sources of information.

Honor Code violations:

• • taking materials out of the LMC without properly checking them out.

  • failing to return or renew LMC materials when they are due.

  • hiding library materials in the LMC.

  • cutting out, removing, or defacing pages or portions of pages from LMC sources.

  •  tampering with computers or computer programs or databases in the LMC.

  • violating the Acceptable Use Policy for the Internet and Other Online Use.

Penalties:
Depending upon the violation, the penalties may include but are not limited to the following:

• • loss of LMC privileges

  • revocation of Renaissance Card or ineligibility for Renaissance Card

  • loss of membership in National Honor Society or loss of admission to NHS

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society adviser

  • disciplinary action by vice principal

Computer Labs:
Computers are provided for student use to enhance learning. The word "computer" includes all equipment associated with the computer, such as monitors, keyboards, all connecting wires, scanners, printers, switch boxes, etc.

Honor Code violations:

• • trying to get past security blocks.

  • loading software or using disks not certified by the teacher.

  • introducing purposely a virus into a computer.

  • causing a computer to malfunction to avoid work or to disrupt the class.

  • accessing anyone else's stored work.

  • corrupting anyone else's stored data.

  • making changes in anyone else's stored work or erasing anyone else's work.

Penalties:
Depending upon the violation, the penalties may include but are not limited to the following:

• • no credit or a zero

  • revocation of Renaissance Card or ineligibility for Renaissance Card

  • loss of membership in National Honor Society or loss of admission to NHS

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society adviser

  • disciplinary action by vice principal

Use of Calculators:
Calculators may be used in a class only with the permission of the instructor. During a test or a quiz, it is best not to share calculators.

Honor Code violations:

• • using any calculator in class not approved by the teacher.

  • using programs in programmable calculators without the knowledge and consent of the teacher.

  • using programmable calculators as "electronic cheat sheets".

  • storing information in a calculator about a test or quiz.

  • sharing information on the calculator pertinent to a test or quiz.

  • failing to clear the calculator of all displayed or stored information when the calculator is shared with another student during a test or quiz.

Penalties:
Depending upon the violation, the penalties may include but are not limited to the following:

• • no credit

  • revocation of Renaissance Card or ineligibility for Renaissance Card

  • loss of membership in National Honor Society or loss of admission to NHS

  • notification of parent or guardian, guidance counselor, vice principal, Honor Society adviser

  • disciplinary action by vice principal