Academic POLICIES

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Students found to be engaging in behavior which places the integrity of the academic exercise in jeopardy will be referred for disciplinary action.  

These behaviors include but are not limited to:

• Copying another student’s work.

• Obtaining and/or distributing test materials including answers and/or questions.

• Plagiarism

Disciplinary action will include all or part of the following:

• Zero for the assessment

• Failure for the semester

• Suspension

• Expulsion

PLAGIARISM

The faculty at Prairie River Middle School is committed to teaching students how to become ethical users of information and ideas.  It is our responsibility not only to educate students in the research process and mechanics of proper writing and proper documentation, but also to hold these students accountable for honest work.  Whether an assigned project is in a visual, written, or spoken format, students are expected to accurately reference all sources of information consulted for the project. Plagiarism is regarded as a serious offense and will not be tolerated by Prairie River Middle School or any other institution of higher learning.  It is an expectation that all departments and students adhere to and enforce this policy.

DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is defined as:

• Copying of another person’s ideas and /or works, whether intentional or not, in whole or in part, from a print or non-print source, and using those ideas or words as their own.

• Deliberate and/or consistent lack of proper documentation and citation in the project or the paper.

• In-text documentation that is not reflected in the works cited page.

• Plagiarism is a disruptive form of dishonesty and it violates relationships with classmates, teachers, and it violates the legal rights of people we may never meet.

CONSEQUENCES FOR PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism may occur due to ignorance or inexperience on the part of the student.  An example of plagiarism at this level may involve a student’s using a paragraph or a few lines of text without citing the material properly.  Most of the paper is the student’s own work.

Recommended Procedures for violations:

• Conference with the student reviewing procedures for citing materials.

• Redo the assignment 

• A grade reduction to be determined by the teacher.

Recommended procedures for a greater degree of plagiarism:

• A grade reduction on the original assignment.  The student may receive a zero.

• The instructor will send notification to the student’s parents or notify the parents by phone.

• A plagiarism report form turned into the office that will be placed in the student's discipline record along with a copy of the plagiarized work.

• Disciplinary action by administration including notification to parents.