Academic Honor Policy

Academic dishonesty (cheating) is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct (Division Policy 7-3.1).  In order to maintain the integrity of our coursework and evaluation procedures, Blacksburg High School has an Honor Code that all students are expected to follow.

The following examples represent violations of the BHS Honor Code:

·   Academic Dishonesty/Fraud:  Any deception deliberately practiced in order to secure academic gain.  Violations include, but are not limited to forms of cheating, unauthorized work sharing, copying of another’s work, crib notes, cheat sheets, verbal and non-verbal giving or receiving of answers or assistance, and using computers or other technology to obtain an unfair advantage.

·   Plagiarism: Quoting or using the ideas of another person or author (including Internet sites) without acknowledging that those words were not your own.  Such acknowledgement must be done through proper citation of the original source, as determined by the teacher.

 

Honor Code violations are divided into two categories:

 

Level I:  These include assignments that are considered primarily instructional in nature.  Such assignments included, but are not limited to:

·   Homework

·   Classwork

·   In-class group coursework

 

Students will receive a grade zero for a Level I offense.  Teacher will contact the parent regarding such violation.  In the case of a second Level I violation, the teacher will prepare a disciplinary referral; notify the student, parents, and an administrator of the violation.

 

Level II:  These include assignments that are considered primarily evaluative in nature.  Such assignments include, but are not limited to:

 

·   Quizzes

·   Tests

·   Research papers

·   Projects

·   Any other assignments that a teacher may choose to be bound under Level II and has made clear to all students (All assignments will be considered under the Honor Code unless stated otherwise by the teacher, etc.)

 

Such Honor Code violations result in a zero for the assignment, teacher notifying the parent, and a disciplinary referral to an administrator for academic dishonesty.  The Honor Code violations will be recorded on the student’s discipline record using a discipline referral form, and students who continuously violate the Honor Code can be subject to further disciplinary action.

 

All assignments will be considered under the Honor Code unless stated otherwise by the teacher.  Teachers must specifically state if the Honor Code does NOT apply to a specific assignment.  Teachers should clarify expectations for any group work assignments given.

 

·   Honor Code will be posted in all classrooms

·   Students will receive NO warning for Honor Code Violations

·   Students who are found to have cooperated in any form of academic dishonesty may be subject to academic consequences and disciplinary action depending on the findings of an investigation into cases of honor code violations.