Edison Honor Code

At Edison, we strive to create an environment wherein all act honestly. We believe it is the right, privilege, and responsibility of each individual to contribute to and work in an environment of trust.

Even though the following document refers to academic policy, honorable behavior covers the full range of activities within the school environment. Infractions of a "non-academic nature" will fall under the guidelines of the Student Responsibilities and Rights handbook.

The honor code of Edison High School addresses cheating, plagiarizing, lying, and stealing.

Cheating encompasses, but is not limited to, the following:

-  Willful giving or receiving of an unauthorized, unfair, dishonest, or unscrupulous advantage in school work over other students.

-  Attempted cheating.

-  Some examples are: deception; the use of talking, signs, or gestures during a quiz; copying from another student or allowing the copying of an individual assignment; passing test or quiz information during a class period or from one class period to members of another class period with the same teacher; submission of pre-written writing assignment at times when such assignments are supposed to be written in class; illegally exceeding time limits on timed tests, quizzes, or assignments; unauthorized use of study aids, notes, books, data, or other information; computer fraud; sabotaging the projects or experiments of other students; or using features of electronic devices, such as cell phone cameras or text messaging.

Plagiarizing encompasses, but is not limited to, the following:

-  Presenting as one's own, the works or the opinions of someone else without proper acknowledgement.

-  Borrowing of the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of materials, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgement.

-  Some examples are: having a parent or another person write an essay or do a project which is then submitted as one's own work; failing to use proper documentation and bibliography.

Lying encompasses, but is not limited to, the following:

-  Willful and knowledgeable telling of an untruth or falsehood as well as any form of deceit, attempted deception, or fraud in an oral or written statement.

-  Some examples are: lying or failing to give complete information to a teacher; feigning illness to gain extra preparation time for tests, quizzes, or assignments due.

Stealing encompasses, but is not limited to, the following:

-  Taking or appropriating without the right or permission to do so and with the intent to keep or make use of wrongfully, the school work or materials of another student or the instructional materials of a teacher.

-  Some examples are: stealing copies of tests or quizzes, illegitimately accessing the teacher's answer key for tests or quizzes; stealing the teacher's edition of the textbook; stealing another student's homework, notes, or handouts.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Students will:
1. Avoid situations which might contribute to cheating, plagiarizing, lying, and stealing.
2. Avoid unauthorized assistance on all school work.
3. Document borrowed materials by citing sources.
4. Avoid plagiarizing by:
  a. using quotation marks for statements taken from others.
  b. acknowledging information, ideas, or patterns of thought borrowed from any source.
  c. consulting faculty about any questionable situations.

*In addition, students are encouraged to speak to any student they observe violating the Honor Code about the seriousness of the infraction.

Parents will:
1. Have knowledge of the Edison High School Honor Code and its consequences.
2. Provide a positive example for adhering to the Honor Code.
3. Support faculty and administration in enforcing the Honor Code.

Teachers will:
1. Take immediate action when violations related to school are determined.
  a. Counsel the student.
  b. Record a zero for the assignment with no opportunity for make-up work.
  c. Report the violation to the student's counselor and administrator on a discipline   referral form.  Confer with the assistant principal if possible.
  d. Contact the student's parent. One suggested method: The teacher might tell the student to notify his/her parents and request that the parent call the teacher within 24 hours. If the teacher is not called, then the teacher calls the parents. This procedure puts the responsibility on the student to confront the parent; such confrontation may serve as a deterrent to further violations.
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.
4. Teach or review correct use of documentation when assigning work.
5. Review the Honor Code during the first week of the school year. Teachers are encouraged to review periodically the Honor Code as it relates to a specific discipline and required to include Honor Code information in their syllabi.                                                                                                6. Utilize turnitin.com as it applies to specific assignments in their classes. 

Counselors will:
1. Maintain cumulative records of reported violations of the Honor Code.
2. Facilitate Honor Code violation conferences when follow-up counseling is deemed appropriate by the student, parent, teacher, counselor, or administrator.

Administrators will:
1. Assure that all faculty, students and parents have knowledge of the Edison High School Honor Code.
2. Create a school-wide environment which encourages adherence to the Honor Code.
3. Encourage teachers to enforce the Honor Code and to encourage all staff to be consistent.
4. Maintain cumulative records of reported violations of the Honor Code.
5. Facilitate Honor Code violation conferences among the student/parent/teacher/counselor when follow-up action is appropriate.
6. Enforce appropriate disciplinary actions in accordance with the Student Responsibilities and Rights Handbook guidelines.

Portions reprinted with the permission of Langley High School.