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Academic Honesty

FUSD requires all students to demonstrate honesty and to abide by ethical standards in preparing and presenting materials, as well as in testing situations. Grades should reflect the student's own work in the fairest possible way. Academic dishonesty, cheating, or plagiarism involves an attempt by the student to show possession of a level of knowledge or skill which the student does not possess. It involves any attempt by a student to substitute the product of another, in whole or in part, as the student’s own work. This policy covers all school-related tests, quizzes, reports, class assignments, and projects.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Cheating

• Obtaining information from another student during an examination 
• Communicating information to another student during an examination
• Knowingly allowing another student to copy one’s work
• Offering another person’s work as one’s own
• Using an unauthorized electronic device to solicit, transmit, or search for answers
• Taking an examination for another student or having someone take an examination for oneself
• Sharing answers for a take-home examination unless specifically authorized by the teacher
• Using unauthorized material during an examination
• Altering a graded examination or assignment and returning it for additional credit, under the pretense that the teacher made an error
• Having another person or a company do the research and/or writing of an assigned paper or report
• Misreporting or altering the data in laboratory or research projects

Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is to present the ideas, words, or creative product of another as one’s own. Credit must be given to the source for direct quotations, paraphrases, ideas, and facts which are not common knowledge.

Other Dishonest Conduct

• Stealing or attempting to steal an examination or answer key
• Stealing or attempting to change official academic records
• Intentionally impairing the performance of other students and/or a teacher, for example, by adulterating laboratory samples or reagents, by altering musical or athletic equipment, or by creating a distraction meant to impair performance
• Alteration of computer and/or gradebook records or forgery of signatures for the purpose of academic advantage
• Sabotaging or destroying the work of others

Collusion

• Collusion occurs when any student knowingly or intentionally helps another student perform an act of academic dishonesty. Collusion is an act of academic dishonesty and will be disciplined in the same manner as the act itself.

The Role of the Teacher:

A teacher who has evidence that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred shall, after speaking with the student and parent, take one or more of the following disciplinary actions depending on the level of the infraction as established by the guidelines established by the Site/PLC:

• The student will receive an oral reprimand and the student will redo the assignment as determined by the Site/PLC (for example, in cases where there is reasonable doubt that the student knew that the action violated the standards of academic honesty)
• The student will receive an F/NC, zero points, or a reduced number of points on all or part of a particular paper, project, or examination (for example, for a first time occurrence of a relatively minor nature)
• The student will receive an F/NC for the grading period (for example, in cases where the dishonesty is more serious, premeditated, or a repeat offense)

In each of the instances listed above, the teacher will make a notation in the Visit Maintenance screen on "Q", and the student’s Work Habits and Citizenship marks may be effected.

A student found to be academically dishonest may not have made a reasonable attempt on the assignment/assessment and therefore may not be able to resubmit their work as determined by the Site/PLC. However, because it is essential that the teacher know the true level of mastery that the student has for a particular standard, the student may be required to demonstrate their knowledge on a like assignment/assessment.

The Role of the Administrator:

For any incident of academic dishonesty, which is sufficiently serious for the teacher to take advanced disciplinary action, which can lower the student’s grade, the teacher shall report the incident to the administration for appropriate disciplinary action. The Administrator will determine the appropriate level of discipline based on the school’s discipline hierarchy. These consequences will be recorded as part of the student’s discipline record. Students found to be academically dishonest are subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension; dismissal from student offices, athletics, and extracurricular activities; involuntary transfer; or expulsion.