Academic Honesty Policy
Goals: The primary goals of any educational institution should be to enhance the learning environment and promote the pursuit of intellectual excellence. The Palo Alto Board of Education believes that the public school should reinforce the value of our democratic society, teach citizenship and provide an environment conducive to ethical behavior. Our school community believes that the school should maintain a climate in which honesty, courtesy, consideration, integrity and a concern for others are highly valued.
Problem: Cheating is an obstacle to achieving academic, personal and community goals. Cheating will not be tolerated under any circumstance. The teaching staff expects that students put the importance of learning above the importance of grades and that they are to perform at the best of their ability.
Consequences: When a student has been found cheating, the following consequences will be followed. Continued cheating may be treated as defiance of school authority as addressed in the Discipline Plan. Parents and pupils have the right to request a meeting with a school administrator according to Section 48904 of the California Education Code, if it is felt that due process has not been followed.
Definition: Cheating is taking or lending at inappropriate times a person’s work, information, ideas, research or documentation without properly identifying the originator. Students may not misrepresent somone else’s work as their own. The teacher’s professional judgment will determine whether cheating has occurred.
Part of the
Palo Alto Unified School District
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