Academic Integrity/Policy

It is expected that all work submitted for the purpose of meeting online course requirements represents the original efforts of the individual student. This includes, but is not limited to exams, homework, course assignments, and the original creation of essays, compositions, term papers and scientific research. All work submitted by a student should be a true reflection of his or her own effort and ability. If such is not the case, then the student has demonstrated unacceptable academic behavior and is subject to disciplinary action. Administrators, faculty, advisors, students and families are all important contributors to the upholding of academic integrity in the online learning community.

Plagiarism is defined as copying/stealing and passing off as one’s own the ideas or words of another, using someone else’s created product without crediting the source, or committing literary theft. Examples include the following:

  • Turning in a paper retrieved from an Internet source as one’s own
  • Using another student’s work in whole or part and handing it in as one’s own
  • Using information from an encyclopedia, book, textbook, web site, database, etc., without citing the source
  • Using another person’s idea, opinion, or theory without citing the source
  • Using any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings, pictures, sounds or other piece of information which you found from any source that is not common knowledge, without citing the source
  • Using quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written word without citing the source
  • Paraphrasing (putting into your own words) another person’s unique ideas, spoken or written, without citing the source

As the Internet becomes increasingly more accessible and sophisticated, the incidents of plagiarism in submitted student papers and projects have increased. Many institutions of higher (post-high school) education penalize plagiarism with student expulsion. Therefore, in the interest of the student’s future education, as well as the school’s part in the personal development of students, the South Middleton School District will follow the policy on plagiarism as outlined below:Plagiarism will result in a “zero” (no credit) on the assigned paper or project.
Teachers will provide written documentation of the plagiarism and will use the following procedure:

A. Discussion with the student
B. Referral to the school principal or assistant principal
C. Call to parents by the principal or teacher
D. Principal’s referral to co-curricular coaches/advisors and National Honor Society as applicable

When plagiarism is found to have taken place, the student must still meet the minimum requirement(s) of the course by rewriting the assignment according to teacher specifications. The student’s grade on the rewritten assignment will be no higher than a “C.” Failure to rewrite the assignment will result in an “F” for that assignment.

A second plagiarism offense will automatically result in an “F” for the course.

We have read and understand the above policy and agree to abide by the rules of this policy.


Student Signature                      Date          Parent/Guardian Signature         Date