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Cheating, Plagiarizing and the Acceptable Use of New Technologies 5-34.2

School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Regulation 5-34.2

STUDENTS

Cheating, Plagiarizing and the Acceptable Use of New Technologies

Virginia Beach City Public Schools is committed to promoting academic growth in every area and acknowledging expanding technology based on global needs and areas of specialization upon which it can concentrate. The use of collaboration, academic sources and technological innovations can develop student potential to its fullest extent and allow teachers and students opportunities for long-term success. Exhibitions and demonstrations of learning are expected and required to be wholly original.

  1. Guidelines

    Cheating and plagiarizing are unacceptable behaviors which have moral and legal implications. Cheating is violating established rules or codes of ethics. Plagiarizing is falsely claiming authorship. Cheating also includes knowingly giving or offering aid to another student on a test or assigned work unless specifically authorized by the teacher. This also includes the unauthorized use of new technologies.

    1. Teachers have the responsibility to:
      1. Teach or review the correct use of sources when assigning work; this includes expectations regarding the use of new technologies.
      2. Structure conditions during testing to alleviate the possibility of cheating and plagiarizing; and
      3. Specify the types of collaboration that are discouraged and those that are encouraged.
    2. Students have the responsibility to:
      1. Avoid situations which might contribute to cheating or plagiarizing;
      2. Avoid unauthorized assistance; this includes utilizing other individuals or the unauthorized use of new technologies.
      3. Use sources in the prescribed in the above manner;
      4. Acknowledge borrowed materials by citing all sources used;
      5. Avoid plagiarism by;
        1. 1) Using appropriate quotation marks acknowledging statements taken from others;
        2. 2) Acknowledging information and ideas borrowed from any source; and
        3. 3) Consulting faculty about any use of sources and technology that might be deemed questionable by the School Division and school based academic expectations and the Student Code of Conduct.
  2. Penalties and Implications

    Students who violate "the spirit or the letter of the law" regarding cheating/plagiarizing or the misuse of new technologies must accept the responsibility for their actions, and the accompanying penalties. Penalties may include but are not limited to:

    1. A failure on work presented which includes unauthorized assistance from other students, unauthorized use of unauthorized technology, sources, materials, or failure to properly document by citing source;
    2. A failure on a major assignment which is totally or partly plagiarized;
    3. Parent/legal guardian-student-administrator conference as a result of infractions involving either cheating or plagiarizing; and
    4. Possible disciplinary action as outlined by the Code of Student Conduct and the Discipline Guidelines.

Approved by Superintendent: September 21, 1993 (Effective August 14, 1993)
Revised by Superintendent: March 17, 2006
Amended by School Board: November 27, 2018
Revised by Superintendent: August 16, 2023