Policy 5131.9 - Academic Honesty

Academic Honesty

The Board of Education firmly believes that academic honesty and personal integrity are crucial to a student’s education and character development. Students, parents/guardians, staff, and administrators shall be responsible for creating and maintaining a positive school climate that encourages honesty. Students are expected to engage in their academic pursuits honestly and are to abstain from cheating, lying, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty. Students found to have committed an act of academic dishonesty shall be subject to district and school-site discipline rules.

Rule 5131.9

Adopted: 06/02/1998

Last Revised: 08/20/2024

Last Reviewed: 08/20/2024

Cheating
Students are prohibited from engaging in dishonest behavior in all forms of academic work. This includes, but is not limited to, the unauthorized use of digital resources such as the internet and artificial intelligence (AI), copying from others, signaling for information exchange, possessing or distributing unauthorized materials, and any actions that undermine the fairness and integrity of all academic assignments and assessments.

Plagiarism
Students are required to honor the intellectual property of others across all academic endeavors. Plagiarism, defined as the use of another’s ideas, words, or work without appropriate acknowledgment, is strictly forbidden. This policy applies comprehensively to all academic outputs, such as written assignments, projects, presentations, and any other coursework that is submitted for credit.

Falsification
Students must not falsify or alter any academic materials or information to misrepresent their academic achievements. Prohibited acts include, but are not limited to, forging signatures, altering graded work, adding or removing written or electronic responses post-submission, and manipulating grading indicators to deceptively reflect improved performance.

Use of Generative AI

Integrity and Verification in the Use of Generative AI
Students must not replace their original work with that of generative AI in assignments and assessments. They must demonstrate their own understanding and are responsible for verifying the accuracy of information provided by generative AI.

Permitted and Encouraged Uses
Generative AI may be used for research and learning enhancement, subject to explicit teacher approval. It can assist in learning activities, provided students critically engage with and validate the information received.

Prohibitions and Restrictions
The use of generative AI to generate answers for evaluative problems or complete original work assignments is prohibited. Its use is also forbidden in any instance where expressly disallowed by an educator or school site.

Citation and Attribution
All generative AI assistance must be transparently cited, including the name of the tool and a description of its use. Content derived from generative AI must be critically assessed and edited by the student, ensuring its validity before submission.

Role of Generative AI in Education
Generative AI is to be a supplemental aid that enhances but does not replace the learning process, including the development of critical thinking, independent research, and writing skills. It is crucial that generative AI does not compromise the cultivation of these foundational abilities.

Violation of this policy, including unethical use of generative AI tools, will result in disciplinary action. Depending on the severity of the misconduct, repercussions may include academic penalties such as a zero on the assignment, failure of the course, or additional consequences consistent with the district and school discipline policies.