Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

    Honor Code

    As members of the Thomas Jefferson community, we honor academic and personal integrity. We uphold the values of honesty, integrity, respect, and responsibility.

    Name (please print): _____________________________________ Grade: ___________

    Signature: ______________________________________________ Date: ___________

    The above signature indicates that the individual has fully read and understood the Honor Code as the accepted standard for all academic work related to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

    Honesty is a value that holds each person to the truth, to tell the truth, and to defend the truth. Honesty results in fairness for each member of the Thomas Jefferson community. Integrity is firm adherence to our values with and without the presence of others. Respect is treating others as we would like to be treated. In an environment of respect, work we turn in as our own is our own. Responsibility is the quality of being accountable for our actions and accepting the consequences of our actions.

    The Honor Code is a physical representation of the values that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology should encompass. At any educational institution, a code of conduct must be established so that people, teachers and students alike, know the proper way to behave. The behavior students acquire through their actions is the most valuable gift they can carry with them after graduation, and it is the most valuable gift any educational institution can give. Formulas and facts can carry students only so far in life. True success lies in one's desire to be good for the sake of being good ¾ doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. The Honor Code is not meant as an imposition, but rather as a standard to which all students and faculty should be held. At Jefferson, we push each other to higher academic achievement; this code asks that we hold each other, with the same rigor and passion in academics, to a standard of integrity and of personal achievement.

    Thomas Jefferson Principles Regarding Academic Integrity

    Enrollment at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology requires adherence to a certain set of standards. Our standards include the expectation that no student will engage in the following unacceptable behaviors as defined by the course teacher *:

    1. Cheating
    2. Plagiarism
    3. Fabrication
    4. Obtaining an Unfair Advantage
    5. Aiding and Abetting Dishonesty
    6. Falsification of Records and Official Documents
    7. Unauthorized Access to Academic or Administrative Records or Systems

    *If a student is unclear as to whether or not his or her action(s) are in violation of the Honor Code, then it is that student's responsibility to clarify any ambiguities with the appropriate administrator or instructor.

    Teacher Responsibilities

    1. Clearly outline and define unacceptable academic behaviors within the teacher's course
    2. Address the degree to which students may collaborate on the completion of assignments, making distinctions where necessary as to assignment types
    3. Clearly outline the responsibility each group member must bear for a collaborative project
    4. Address the use of study aids (e.g. CliffsNotes, etc.) in course work

    Student Rights

    In all cases regarding a suspected violation of the above stated principles, the student will be granted the rights delineated in the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Student Responsibilities and Rights Regulation 2601.14P.

    Procedures

    The course of action taken for each suspected infraction of the Honor Code will follow the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Student Responsibilities and Rights Regulation 2601.14P regarding due process and parent notification.

    Sanctions

    All cases of academic dishonesty will result in consequences as deemed appropriate by the teacher and/or school principal, or principal designee, under the circumstances. The school principal, or principal designee, may impose sanctions more serious than teacher reprimands.