NEW POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY; FIRST-EVER HHS HONOR CODE

Ryan Collins, a member of the class of 2009 and the HHS Council, writes: Council has passed a new school-wide honor code as well as a new academic integrity policy. After many months of hard work both have been approved both by the school's administration and by the Dresden School Board. They will take effect before final exams begin this year.

The new policy gives a more comprehensive definition of academic dishonesty, and reworks procedures for addressing offenses. Consequences for cases of academic dishonesty have been matched with the degree of the offense.

One major piece of this process has been overshadowed by the rightfully important discussion regarding academic honesty: the school has also passed a universal honor code for the first time. Hanover High School has not had an honor code up until this point, so this is a big improvement. It is intended to boost the understanding of personal responsibility and integrity that HHS expects from its students.

Council's Curriculum Committee consulted a wide variety of sources ranging from college-level ethics professors to other high schools and institutions throughout the country. Council and an ad-hoc School Board committee brought the documents to their final state.

For questions or comments, or if you would like to obtain a copy of the Honor Code and Academic Integrity Policy, feel free to email Ryan Collins at ryan.collins@dresden.us