Purpose:     

The Shaler Area School Board strives to create an environment of academic integrityWherein all students can produce original works with appropriate identification of thesources of information.  Academic dishonesty is a very serious offense.  Therefore, itshall be the policy of the District to maintain an educational environment in whichplagiarism will not be tolerated.

Definition:  

Plagiarism is presenting the ideas or statements of another without crediting the original source.  Even if it is unintentional, plagiarism is theft.  Plagiarized sources include but are not limited to the written word.  Others possible sources are: pictures, photographs, music, internet sources, works of art, and the spoken word.

Authority:   

The Shaler Area School Board prohibits all forms of plagiarism.  Plagiarism is against the school code of conduct and any violation will result in disciplinary action.

Guidelines for maintaining Academic Integrity:

The faculty will:

1.    Instruct students in the definition of plagiarism and on the methods of       properly citing sources
2.    Use age-appropriate bibliographic methodology
3.    Utilize instructional strategies for prevention
4.    Monitor incremental progress of the completion of the projects when          appropriate

Students will:

1.    Demonstrate an understanding of academic integrity by not plagiarizing
2.    Properly cite sources and use appropriate bibliographic methodology
3.    Provide further clarification of the submitted assignment upon request
4.    Provide all original sources for the assignment upon request     

Failure to maintain Academic Integrity:

Failure to comply with Shaler Area School District ’s plagiarism policy regarding academic integrity will result in the following disciplinary actions, which may include, but are not limited to

1.   A mandatory conference with student that may include                          parents, teachers and/or school administrators
2.   Requiring the student to rewrite the assignment
3.   A failing grade for the assignment, report period or course
4.   Loss of participation in extra curricular activities
5.   Impact on letters of recommendation

Disciplinary action will be determined based on the severity of the infraction.  Repeat violators of this policy will be dealt with more severely.

Avoiding Plagiarism