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Darien High School

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2026-2027 Academic Integrity Policy

The Darien Public Schools commits to Integrity in its Vision of the Graduate. Members of the Darien High School community act with integrity when they conduct themselves honestly and adhere to principles in the face of adversity and social pressures. They assume responsibility for their work and their learning.  Academic integrity demands that all ideas in our learning environment be original or credited to another and that established norms for the production of academic work be followed.  

DHS expects students to develop their moral compass and demonstrate the courage to honor it; DHS opposes and discourages any form of cheating or academic dishonesty.

Examples of Academic Dishonesty

  • Aiding another student’s academic dishonesty
  • Cheating by 
    • using unauthorized materials
    • sharing details of assessments with others
    • receiving information about an assessment without reporting to a teacher or administrator 
    • copying from another student or providing access to another student
    • using electronic devices or apps in unauthorized way
    • being dishonest in any way
  • Collaborating by working with another (student, parent, tutor, etc.) when independent work is required
  • Utilizing AI in any portion of the work process or submission when not explicitly sanctioned by your teacher.  Always assume AI is not sanctioned on any assignment or assessment.  If not explicitly sanctioned by your teacher, ask them prior to utilizing AI.
  • Destroying, presenting, submitting, or altering another student’s work 
  • Falsifying citations, sources, and/or results
  • Plagiarizing as defined by Webster’s Dictionary: “the unauthorized use of language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own.”
  • Submitting the same work for different assignments
  • Using unauthorized examinations, tests, or quizzes
  • Avoiding or prolonging completing a test or quiz that leads to an untimely completion of the assignment
  • Falsifying an excused absence to avoid taking a test or quiz or submitting an assignment
  • Possessing a cell phone and/or a device out of the Yondr pouch or on your person while taking an assessment in any setting.  
    • Students in grades 9-11 are expected to have their phones locked in Yondr pouches at all times.  Seniors are expected to place their phones in the phone tree in classrooms during assessments.  Any student found to have a phone on their person during an assessment will be in violation of the academic integrity policy. 
  • Violation of any Testing Center Protocols

Academic Integrity Violation Procedures:

When a teacher suspects a violation of the Academic Integrity Code, the following steps will be taken:

  1. The teacher will review the incident with the student without making a determination of an infraction or an outcome.   The purpose of this initial step is to gather more information to understand what happened.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
  2. The teacher will inform the department chair and review the incident with them.  The teacher will inform the Assistant Principal to check on prior incidents if an infraction has occurred.  
  3. The teacher will inform the student whether it has been determined that an infraction  has taken place.  
  4. If an infraction has occurred, the student will be given a chance to discuss this with their family, then, the teacher will follow up with the family by phone to schedule an Academic Integrity Meeting with the student, parents and department leader (assistant principal is included if the student has prior infractions).
  5. At the meeting an “Academic Integrity Form” will be completed to discuss the incident, the consequences, and the academic integrity policy.  This form will be placed in the student’s disciplinary file. The form will be retained in the file until the student’s graduation.

Consequences for an Academic Integrity Violation

  1. For an initial violation, once it has been determined by the assistant principal, department chair, and teacher that academic dishonesty has occurred, a penalty of a score of zero will be imposed.  A retake or separate assignment may be given to the student and their score will be averaged with the zero.  In the case of serious offenses of the academic integrity policy involving semester exams, other significant assessments, or serious disruptions of the school environment , no retakes or separate assignments will be afforded and the score will remain a zero.
  2. A second violation of the Academic Integrity Code, if a student has engaged in academic dishonesty in the same or any other course during his enrollment at Darien High School, the student will receive a failing grade for the quarter in which the infraction occurred.  
  3. Subsequent violations will result in failure of the course for the semester.
  4. Any academic integrity violation may also result in detention, suspension, loss of privileges, and will jeopardize future eligibility for honors societies, leadership opportunities, ability to participate in athletic or extracurricular activities.

Providing or Receiving Academic Help

Students are encouraged to seek assistance in understanding academic work and ideas from teachers, fellow students, tutors, parents, and other family members.  However, students and those giving assistance must ensure that work submitted for credit in the name of the student represents the student’s ideas and expression. If in the judgment of the teacher, this is not the case, the above procedures will be followed.