Summary of the Case The case under review occurred in the city of Newton against a backdrop of economic decline, political disenchantment, and a widening racial divide. A Newton High School senior,Sheila Allison, is accused by her teacher of plagiarizing a book review. Mrs. Durnitz, the teacher, reported to the school principal that Sheila admitted to taking material from the web but claimed she did not know that doing so constituted plagiarism. The district’s policy states that students found guilty of plagiarism must receive a failing grade and repeat the course. Mrs. Durnitz feels that Sheila, having a copy of the student handbook in which plagiarism is discussed, should have known that what she did violated the policy. The teacher also believes that the policy, drafted by the teachers who teach honors classes and approved by the administration, must be followed to the letter despite any extenuating circumstances. Sheila, a good student who is popular and athletic, received a congressional appointment to a national military academy. She is the first African American at Newton High School to receive such an honor. The town has publicized this fact widely throughout the community. Should Sheila receive a failing grade in her honors English class, she may lose this prestigious appointment. The ramifications for the district—should this occur—will most likely be both political and legal. The superintendent and principal are stymied in their efforts to reach a compromise as Mrs. Durnitz refuses to change her position that the policy must be followed to the letter. She appealed to the teachers’ association for support when it appeared that the administration and board might not uphold her position. The local newspap... ... middle of paper ... ...t era: A wake up call. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. Martinez, S. (2009). A system gone berserk: How are zero-tolerance policies really …..affecting schools? Preventing School Failure, 53(3), 153-157. Retrieved from …..http://search.proquest.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/docview/228530113?acco…..untid=6579 Protheroe, N. (2011). What effective principals do? Principal, 90(5), 26-30. Retrieved …..from www.naesp.org Strom, P., & Strom, R. (2007). Cheating in middle school and high school. Educational …..Forum,71(2), 104-116. doi:10.1080/00131720708984924 Thomas, D. A. (2004). How educators can more effectively understand and combat the …..plagiarism epidemic. Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal, (2), …..421-430. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova. …..edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=167098
This decision makes it clear the most important thing for a school to do is to protect the students. It also states that the board of education, whose role is to oversee the schools, must make sure that the staff of the schools is protecting those children. This case highlights that long-term abuse can happen in schools if there are not clear policies or, if there are, that there is no one ensuring that those policies are
Following the Columbine tragedy in 1999, “school systems across the nation introduced the zero-tolerance policies aimed at the curtailment of harmful student behaviors” (Noll, 2014, p. 295). The original focus of the policies was to eliminate the use/carrying of weapons but soon after spread to restricting drugs and medication (2014). By 2006 95% of the U.S. public schools had adopted the zero-tolerance policies and more than half of them reported taking significant action against students, many of which resulted in expulsion (2014). While the zero-tolerance polices were originally welcomed by all members of a community as a means of promoting and keeping a safer environment-- as of late many individuals are questioning the relevance of some actions and some school officials (2014).
McCabe, Donald L. “Students Cheating in American High Schools.” The Center for Academic Integrity. 2002. 10 Nov. 2002. .
This report will review and explore the various uses of the zero tolerance plan and its applications throughout schools in American society. There will be a study on the effectiveness of zero tolerance, an outline of the pros and cons of its usage, an evaluation of a case scenario as it pertains to the utilization of this policy, and a plan of action in formulating a sound disposition. The stakeholders’ perception will be reviewed and how they are impacted in these decisions will be demonstrated. The detailing of the pros and cons of a desired plan of action in response to the situation and the examination of the effectiveness of a zero tolerance policy, will allow for an investigation into the possible outcomes of court rulings in regards to the case. It will also allow for a deeper inspection into the research of the moral and ethical implications of an expulsion due to a violation of a zero tolerance policy.
Schimmel, David, Leslie Robert Stellman and Louis Fischer. Teachers and the Law. Eighth Edition. Pearson Education Inc, 2011.
Another major reason why juveniles are ending up in the juvenile justice system is because many schools have incorporate the zero tolerance policy and other extreme school disciplinary rules. In response to violent incidents in schools, such as the Columbine High School massacre, school disciplinary policies have become increasingly grave. These policies have been enacted at the school, district and state levels with the hopes of ensuring the safety of students and educators. These policies all rely on the zero tolerance policy. While it is understandable that protecting children and teachers is a priority, it is not clear that these strict policies are succeeding in improving the safety in schools.
The fact that plagiarism has become easier and benefits the students academically means that the temptation to cheat outweighs the consequences greatly. This reveals that the rules at Paloma Valley need reinforcement. Jennifer Dirmeyer along with Alexander Cartwright, authors of the article “Honor Codes Work Where Honesty
Modern American honour values bravery, freedom and hard work. Honor has been expressed different for years and years in different countries. Honour is defined of someone having high respect, courage and being selfless. Honour can also be viewed as someone sacrificing something or themselves; like our US soldiers. Nothing stays the same and just like honour it has changed over time, many times depending on what is valued. History tells its own story from different perspectives of honour.
One of the best qualities of society is one known as honor. However, honor is one of these words which cannot be tied down with an exact definition. People define honor with different ideas or opinions: being honorable is being respected, and to be honored you must be admired; you must have high morals to be considered honorable. Some say that your honor is determined not by yourself, but by everyone else. The definition of honor seems to have always been this confusing. However, it is noticeable that honor’s definition has changed over time, and it can be compared likewise. Honor can be seen as it was, then compared with how the way the United States views it, the way other countries view honor , and the way the world views it now.
If the dean of students had required the removal of the editorial, she would have violated my Constitutional rights; the editorial did not disrupt school discipline, undermine the school’s educational purpose, or cause any pedagogical concerns. In fact, the editorial advanced the school’s educational purpose in an effort to expose administrational problems plaguing the university’s board of regents. The dean of students, however, did not requ...
There is an ever broadening problem spreading throughout colleges all across America: cheating. Is it a serious offence or just a harmless crime? Cheating is on the rise, but schools and colleges are not far behind with ways of dealing with it. Mark Clayton deals with this issue in his essay entitled “A Whole Lot of Cheatin’ Going On.”
How bad has cheating become over the years, the numbers in some cases are mind-boggling. In today’s day and age the amount of college students cheating is numbered to have maintain a steady figure of about 75 percent. (Lang, 2013) Cheating has been around since the beginning of time, some of the reasons behind most of the prolific cheaters are centered on what seems to be three main issues plaguing our society. Cheaters be it young or old, all seem to have what I call the “Big Three” in common. In my research on cheating, there were three things that continued to stick out, such as; procrastinating, the pressure to make the grade and it is easier to cheat rather then to do your own work. To the answer the question why college students cheat, we must first understand why, in order to find a solution on how to help avoid this continuing going forward. After reading this paper you will see that cheating has become prevalent in college, caused by a need to get better grades with less original work being done eventually the ends don't justify the means.
Zero Tolerance has a very good literal appeal. Parents and some students alike are happy to have this disciplinary action. However, zero tolerance would not have stopped the school shootings that have recently plagued the country. A recent po...
Everyone has cheated on something at some point in their life, whether it is in a game, on a test, or in a relationship, everyone has done it. Cheating is anything that involves breaking a rule, or getting an unfair advantage. Schools are one of the most popular places people cheat. Many people down play cheating and use excuses like, “He shouldn’t have let me see his paper,” or, “I am just using my resources wisely.” But, what causes people to cheat? Students cheat in school because of laziness, high standards or pressure to do well, and misunderstanding.
What is honor? For some, it is a high respect that is earned through cumulative deeds and reputation. For others, striving for honor is in itself narcissistic and dishonorable. Honor is present just as much today as it was in William Shakespeare’s day. The word honor has become dangerous and emotive due to those who seek attention from others by playing the hero of the day. Especially to those who would go to great lengths in acquiring honor for themselves? People love to be recognized and rewarded for their good deeds or works, but should they get honored for doing a good deed? Should it not come from the good of their hearts? Many examples from our world history has demonstrated the desire for praise and recognition in exchange in doing good deeds for others. It’s no longer honor if you seek to attain the regard of others. In essence he describes the word honor as something not worth dying for. After all, in that word honor is just air? Is it not?