PHS continues the academic integrity meetings in order to promote student discussion about cheating. The academic integrity meetings aim to improve the current academic integrity policy as well as allow students to give their own input on cheating.
Assistant Vice Principal Karyn Shipp said that although the meetings have no specific purpose, the administration hopes to gain insight on student opinions of the current academic integrity policy and work to improve it.
“[The policy] is not working to the extent that we want it to,” Shipp said.
Counselor Ashley English said that the meetings may lead to the development an up-to-date honor code that will be a good fit for students.
“The current academic integrity policy is in the planner, but it is meaning less to a lot of students,” history teacher Ken Brown said.
English and Brown facilitate the academic integrity meetings, which stemmed from the results of last year’s WASC evaluation. Brown said that the finding of the WASC group revealed that academic integrity was an issue that the administration and faculty should focus on.
“I do not think [the WASC group] necessarily felt like it was the biggest issue within our school, but it was one of the take-aways from their investigation,” Brown said.
So far, there have been two meetings, one held at the end of the 2011-2012 school year and another held during February of this year. English said that the meetings have discussed student opinions on how much of an issue cheating is on campus and the varying interpretations of academic integrity.
“We want student input to find a concrete definition of what academic integrity is,” English said.
English said that as the meetings progress, she said she hopes they can be held on a monthly basis. She said that although the meetings have mainly consisted of about juniors and seniors, she said she would like to hear more freshman and sophomore voices in the future.
“I think it is a minority voice right now,” Brown said. “But i think it is how a majority of us feel.”
Brown said that the meetings are open to all students who want to participate. He said that students who are interested in attending upcoming meetings should contact an administrator, student counselor, English, or himself.
“We are in the process of getting down to the [students] who really want to have this conversation,” Brown said.
Sophomore Allen Hosler joined the February meeting after hearing about it from a friend.
“It was great to hear so many students share their feelings on cheating,” Hosler said. “I hope we can use these meetings to create a safer learning environment at PHS.”
Hosler said that by attending the meeting, he was able to address issues that he did not usually have the change to discuss. Brown said that the academic integrity meetings will give a voice to students who feel strongly about cheating.
“Our motto is Achieve the Honorable,” Brown said. “But it is not just a saying, it is a goal that we are trying to achieve.”
