Honor Code

PREAMBLE OF THE HONOR CODE

The cornerstone values of Berkshire School are honesty and integrity. The Honor Code codifies and symbolizes our collective commitment to these values. We believe that it is every community member’s personal responsibility to uphold them by adhering to the spirit and the letter of Berkshire School’s Honor Code.

CONSTITUTION OF THE HONOR CODE

Article 1: Violations

• Academic Violations: plagiarism, cheating, lying with respect to academic matters

• Social Violations: theft, vandalism, lying with respect to non-academic matters

• Violations associated with an Honor or Discipline Committee proceeding: it is a violation of the Honor Code to lie, mislead, or evade questions during an appearance before the Honor or Discipline Committee.

Article 2: Process

Any student who has violated the Honor Code may be required to appear before the Honor Committee or the Discipline Committee. In general, Academic Violations of the Honor Code are heard by the Honor Committee while Social Violations are heard by the Discipline Committee. The Honor Committee is a standing committee of student leaders, faculty members and a non-voting Chair. When the Honor Committee convenes to hear a case, it consists of three student members, three faculty members, and the Chair. The student appearing before an Honor Committee has the right to be supported in that appearance by their Advisor, Form Dean, and a student leader. The Honor Committee hears the case, which includes a period of questioning from the Committee, and makes a recommendation to the Head of School.

Article 3: Consequences

The Honor Committee generally recommends the following consequences to the Head of School but may offer others if circumstances warrant:

• Warning with Respect to all Future Violations of the Honor Code

• Warning + Suspension

• Dismissal

Upon receiving the recommendation from the Honor Committee, the Head of School will impose a sanction on the student, taking both the recommendation of the Committee plus any other pertinent information or circumstances into account.

Article 4: The Honor Pledge

The phrase “I pledge my honor” is short for “I pledge my honor that I have neither given nor received aid on this paper” and should be written on work handed in for credit and followed by a signature. On work submitted electronically, it should be typed out and followed by the student’s name. Requiring and writing the Honor Pledge provides a constant reminder to all members of the community that honor and integrity inform our daily lives at Berkshire. On exams and large papers, the phrase should be written out in full.

Article 5: Promotion and Perpetuation

The preamble and the constitution should be explained to all students at the beginning of every academic year. In addition, the Honor Committee especially, but all members of the community may take whatever measures it deems necessary to promote and perpetuate Berkshire School’s Honor Code.