Effective date: 30 July 2025
Applies to: All students, courses, assessments, and learning activities at Sunrise Pine School, including online and in‑person components.
Purpose and ethos
Academic integrity is the foundation of trust in our learning community. Every student must submit original work and give proper credit whenever using others’ ideas, words, media, or data. This policy explains expectations, permitted support, misuse of AI and digital tools, procedures for investigating concerns, and consequences for violations.
Scope
This policy applies to all coursework (homework, classwork, quizzes, tests, projects, labs, essays, presentations, discussions, forums, and creative works) across all grades. It also applies to online learning behaviors, including device and browser use during classes and assessments.
Student responsibilities
Produce your own original work, written by hand or typed by you.
Cite all sources according to APA (7th ed.) standards (see Appendix A) when quoting, paraphrasing, using data, media, or ideas not your own.
Ask your teacher when unsure if a tool, collaboration, or source is allowed.
Respect assessment conditions (test rules, device rules, screen‑sharing rules).
Maintain drafts and process evidence (notes, outlines, earlier versions, data logs) when requested.
Definitions of academic misconduct
Misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
Plagiarism: Using another’s words, ideas, structure, images, data, code, or media without proper citation and, for direct quotes, without quotation marks or block formatting.
Self‑plagiarism: Reusing your own prior work (in part or whole) without teacher permission and proper citation.
Collusion and unauthorized collaboration: Working with others when individual work is required, or sharing and receiving answers or work beyond permitted collaboration.
Contract cheating: Having someone else complete work for you (including family, friends, freelancers, or services).
Fabrication and falsification: Inventing or altering data, results, citations, attendance, or permissions.
Assessment misconduct: Possessing or using unauthorized aids; communicating with others during assessments; opening unapproved tabs or apps; pausing screen‑share to look up answers; reading platform content during tests unless allowed; impersonation.
Unauthorized AI and automation
Misuse of translation and editing tools
What counts as your own work?
Your submission must be conceived, drafted, and written by you. You may receive advice from teachers and parents or guardians, but no one else may write, translate, edit, or solve your work for you unless explicitly allowed by the teacher for a specific task.
Citation and referencing (APA 7th ed.)
Students starting from grade 9 must follow APA (7th ed.) for in‑text citations and the References list.
- Cite all quotations, paraphrases, images, data, and media.
- Use quotation marks or block quotes for verbatim text, with page/paragraph numbers or timestamps.
- See Appendix A for a concise APA guide and examples.
- Any use of existing content without proper citation or quotation is plagiarism and violates this policy.
Use of AI, online tools, and outside help for school assignments
A. Misuse of AI or online tools (not allowed):
Generating all or part of an assignment (text, code, calculations, problem solutions) using AI.
Translating entire texts or assignments, especially for language courses.
Using AI or tools to fix grammar and syntax for assessed language learning tasks (unless explicitly permitted), as it impedes skill development; feedback may be requested from the teacher instead.
Solving math and science tests, assignments, labs, or experiments using AI or solver tools.
Generating images and illustrations without prior teacher approval.
Misrepresenting another person’s work (including AI output) as your own.
Failing to cite all sources and follow quotation rules.
Copying/pasting answers on quizzes or tests from any source; all responses must be produced directly in the exam tool or by hand, as directed.
Copying other students’ work (current or former), including from online repositories.
Parents/guardians or others completing a student’s work.
Completing handwriting‑focused language worksheets digitally unless explicitly permitted.
Opening separate tabs and apps or pausing the screen‑ shared during lessons or tests to search for answers; reading course materials during a closed‑book test.
B. Allowed use (with integrity):
Asking teachers for feedback or clarification.
Asking parents/guardians for advice, not editing or writing.
Citing all sources of external content used.
Using citation generators as a starting point (students remain responsible for accuracy).
Consulting reputable explanatory sources (e.g., YouTube tutorials, Khan Academy) to understand content, do not copy their wording or solutions; cite if used.
Using Google Scholar to search for research for written assignments (do not copy abstracts verbatim).
AI may only be used for research help if you have discussed it with your teacher first. This means you can use AI to find search terms, topics, or possible resources, but not to generate any part of the work you submit. If you use AI in this way, add an AI Assistance Statement at the end of your assignment (see Appendix A) and check all sources yourself. AI-generated text is not allowed in any quiz, essay, or written assignment.
Translation for words and short phrases only to build a personal glossary; prefer dictionaries (Oxford, Cambridge, Merriam‑Webster), Encyclopedia Britannica, and subject glossaries.
Teacher‑approved AI‑generated images may be used with attribution (see Appendix A) when the assignment allows digital art.
Accessibility note: If a student has approved accommodations that require specific tools (e.g., dictation, text‑to‑speech), those tools are permitted per the student’s plan.
Use of any tools or outside help to complete quizzes and exams is strictly prohibited.
Process evidence and verification
Teachers may request:
- Drafts, outlines, notes, revision history (e.g., document version history), and source files.
- Oral checks or demonstrations to verify understanding.
- Submission to similarity or originality tools.
- For labs and projects: data logs, raw data, and step records.
Similarity or AI‑detection scores alone are not proof of misconduct. Teachers consider multiple forms of evidence and context.
Procedures when a concern arises
Initial review: The teacher gathers evidence (submission, drafts, logs, proctoring data, communication records).
Notification: The teacher notifies the student (and parent/guardian for minors) of the concern within 3 school days when feasible.
Student response: The student may submit an explanation and process evidence within 2 school days.
Decision: The teacher, and when needed the department head determines whether a violation occurred and its level (minor/major/egregious).
Record: The outcome is documented in the student record consistent with section 10 and the Discipline Policy.
Appeal: The student may appeal to the department head and then the principal per the Appeals Procedure (timelines: 5 school days at each stage).
Consequences (sanctions)
Sunrise Pine School aims to be educational and fair while protecting assessment integrity. Consequences depend on the assignment’s weight and the severity of the violation.
First violation
0% on the assignment.
Parent/guardian contact by the teacher.
One redo permitted once per academic year (teacher may cap the maximum grade on the redo).
Mandatory integrity module or conference.
Second violation
0% on the assignment; no redo permitted.
Parent/guardian notification and Academic Integrity flag placed in the permanent record.
Repeated or egregious violations (e.g., contract cheating, test cheating, broad pattern across courses)
Oral re‑examination on current or prior course topics; additional assessments to validate learning.
Course failure, suspension, or expulsion per the Discipline Policy.
Notation of violation in the teacher comment section on the permanent transcript, as applicable by school policy and law.
Sanctions may be adjusted for minor, low‑stakes practice tasks versus major summative assessments, but the integrity flagging rules remain as stated above.
Teacher responsibilities
State allowed and disallowed tools on each assessment.
Provide APA examples and model correct citation in course materials.
Offer feedback channels (class time, office hours, email) to replace prohibited AI editing.
Apply this policy consistently and maintain confidentiality.
Parent/guardian partnership
Parents/guardians may advise students, help plan schedules, and encourage persistence, but must not complete, translate, write, or edit student work. Questions about permitted help should be directed to the teacher.
Digital assessment conditions (online)
Follow teacher directions for proctoring (camera on if required), single‑tab testing, and no unapproved devices.
Do not pause or obscure the screen‑sharing to search for answers.
Keep the workspace clear unless materials are explicitly allowed.
Equity and support
Students with documented learning needs receive appropriate support without compromising academic integrity. When in doubt, ask your teacher.
Honor statement
Students may be asked to include the following on major assessments:
“I affirm that this work is my own. I have not given or received unauthorized assistance and have cited all sources according to APA (7th ed.).”
Appendix A — APA (7th ed.) Quick Guide
When to cite: Any quotation, paraphrase, idea, image, figure, dataset, code, or media not created by you. Common knowledge does not need citation.
In‑text basics: Author–date format.
Narrative: Smith (2021) argues…
Parenthetical: (Smith, 2021).
Quotes include locator: (Smith, 2021, p. 14); (para. 3) for webpages; timecodes for video (1:23).
1 author: (Smith, 2021); 2 authors: (Smith & Lee, 2021); 3+ authors: (Smith et al., 2021).
References page: Title it References. Double‑spaced, hanging indent 0.5 in, alphabetized by author. Use DOIs as URLs when available; include URLs for online sources.
Models (adapt and verify):
Book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title: Subtitle. Publisher.
Journal article (with DOI): Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal Title, volume(issue), pp–pp. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Webpage: Author/Org. (Year, Month, Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
Video: Channel Name. (Year, Month, Day). Title [Video]. Platform. URL
Dataset: Org. (Year). Title [Data set]. Repository. DOI/URL
Class slides (if cited): TeacherLastName, F. M. (Year, Month, Day). Title [Slides]. Course/School. URL (if applicable)
AI acknowledgments (when limited research assistance is allowed):
Add an AI Assistance Statement at the end of your work, e.g.:
“I used ChatGPT on 15 March 2025 to brainstorm search terms for sources about renewable energy. I did not use AI‑generated text, translations, or solutions in this submission. All writing and analysis are my own.”
AI‑generated images (if pre‑approved): Add a caption or note, e.g.:
“Image generated with [Tool], prompt by [Student Name], [Date]. Used with teacher approval. No AI‑generated text was used.”
Appendix B — Examples of allowed vs. not allowed
Allowed:
Watching a Khan Academy video to understand factoring, then solving problems independently.
Looking up a single unfamiliar word in the Oxford English Dictionary and adding it to your unit glossary.
Using a citation generator, then correcting capitalization and formatting.
Asking your teacher: “Can you explain what kind of analysis you expect?”
Not allowed:
Pasting a prompt into an AI tool and turning in the output, with or without edits.
Translating an entire Spanish composition via Google Translate/DeepL.
Having a parent or tutor rewrite your essay or fix grammar for a graded language task.
Using a solver to obtain answers for a physics lab or math test.
Opening additional tabs or pausing the screen‑share during a closed‑book quiz.