A CLICK AWAY FROM MAJOR CONSEQUENCE

WRITER: GREG FRESCOLN

What do you do when you can’t do your homework?

Most parents would say, “Go to tutoring after school.”

Good try, Mom and Dad. What many students do is turn to the Internet. Some sites are legitimate and helpful and require a subscription. Others are dubious and push the bounds of ethics. Yet others, though not illegal, allow students to cheat.

Many college students are placed on probation or dismissed for such activities. Don’t let your child be one of them.

Here are stats from three major Florida universities.

NUMBER OF STUDENTS DISCIPLINED FOR ACADEMIC DISHONESTY, CHEATING, OR PLAGIARISM

University A 92

University B 275

University C 293

HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES TO GAUGE WHERE YOUR CHILD’S BEHAVIOR FALLS:

2012-13

2012-13

2013-14 in K-1

GREG FRESCOLN has been the administrator at First Academy-Leesburg since 1993. A native of Iowa, Greg graduated from Iowa State University in 1985 with degrees in history and international studies. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1990 with a master’s degree in education and in 2000 graduated with a specialist degree in K-12 education.

LEGIT:

LEGIT

Sites that charge a fee, paid for by the parents. Your student comes to you and says he or she can’t figure out a problem. You, the parent, type in the problem and get a step-by-step solution to print out. You then ask your child to show you his or her work, you point out where the slip-up is and you don’t show them the solution.

DUBIOUS:

Children type in a question on a search engine and receive several answers; they then rephrase the answer in their own words. They may technically be learning from this activity, and for an English or history class, this may be legit, but in a science, grammar or math class, in which exact answers are needed, it’s very borderline if not outright cheating

CHEATING:

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