Honor Code & Computer Code of Ethics

Webb Upper School Honor System

One of the most important aspects of Webb School is its Honor System. The objective of this system is to instill in students values that will enable them to conduct themselves with integrity. It is Webb’s desire that the spirit of the Honor System continue to grow and become a force in the life of every student. For such a system to be effective, every member of the Webb School community – students, parents, faculty, and staff – must believe in and support its principles. Every school year, all students, faculty, and parents pledge their understanding and willingness to comply with this system.

Webb Honor Code

I. The Honor Code governs all Webb students at all times and in all places. Student conduct in the six areas governed by the Honor Code must conform to the following:

Lying: In any instance in which a student is asked a question, he/she is on his/her honor to tell the truth. Deliberate verbal or written falsification is a form of lying and is, therefore, a violation of the code. Deliberately allowing a false assumption to be drawn also constitutes lying.

Stealing: Students are on their honor not to steal. No student has the right to take or use anything which is not his/her without the express consent of the owner. Thus, “borrowing” without permission may be considered stealing.

Cheating: Students are on their honor neither to give nor to receive any unauthorized information in any form of schoolwork where credit is earned or lost.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a form of cheating and is often a difficult concept for some students. Students must give credit on all writing assignments for work that is not exclusively their own – whether that work is specifically quoted or paraphrased.

Technology Misuse: Honor violations involving misuse of technology encompass some components of all of the above. In general, students should not do anything with their technology resources that would constitute lying, stealing, or cheating. Specifically, students may not electronically misrepresent who they are, send emails that deliberately conceal their identity, or borrow passwords, files or documents from other students without their permission.

Condoning: Students are expected to do all in their power to support the community of trust embodied in the Honor Code and are expected to not condone violations of the Code by others.

II. Every faculty member must, and parents, staff, and students should, when aware of an infraction of the Honor Code, report the infraction to the Honor Committee or a faculty member. If not, the observing student should talk with the person committing the offense. Peer opinion and communication can help establish an atmosphere of personal honor.

III. An Honor Committee hearing is conducted as follows:

A suspected violation of the Honor Code is reported by a faculty member, a student witness or the violator to a student member or faculty sponsor of the Honor Committee. Faculty representatives on the Honor Committee conduct a thorough and immediate investigation. At all times during the investigation, confidentiality is stressed and the anonymity of the person who reported the violation is preserved. The focus for the committee is the discernment of the truth. As such, the process is not adversarial; this means that students on the committee do not take (nor are they assigned) sides “for” or “against” a student as they would if this were a legal proceeding. Students who come before the committee have every opportunity to speak freely about the situation in a conversation (not a debate) with the committee members who are able to ask questions of the student throughout the meeting.

After the investigation, the faculty representatives will determine whether there are sufficient grounds for the committee to meet. If the evidence warrants it, they will set a time and place for a hearing by 10-12 members of the Honor Committee.

Prior to the hearing, the faculty representatives will inform the student suspected of an honor violation of the pending hearing. Information will include time and place of the hearing, a summary of committee procedures, and a brief synopsis of the suspected violations. Although parents may not attend the hearing, the student may select an advocate – any member of the Webb faculty or staff, but generally a teacher, counselor, or advisor – to be present at the hearing. Due to potential conflict of interest, an administrator or a faculty representative to the Honor Committee may not serve as a student advocate. The function of the advocate is to provide support for the student and to ensure a fair hearing, but not to enter actively into the proceedings.

Every effort is made to see that the hearing is conducted in an atmosphere of fairness, respect and confidentiality. The faculty representatives instruct witnesses and committee members not to discuss any of the proceedings outside. If a faculty member or student reports the alleged violation, the committee may call that person to the actual hearing to review and discuss the facts as then known. In the hearing, the witness relates the possible violation observed and is questioned by the committee. Next, the student in question is called before the committee for discussion and questioning. Witnesses may be called for testimony several times before the committee offers a recommendation.

During the investigation, the faculty representative assigned to the hearing will give aid, direction and advice. It is, however, the student members of the committee who run the hearing, discuss the information and reach a decision. A faculty representative will then inform the Head of Upper School of the outcome. The Head of Upper School will review the information, approve, disapprove, modify the decision, give advice in case of disapproval, and receive any requests for appeal. The Head of the Upper School will determine the appropriate consequence.

If the committee cannot reach a decision or finds that no violation occurred, the student will be informed of the decision as soon as possible by the faculty representatives. In such cases, all written records of his/her involvement in the case will be destroyed. If the student is found to have violated the Honor Code, he/she will be called before the faculty representative and the Head of Upper School who will inform the student of the decision, entertain any comments or questions, and discuss the implementation of consequences. The Head of Upper School, or faculty representative will then inform parents of the decision, generally by telephone. The faculty representative to the committee will also inform the student’s teacher (if the honor offense involved a teacher), advisor, and class dean about the outcome immediately following the committee meeting.

IV. Students who have committed honor offenses may be subject to the following penalties:

A. The first offense in the Upper School may result in an in-school restriction or an out-of-school suspension.

B. A second offense will result in an out-of-school suspension or dismissal.

C. If a student is found in violation of the Honor Code a third time, he/she will be dismissed from Webb School.

D. All records of honor violations remain in a student’s file during his/her tenure at Webb School.

V. An appeal of the Honor Committee’s decision should be directed first to the Head of Upper School and then, if necessary, to the school President. Such appeals can be made only on the grounds of procedural unfairness or the discovery of new information not presented during the original hearing. In cases of proposed expulsion or dismissal, the final determination is made by the President.

VI. Jurisdiction over violations of the Honor Code rests with the Webb School Honor Committee. All written examinations, assignments, tests, and quizzes that take place in class are conducted under the Honor System. Violations pertaining to all other academic work, including essays, term papers, take-home tests, and laboratory reports, are also conducted under the Honor System and are based on the specific instructions given by the teacher. Collaborative work is permitted only with the approval of the teacher.

Teachers at Webb often assign work to be done outside of class but under test conditions. In such instances, the teacher may require that no study aids (notes, books, communication with others) be used by the students. Webb students are expected to conduct themselves in such ways that they can be trusted to do the right thing at all times.

VII. An explanation of the Honor Code is included in the admission materials of all newly admitted students and their parents, who then signify by signing the Honor Code statement that they understand and will abide by the conditions of the Honor Code. Final entrance to Webb School is contingent upon a student’s signing of and agreement with this statement.

A review of the Honor Code and Honor Committee procedures is a part of faculty in-service days at the beginning of each school year.

Webb Information Network/ Computer Code of Ethics

The Webb School Information Network provides a powerful resource for all members of the Webb community. However, with this power comes responsibility. The computers and information network at Webb are provided for responsible users. Ethical questions surrounding the use of computers and other related technologies are the same as those found in other aspects of life at Webb School and covered by the Honor Code.

To help ensure responsible use, Webb students and their parent(s) are required to sign the school’s Computer and Internet Usage Protocol Form prior to the beginning of each new academic year. The Computer and Internet Usage Protocol is clearly explained within the text of the form. In addition, students and parents are reminded that the use of technology in any form (including, but not limited to, social networking sites) to intimidate, bully, harass, demean, and/or verbally attack a member of the student body, faculty, staff, or another parent will be treated as a major disciplinary event which may result in expulsion from Webb School. This includes actions described above that are generated off campus.

Moreover, students are expected to abide by the Webb School Honor Code with regard to plagiarism and provide appropriate documentation for any and all material found on the internet.

Finally, students are expected to respect the right to privacy of others. Students are not allowed to access or use another student’s personal computer information and students are not allowed to access another student’s email account.

Any violation of the school’s Computer Code of Ethics may be an honor and/or disciplinary event. The school will determine the type of offense.

WEBB SCHOOL'S RESPONSIBILITY

Webb School has the right and responsibility to monitor student email accounts and to monitor all material downloaded from the internet.