School Reverses “Second Chance” Cheating Policy

The principal at West Potomac High School has reversed an earlier decision to allow teachers to decide whether a student accused of cheating should be allowed to retake a test instead of getting a zero. 

In a memo dated Nov. 18, Principal Cliff Hardison wrote:

As I've talked with teachers, parents and students about the recent publicity surrounding our grading practices, it has become clear to me that we do not have consensus within the faculty, the student body, or the parents at West Potomac to change our grading practices from prior years.

...I have not nor will I ever tolerate cheating. West Potomac will completely return to its Unified school discipline policy where students receive forfeiture of credit for incidents of cheating or plagiarism.

Hardison previously said he had made the policy change allowing students to retake tests because he believed cheating should be considered a disciplinary problem and not an academic issue.

The school had also made news after it banned the grade of F. However, in Hardison's memo, he has also reversed that policy, saying the school "will return to our prior grading practices that include giving Fs to students who are failing at the end of each grading period."


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