The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

High School Cheating: Flunking Responsibility?

47 Comments

July 14, 2009 by Kathy McManus

A cheating scandal involving the graduating class of an Ohio high school has many people arguing over who really flunked Responsibility 101.

According to school officials at Centerburg High, a senior hacked into teachers’ computers and shared stolen tests with perhaps half of the other 90+ seniors. Authorities said that even students who didn’t use the test had “cheated” because they knew of the scam, but failed to report it.

When the Centerburg School Board learned of the situation just days before graduation, it abruptly cancelled the ceremony for the entire senior class. It was impossible “to separate the wheat from the chaff,” declared the school superintendent, so collective punishment was necessary.

“I am alarmed that our kids can think that in society it’s OK to cheat, it’s a big prank, it’s OK to turn away and not be a whistle-blower, not come forth,” the superintendent said, adding that seniors would receive their diplomas through the mail.

“We worked 13 years to get to this point,” said one upset would-be graduate. “This isn’t the way we should be remembering the end of our senior year.”

Opinions on message boards were divided. “I don’t think the kids who knew and didn’t report should be punished,” one person wrote. “They are not the school’s police and it wasn’t their job to act like police.”

Others thought the school wasn’t harsh enough. “Should make them redo the senior year,” one wrote. “They go on to cheat in college, cheat on their spouses, and then in the work force.” And still another insisted, “The school should be named Bernie Madoff High School.”

But the citizens of Centerburg disagreed. Angry parents improvised a graduation ceremony in a local park, and all along Main Street people stopped to cheer the Class of 2009, as 93 seniors in crimson robes filed past, smiling.

Tell us what you think: Was collective punishment appropriate or not? Did students who knew about the scam without taking part have a responsibility to turn in their classmates? What responsibility does the school administration bear?

47 Comments

What do you think? Leave a comment

• July 16, 2009 by Vix

  The school had better improve security. Were criminal charges filed? All tests that were compromised should have been redone and all who took those original tests should have taken the new tests. Those who would have passed the original test without cheating would also pass the new test. Canceling the ceremony was not something I would have done.

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  • July 19, 2009 by Lawrence Marioneaux

    The students should have been retested and their parents too. It is sad that no one reported this to school or to parents. It reflects on the relationship of students to parents and on the school system. People do not connect cheating with stealing. When one cheats, they are stealing from someone else.

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  • October 10, 2011 by dineash nash

    i agree a hundred % first they shouldn't have cancel the cermony if they cheated make them retake the test to see how smart they really are and then have a little talk with them about.

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• July 18, 2009 by Sam Nixdorf

  Cheating is much more widespread than people think. Parents put so much pressure on their kids that cheating seems like the only way to keep them happy. I'll admit, as a recent high school graduate, I cheated in high school more than a few times. It comes down to do I cheat and have my parents tell me how happy they are or do I stay honest a face a lecture about how I could be doing better. I can also say most of the people with a high grade point average at my school cheated on a regular basis.

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• July 21, 2009 by Dr. Debra Feemster

  As a former high school principal, I am in disagreement with the way this matter was handled. It would have been very easy to have the students re-take a revised version of the test vs. canceling their graduation---a meaningful milestone for the students. The individuals responsible for hacking into the computer system should not have been allowed to participate in the graduation program. A school counselor or someone with great integrity, whom the students hold in high esteem, could have used this as a teachable moment for the students who took advantage of the hackers' work. I wonder if the principal or superintendent would have made the same decision if his/her child was a potential graduate of this class???

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  • January 4, 2011 by Eve

    I have had enough of everybody getting the generic punishment deal. You punish those who did the hacking. AND I think taking everyone's graduation away from them was typical of liberals and the lazy way to deal with things.

    I would also like to make another point the bigger picture if you will. In today's world "Big Brother" i.e. our government is menacing. The schools represent "Big Brother". So as our society revolves more around fear of our government or tyranny, you will find people sticking together and NOT snitching.

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    • November 21, 2011 by Captive Audience

      If I had kids, I'm not sure I would want them to go to public school. There is a dumbed down curriculum and an emphasis on major tests that can potentially undo whatever hard work they've been encouraged to do throughout the year. These days everyone hopes to be on track to an overpriced, expensive, dumbed down college. It's sad that this country has chosen to invest in prisons rather than education. Educational choices are limited. If you don't have a lot of money you basically kill time learning things that are uninteresting, are of little value at a mediocre level.

• July 22, 2009 by greg haugens

  Parents and educators of today seem to believe in this Generation"Y" thing, Its' OK not to take responsibility for their errors in judgment. Just pat the kids on the back and say, let's hit the re-start button and do over, just like a computer game. The real, non-PC, world isn't like that. If the parents of the kids want to go outside the school and have some sort of graduation, fine, school official did the right thing. I wonder what sort of punishment these parents dished out to their kids, I would bet many kind of smiled and patted their kid on the back saying.."I like the way you think"

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• July 29, 2009 by Crack

  Sometimes it's really that simple, isn't it? I feel a little stupid for not thinking of this myself/earlier, though.

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• August 10, 2009 by diguozhu

  i do not angthing. i am a foreigner.

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  • September 13, 2010 by MONIR

    I agree with you also.

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    • September 21, 2010 by I come from From Bad Country :(

      I could do Nothing to care, I agree , What does this have to do with our lives? people, will we not die one day and question of religion and beliefs? and question whether we trully lived life, so what is this to us? This cheating could've been resolved by a simple revised test -_-,

• September 25, 2009 by thrivelearning360

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• September 26, 2009 by thrivellearning550

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• October 19, 2009 by Zack Chugg

  i think she is an evil person and a very rude person i have never met anyone so rude

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• November 14, 2009 by Ashley Jane

  why would the student do that if he/she knew they would get in trouble?

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• November 27, 2009 by Anisa Emmett ninipooh

  i like the music because it is cool.

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  • May 6, 2010 by Brooke Lynn Church

    i dont like music qall the mutch if it comes to instruments i like reglur music like 94.7 but i lolve cheerleader?

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• November 27, 2009 by Sherri Thompson

  Students are under so much peer pressure. I'm sure if even one student found out about the whistle blower he or she would be in great fear of beatings before and after school. That information always gets out and sometimes the one who didn't say anything gets blamed causing a lot of unnecessary fights. The teachers would be very suspiciouis if a student got an A on the test, but had poor daily work on pre-test and assignments . I say re-test all with a revised test. I just can't see the innocent being punished. Sort them out if all possible.

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