April 22, 2003

Revised:  May 27, 2003

June 1, 2005

Honor Code

Pledge

 

As a member of the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School community, I promise to uphold honor with my words and actions.  I will not lie, cheat or steal.  I accept responsibility for my own actions and for what other members of the community may do in my presence.  I understand the need for honor and pledge to defend it.

 

Role of Student Body

 

The Honor Code is a solemn obligation for the members of the RGNS student body to live up to high standards of truth and honor.  Each student promises to maintain this standard of honor and agrees to abide by and to support the letter and spirit expressed in the Honor Pledge.

 

Role of Honor Council

 

The Honor Council has two purposes.  The first is to increase community understanding of the Honor System through workshops, presentations, and publications.  The second is to preserve the integrity of the Honor System by giving justice to any student under suspicion of dishonesty.  After hearing a case, the Honor Council will either vindicate the student if he or she is found innocent or counsel with the student and recommend a consequence if he or she is found guilty.

 

Role of the Faculty

 

The Honor Code applies to the entire RGNS community.  The faculty must help the Honor Council and the student body by establishing and maintaining a community atmosphere--whether in the classroom, athletic field, or dormitory--that encourages integrity and discourages dishonesty.

 

Honor Code Motto

 

·          Always Honorable

 

The Election Process

 

The following are the general guidelines that must be followed throughout the Honor Council elections: 

 

  1. The Honor Council is a representative form of government which comprises the following members:

 

Grade

Number of Representatives

Right to Vote

6th

0

n/a

7th & 8th

2        (one each)

no

9th

2

yes

10th

2

yes

11th

2

yes

12th

3, including president and vice president

yes

Faculty

2

yes

Faculty Advisor

Appointed by Headmaster

no

 

  1. The Honor Council elections for rising 7th – 12th graders will take place during a special convocation in the spring of the preceding year with each grade meeting in a separate location.
  2. The election process must be completed before the end of the convocation to ensure that the formation of the council is fair and that each class is given equal opportunity to participate in the process.
  3. The faculty are elected in post planning meetings by faculty vote.  The faculty advisor appointed by the Headmaster is responsible for ensuring that proper supervision is provided for the election process for each grade level.
  4. Candidacy requires a nomination and a second from members of the candidate’s class.  Each student can only nominate or second one candidate.  A student may nominate him or herself, but will require the second of a classmate to enter the election.
  5. Faculty members are not allowed to nominate or second a student.
  6. Students on academic or behavioral probation or final warning may not run, and members of the elected council will be removed from office if placed in one of these categories while serving their term on the Honor Council or if found guilty of an honor violation.
  7. Honor Council members may be removed by the committee for inappropriate behavior or nonattendance to meetings.  An Honor Council member may be removed after a recommendation from the advisor and a ¾ vote by the rest of the council.
  8. If a member is removed for the above reasons, the Honor Council will elect a new member from the appropriate class by a majority vote of Council members.
  9. The president and vice president are elected by the newly formed Honor Council at the first meeting of the year.
  10. Elected members that do not return will have their positions filled by a special election of previous nominees during the first meeting of their class.

Responsibilities of Elected Members

 

1.         All members must make every effort to attend every meeting.  Members may not be excused because of a personal relationship with the student under investigation.

2.         Representatives from the 7th and 8th grades may not vote but must make every effort to attend every meeting.  They are to serve as important members of the council, contributing to discussion and deliberation with the intent to gain knowledge about the issues surrounding honor and integrity.

3.         The Faculty Advisor has no vote but helps support the President to manage the educational and judicial functions of the Honor Council.  The Faculty Advisor is also responsible for taking notes and keeping records of the proceedings during a trial.

Student Responsibility

 

When an Honor Code violation occurs, the individual who has committed the honor offense is encouraged to turn in him or herself before evidence of any wrongdoing has been presented to members of the council.  Certainly, this kind of unsolicited integrity will be viewed favorably by the Honor Council and is likely to result in a lesser sentence.

 

In the event that an RGNS student has first-hand knowledge of a violation, he or she is obliged to act.  Several options are available to this student: 

 

1.         Report the violation to the Honor Council President or Faculty Advisor who will then proceed with an investigation.

2.         Confront the suspected student directly (alone or with the support of a peer) and urge him or her to come forward.

If the suspected student decides not to come forward, then the reporting individual must explain the honor violation to the Honor Council President or Faculty Advisor.  If the student chooses the first option and reports the violation directly to the Honor Council, his or her confidentiality will be protected throughout the process.  In all cases, once a student reports an honor violation to the Honor Council, he or she will be expected not to disclose the name of the accused and not to reveal any details of the process to other members of the RGNS community. 

 

Investigation of an Incident

 

When an honor offense is brought to the attention of the Honor Council President or Faculty Advisor, they must conduct a joint preliminary investigation.  If it is determined that there is no case or that the offense should be handled alternatively, the person who reported the offense will be informed.  If the Honor Council President and Faculty Advisor feel that the charge warrants convening the council, then all persons involved including any witnesses and the accused student’s advisor are notified.  Before convening the meeting, a written account from each accuser is obtained.  Generally meetings are held with some dispatch after the regular academic day is complete.

 

Honor Council Procedures

 

1.         Meetings will be held in a private location on campus.

2.         The President of the Honor Council will sit at the head of the table.

3.         Two-thirds of the voting council must be present for a quorum including at least one faculty member and the faculty advisor.

4.         The President presents the case with the Honor Council based on written reports from the faculty member or student who has brought the case from the initial investigation and any previous Honor Code convictions. 

5.         Honor Council members are free to ask questions.  Any members who have information are encouraged to speak at this time.

6.         The accused student enters, and the President explains the charge, reminds the student of the process, and ensures that the defendant understands the importance of honesty throughout the proceeding.

7.         The student under suspicion is asked to explain the incident in question and claim guilt or innocence. 

8.         The dignity and reputation of the accused student must be upheld at all times.  The defendant is allowed to answer charges and bring witnesses or evidence.

9.         Following this explanation, any council member may ask questions.  The President and the Faculty Advisor will carefully mediate this process.

10.      Information from past Honor Council proceedings in which the accused student was found innocent is not admissible

11.      The accused student’s advisor is asked to make statements about the case, the student’s history, character, or other relevant information.

12.      After the council members have completed this process, the accused student and student’s advisor will be excused, and the council will begin deliberation.

13.      The council will record testimony for review, and witnesses may be recalled at any time during deliberation.

14.      The discussions and deliberations of the Honor Council are entirely confidential.

15.      Once a verdict has been reached, the determination of the council will be sent as a recommendation to the Headmaster, and the council will be adjourned.

16.      If a student feels that he or she has been treated unjustly, he or she may appeal to the Headmaster within 48 hours following the final decision.

Consequences for an Honor Violation

After all testimony has been heard in an honor trial, everyone except the Honor Council will leave the room.  After a period of deliberation, the Honor Council will vote upon a student’s guilt or innocence.  This process will be conducted by secret ballot and administered by the Faculty Advisor.  If the Council finds that the accused student has not committed an honor violation, then the student will receive no consequence from the Honor Council.  (In cases where a disciplinary infraction has occurred, the student may still face consequences from the Office of Student Affairs)

 

In the event that the Honor Council finds a student has committed an honor violation, the Council will take into account several factors when deciding upon an appropriate consequence.   These factors may include:

 

·          Severity of the offense

·          Premeditation for committing the violation

·          Previous honor history, excluding any cases where he or she was found innocent

·          Level of cooperativeness throughout the process

·          Forthrightness about the honor violation

·          Age and years living under the RGNS Honor Code

 

Taking these factors into consideration, the council will recommend a consequence.  The consequences for an honor violation are as follows:

1 –

Parent/Teacher conference and violation on permanent record

2 –

Friday work and demerits

3 –

Suspension

4 –

Final Warning

5 –

Dismissal

W –

Warning (Charge will not appear on permanent record but in the event of subsequent honor violations will be considered as a past violation when deciding upon consequence)

 

Generally, the council will agree to two of the above possible consequences on consensus.  Next, the Honor Council advisor will administer a vote conducted by secret ballot.  The Faculty Advisor will inform the council of the results and the council will adjourn. 

 

The Faculty Advisor will inform the Headmaster of the council’s recommendation. 

 

Community Education & Awareness

The Honor Council is also responsible for creating community awareness regarding the issue of integrity and academic honesty.  This responsibility requires that the council establish programs and hold forums to address the concerns in three major areas of our community:

  1. Faculty Education
    1. Preplanning meetings should include discussion of how to integrate the honor code the curriculum.
    2. Post planning meetings include a written evaluation and general discussion.  Next year’s representatives must be elected.
    3. Every classroom teacher must make clear what constitutes an honor violation in his or her class.  Each fall the Faculty Advisor will publish a list of recommendations as part of the Honor Code training.
  2. Student Education
    1. Students need to address/teach other students the RGNS Honor Code and system.
    2. The Honor Council is charged with directing student efforts to educate students.
  3. Parent Education
    1. The Honor Council will conduct a seminar at the beginning of the year and at Parents Weekend.
    2. The Honor Council will maintain a column about honor in the Gap Connection.
    3. Prospective students will be made aware of the Honor Code during the admission process in interviews and through written documentation.

The Honor Code In the Middle School

The Honor Code at RGNS applies to all students.  Middle School students are expected to observe both the letter and spirit of the Honor Code.  However, because of developmental differences, the enforcement of the Code in the Middle School is different from the Upper School.  Middle School students do not appear before the Honor Council for honor violations.  Instead, the student(s) in question will meet directly with the Middle School Principal, the Honor Council President, The honor council faculty advisor and Middle School representative and together to they will recommend to the Middle School Principal who will determine an appropriate response.

Continual Development of the RGNS Honor Code

 

The Honor Code is a living, breathing document that must be evaluated continually to ensure that it meets the original goals and present needs of the community.  Moving the RGNS community to a thorough and deep understanding of honor is a slow process, and patience is required.  Therefore, tinkering too often with the Honor Code could also create a sense of inconsistency.  To ensure a relevant Honor Code, the following steps should be taken:

 

  1. In the spring of each year, the Honor Council should conduct a brief survey to take the pulse of student understanding and thoughts about the Honor Code.

 

  1. The Honor Code will go through a more thorough audit and revision biannually.

 

3. Changes to the Honor Code may be made via the following procedures.

 

If a council member wishes to modify any section of the Honor Code, a proposal should be presented to the Honor Council during a committee meeting.  Once discussed, ¾ of the council must vote to accept the proposal. If accepted, another vote must be taken to determine whether the ratification is significant enough to require a vote by the student body.  Simple rewording or clarifications are examples of changes that would not require the student body’s involvement.  If the Honor Council does not deem the proposal significant enough to be brought to the student body, the Honor Code will be updated accordingly and an announcement will be made to the student body.  Changes in policy or procedure should involve the whole community.  If at least half of the council votes to present the proposal to the student body, the following steps must be taken:

 

    1. The proposal should be presented to and voted on by the student body during convocation.
    2. The student body must vote by raising their hands to agree or disagree with the proposal.
    3. At least half of the student body present must accept the proposal for the Honor Code to be updated.
    4. The new proposal must be submitted to the administration for final approval.