January 6,2010

Dear Students, Parent, and Guardians:

Hello!  Please let me be the first to say, “Congratulations!”  We have survived the first semester of the 2009-2010 school year.   With that said, I would now like to discuss a serious issue with you.  During the next few weeks, your child will be working on his or her research paper for this English class.  The grades associated with this research paper will make up the majority of your child’s grade for the current quarter, thus I would like to recommend that you occasionally check with your child to be sure that he/she is keeping up with the due dates and requirements. 

Additionally, I would like to discuss a serious issue with you – plagiarism.   Dictionary.com, a reference website, defines plagiarism as: “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.”  I recently took the time to explain the seriousness of plagiarism to the students and stressed that it will not be tolerated at any level or degree.   Plagiarism could be as simple as copying a few words to copying an entire paper.  Additionally, plagiarism cannot be pinned to a single group of people.  This means that anyone can be guilty of plagiarism.  

The purpose of this letter is to inform the students, parents, and guardians, that any student caught plagiarizing the work of another person will result in a zero for the paper as well as an office referral.  This might seem like a harsh punishment, but please keep in mind that if a student is caught cheating at the college level; he or she could face expulsion which could follow that student for the rest of his or her life.  Also, think of the honest, hard work of the other students and how it would be unfair to those who did the work correctly.

I am asking that each student and a parent or guardian sign and return this letter signifying that the punishment for plagiarism is understood.  If this signed paper is not returned, students will be given a zero for weekly participation points until the letter is returned.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

 Beth Marks – Shawnee High School English Teacher

Phone: (618) 833-5307

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Student Signature and Date      Parent/Guardian Signature and Date