Honor Code

Westchester Country Day School takes pride in its community of mutual trust and respect for one another. This community and its mission of excellence in moral and ethical conduct and fortified by the school’s Honor Code.

Under the system of honor, each student is responsible for his or her own conduct and is expected to lead by example. In addition, each student is encouraged to confront a fellow student whom he or she suspects of committing an honor offense or to consult a teacher or administrator with his/her concerns.

Conversations about honor begin in the Lower School, with expectations for personal responsibility and accountability increasing in Middle and Upper School. The school’s Community Handbook outlines the honor system in greater detail. Faculty are expected to provide clear instructions for their classrooms, and students and parents are responsible for reading and complying with the standards outlined in the Community Handbook. With a unified and clearly articulated and supported approach, we feel that our students will learn a valuable lesson in integrity that will serve them well for a lifetime.

As a member of the Westchester community, I resolve to uphold the Honor Code of my School and to endeavor to promote honor and integrity. Therefore, I pledge not to cheat, lie, steal, plagiarize, or behave in any manner that exhibits dishonesty.

WCDS Honor Pledge

The following list compiled by WCDS Upper School students, presents a guide to following this honor code:

• Do your own work: Don’t cheat or plagiarize.
• Do tell the truth.
• Do respect the property of others: Don’t take things that aren’t yours without permission.
• Do cite work in accordance with established guidelines. 
• Do separate work for different classes unless given permission by all teachers involved.
• Do observe all teacher expectations regarding the use of study aids, translation aids, online sources, etc. 
• Do have papers properly signed: Don’t forge signatures.
• Do uphold the integrity of an assignment, quiz, test, etc. by not disclosing information that would give another student an unfair advantage. 
• Do ask questions if you are uncertain about what’s acceptable and what’s not. 
• Do make your signature one of honor and credibility.