Under these principles of honor, the Honor Code includes:
1. Expectations. Students are expected not to lie, cheat or steal. Students are expected to be honest and forthright in all communications with members of the FWCD community. Students are expected to respect the personal property of other community members. Students are expected to take responsibility for completing their own academic work as defined by the individual teachers. It is the students’ responsibility to understand what constitutes cheating. Students should assume that all work is to be done individually unless the teacher states that collaboration on a particular assignment is permitted. It is the teacher’s responsibility to establish clear expectations for all assignments.
2. Reporting Violations of the Honor Code. The Honor Code cannot function if those living under it do not hold others accountable for their actions. Every member of the Upper School community has the moral obligation to confront students who have violated the Honor Code and to report the violations to the Honor Council. While failure to do so in itself does not constitute a punishable offense, this expectation is crucial to the maintenance of the Honor System. However, if a student has been found guilty of violating the Honor Code, he/she is required to reveal the identity of any accomplices involved in the infraction.
3. Annual Signing of the Honor Pledge. In keeping with the above expectations, the Honor Code requires that every student recite the following Honor Pledge at the beginning of each school year, agreeing to uphold the expectations of the Honor Code:
“On my Honor, I will not lie, cheat or steal, and I agree to act honorably in everything I do at Fort Worth Country Day.”
After reciting the Honor Pledge, with their classmates as witnesses, students will then sign their name in the Honor Book, below the Honor Pledge which will be written at the top of each page in the Honor Book. Any student that joins FWCD after the beginning of the school year will recite the pledge and sign the Honor Book in front of the Honor Council.
4. Signing of the Honor Statement. The Honor Code further requires that every student write and sign the following Statement of Honor on every test or other graded assignment:
“On my Honor, (the student’s signature)”
Signing the pledge and statement serves as a reminder of the concepts that the Honor Code represents. A person’s signature is a promise of honesty and integrity.