I Know It's Plagiarism, But Isn't This Going A Bit Far?

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bluntforcetrauma

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My daughter told me that a boy in her 6th grade English 'borrowed' some poetry from the internet. He was caught by the teacher and the boy's probation officer is in on it now. The school wants to press charges.

Plagiarism is a crime. But the only gains he would have made were purely grades. I'd smack my kids around for that (not literally), but prosecuting?

I shiver to think all the times I initialed 'Here I Sit All Brokenhearted' on school stalls. They may find me yet.
 

dreamsofnever

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Wow. I think that is going a bit far. I'm surprised they can prosecute, since he didn't have any financial gain from it.

It sounds like they're trying to make an example out of him though. How sad.

I would think something a little bit less permanent but still severe, like suspension or expulsion would be more appropriate.

And plagiarized graffitti?? I am scandalized!
 

LianeW

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Wiat waht?

I'd like to know what charges could be brought. I am a prosecutor, and I wouldn't have the foggiest about how to pursue a criminal case against a sixth-grader who lifted a poem off the Internet. (Prosecuting an adult who made a ton of money off lifting someone else's work would be different, and considerably easier.)
 

Shweta

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He's in the sixth grade and has a probation officer?

There's obviously a bit more going on with this kid than ripping off some poetry.

I was thinking that too. I was also thinking that the most that happens at the college level, that I've seen, is you fail the class...
 

bluntforcetrauma

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Wiat waht?

I'd like to know what charges could be brought. I am a prosecutor, and I wouldn't have the foggiest about how to pursue a criminal case against a sixth-grader who lifted a poem off the Internet. (Prosecuting an adult who made a ton of money off lifting someone else's work would be different, and considerably easier.)

It was as threat made by the school. Whether they legally can or not, you would know. But I believe they intend to try.
 

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What are they going to prosecute him for? Plagiarism, while heinous, isn't a crime. They aren't the rights holder, so can't sue for copyright.

This is the kind of thing that community service would probably help.
 

bluntforcetrauma

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What are they going to prosecute him for? Plagiarism, while heinous, isn't a crime. They aren't the rights holder, so can't sue for copyright.

This is the kind of thing that community service would probably help.

We're a small school system (maybe 1,200 kids in K-12). They love a good witch hunt.
 

Mumut

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I thought the definition of an extended family was mum, dad, son and a probation officer.
 

KTC

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lol. silly is as silly does.
 

DonnaDuck

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Considering the kid has a probation officer, I'm guessing they're piling as much crap on him as they can. School officials do that. You get the one trouble maker kid and they get all the crap for everything. It's extreme. They can't do anything about it and the worst they can do is fail the kid for that paper and give him detention or something. Looks to me like it's a scare tactic, not only for the boy but for the rest of the system. Plagiarize and this is what we'll do to you.
 

donroc

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Based on my experience as a high school teacher, the administration always gets toughest on the "easy" cases while fearing to deal strongly with thugs and drugs on campus.

Once a teacher asked his student helper to go across the street and get him coffee and a snack. She was "caught" and suspended despite the teacher's pleas. Yes, she was a straight A student and never in trouble. Meanwhile, the thugs and pushers were left untouched.
 

DonnaDuck

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From my experience it was based on who you know. The thugs were treated the harshest and people like me, who would pass the principle 9 times in a half hour in the hall without a pass, would only get a smile, a hi and I'd carry on. My mom knew everyone at the board and I could get away with anything. I never pushed it but knew I could. I guess it depends on the school system because mine was quite the opposite.
 

Appalachian Writer

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Note: the "boy's probation officer" is in on it. This tells me that the child is given to problematic behaviors. I can't imagine how anyone would go to legal prosecution for this crime, but the probation officer can pull the child from a public school and have him attend a *ur-um* private (for lack of a better term) school sponsored by the state and restricted to students of his gender. Sometimes, the circumstances under which children are allowed to serve probation are quite limited.
 

bluntforcetrauma

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From my experience it was based on who you know. The thugs were treated the harshest and people like me, who would pass the principle 9 times in a half hour in the hall without a pass, would only get a smile, a hi and I'd carry on. My mom knew everyone at the board and I could get away with anything. I never pushed it but knew I could. I guess it depends on the school system because mine was quite the opposite.

Oh I know. I was the poor kid. Crap always got pinned on me whether I did it or not. I wasn't even a thug. If I was accused of something, I learned pretty quickly just to admit it and take my punishment. I went back into that same school system to teach. The at-risk counsellor who literally put her nails in my neck in middle school let me know the score on day one. A couple of years of her crap and I was done with it for good. Nothing changes.
 

IceCreamEmpress

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There are no statutes under which this child can be prosecuted.

Now, he may have violated a specific condition of his probation--my brother used to be a therapist for at-risk teens, and it was not unusual for their probation contracts to include provisos that they not be suspended for any violation of school rules.
 

Terran

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Whenever I read an article on this or see one on the news it never fails to make my blood boil.
I believe the prosecution of a child should be limited to severe crimes--crimes that result in the loss of life. This child's criminal past not withstanding, it seems to me there is a growing trend of just throwing children into the system. Charge first ask questions later.
I don't know what this says about our society but it can't be anything good.
 

Danger Jane

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My school system prides itself on its tough stance on plagiarism and cheating...get caught three times in your four years of high school (maybe now in all your years of schooling, I dunno) and you lose the credits for the class you cheated in, which makes it tough to graduate, because the kids who cheat aren't exactly taking on extra classes for more credits. A lot of teachers threaten that if they catch us (seniors) plagiarizing/cheating, they'll notify the colleges we've applied to.

Nothing close to legal prosecution. Then again if I got my acceptance revoked somewhere, I'd probably wish I was in jail.
 

Soccer Mom

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There are no statutes under which this child can be prosecuted.

Now, he may have violated a specific condition of his probation--my brother used to be a therapist for at-risk teens, and it was not unusual for their probation contracts to include provisos that they not be suspended for any violation of school rules.

This is most likely the case.
 

stormie

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Hmmm.... The boy, only in sixth grade, has a probation officer. There are what's called alternative schools. Sounds like it might be more than just plagiarism going on with the kid.

And I'm sure the parents/guardians are saying, "Not my child! He's such a good boy!"

I hear that so often.
 

Riley

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Wow. That is a bit excessive. Since the kid has a prob, I'd say there are other, more important issues to address. Some of these kids steal for attention, don't they?
 
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