Policies

Vision

BYU OHS should extend the spirit of a BYU education by providing high school students with experiences that fulfill the mission and aims of a BYU education.

Mission

BYU OHS provides spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, and character-building high school education and student support for a wide variety of students in safe online learning environments where qualified teachers, leaders, and student support educators utilize best practices for online learning. 

Values

BYU OHS is family-centered and BYU Aims based. Our values are reflected in terms of the BYU Aims, namely that BYU OHS should be spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, and character building, leading to lifelong learning and service.

BYU OHS honors and adheres to the Brigham Young University policies and protocols, the Division policies, and the ESA Management Plans as updated from time to time.

By registering and enrolling, all BYU Online High School students and their Parents agree to honor and adhere to all policies listed on our policies page and the BYU Independent Study policies page as they pertain to the student and/or the Parent and as updated from time to time.

BYU High School Online Learning is fully accredited by Cognia and MSA-CESS. Our accreditation does not extend to our curriculum. Our accreditation is not transferable. BYU High School Online Learning does not partner with any non-accredited institution under any circumstances.

All BYU OHS students and Parents must complete the following Enrollment/Re-enrollment steps prior to the beginning of each school year:

1. Watch the Enrollment Video.
2. Complete and e-sign the following Enrollment Packet documents:
   1. Student Enrollment Form (coming soon)
   2. Student Directory Release (coming soon)
   3. Consent to Use Image (coming soon)
   4. Student Schedule Planner and Recommended Courses (coming soon)
   5. Student Mobile Device Policy and Form (coming soon)
   6. School Counselor Authorization (coming soon)
   7. Concurrent Enrollment Form (if needed) (coming soon)
3. Pay the annual Enrollment Fee.
4. Schedule an appointment to meet with our academic chair and/or school counselor, if the student and Parent would like to meet or if BYU OHS personnel request a meeting. Our school counselor will be checking all Student Schedule Planners to ensure students are in the correct courses.
5. Pay the Tuition/Fees.
   1. Semester students will pay semester tuition and then will be enrolled in classes prior to August 14th.
   2. Flex/Adult students will pay and register for designated courses and can start the courses immediately.

Generally, a student must be at least 14 years old to be accepted to BYU Online High School. 

BYU OHS may, at its sole discretion, consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Factors to be considered include whether a student can demonstrate his or her ability to succeed by submitting previously taken standardized test scores or successfully completed high school-level coursework. In addition, a student under age 14 who is seeking an exception to this policy may be required to participate in an interview with an administrator to help determine high school readiness. 

Students who are 19 years or older should apply for admission to the Adult program. 

Exceptions

Exceptions to age restrictions may be granted in rare circumstances. Follow this formal petition procedure: 

1. The student/Parent sends a written petition to the principal.
2. The principal reviews and gives approval or denial in writing to the student/Parent. The principal has the final decision-making authority, subject to review by the superintendent.

In order to receive a BYU OHS diploma, students must meet the following credit minimum requirements for the Standard or Advanced Diploma Track. Students should communicate regularly with the school counselor to be aware of any changes in graduation requirements.

*at least one College Level Social Studies course must be taken for the Advanced Diploma Track

Returning students may elect to be grandfathered into prior versions of the Standard or Advanced Diploma Track upon request by the student and Parent and written approval by the principal.

Concurrent (Dual) Enrollment Courses

While enrolled at BYU OHS, Advanced students may qualify to enroll in some of our BYU Independent Study Concurrent Enrollment courses to earn college credit and help fill high school graduation requirements at the same time. Students must have completed at least 12.0 credit hours while maintaining a 3.0 or higher GPA. More information and a Concurrent Enrollment Form can be found on our Advanced Diploma Track page.

Advanced Placement® Courses

BYU OHS offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses. These courses provide high school credit and prepare students to take an AP exam at the end of the semester which can provide them with college credit. There is a fee to take the AP exam, and payment of the fee is the responsibility of the student’s family, not BYU OHS. Visit the College Board website or more information.

In-person graduation activities are planned tentatively for the first weekend (Friday–Saturday) of June on BYU campus. All BYU OHS students in good standing are welcome to attend in person or virtually. Graduating students will be required to complete a graduation application, receive approval to graduate from the BYU OHS principal and superintendent, and pay the non-refundable graduation fee.

BYU OHS accepts and classifies transfer credits earned or grade placement from institutions that are accredited by a recognized national, regional, or state accrediting agency.

BYU OHS generally does not accept credits or grade placement from non-accredited institutions. 

Before a request to transfer credit into any BYU OHS program will be considered, an official transcript is required and must be sent directly to the program (using the email address listed above for each program) directly from each school that has awarded credit. The transcript must be a certified original. The format must be either a digital front and back scan or PDF. Documents that will not be accepted for transfer credit review include: any document labeled “unofficial,” grade reports, advising reports, and photos (e.g., images taken with a smartphone) and screenshots. 

The following are examples of accepted high school accrediting agencies: 

• Accrediting Commission for Schools (ACS WASC)
• Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSACESS)
• New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC)
• Cognia  
• United States state departments of education

Even if an accredited school has accepted transfer credit into that school, BYU OHS must receive an official transcript from the accredited institution that originally granted the credit.

International Students 

All high school credit (not U.S. accredited) completed outside of the United States must be evaluated by an international equivalency evaluation agency at the applicant’s expense. This requirement applies to credits that may have been evaluated by a different U.S. accredited secondary institution and reported on the high school transcript.

Transcripts sent directly to BYU OHS  may be discarded unless submitted by an accredited U.S. institution. BYU OHSwill accept credit equivalency evaluations from International Education Research Foundation (IERF) and SpanTran.

Internal Audit of Transfer Credit and Four-year Graduation Plan

The Research Evaluation Data Analytics (REDA) team will periodically conduct an internal audit of transfer credit to track accuracy and compliance with BYU OHS transfer credit policy. This is to protect the student’s academic progress toward graduation and the integrity of BYU OHS 

Exceptions

Exceptions for the awarding of transfer credit may be granted in rare circumstances. To apply for an exception, follow step one of this formal petition procedure: 

1. The student/Parent sends a written petition to a member of the Credit Review Committee.
2. The Credit Review Committee meets to review the request.
3. The Credit Review Committee recommends approval or denial in writing to the superintendent.
4. If the Credit Review Committee recommended approval, the superintendent then reviews and gives approval or denial in writing to the principal. The superintendent has decision-making authority for the awarding of credit, subject to ratification by the ESA governing board.
5. The ESA governing board receives word of the approval and either ratifies or rejects the award of credit.
6. The principal informs the student/Parent of the decision in writing.
7. There is no appeal process available for rejection of a petition to award transfer credit.

Credit recovery courses in core subjects are available on our Summer School page. These courses are offered to students who fail to receive credit in their school-year courses. Students have 60 days from enrollment to complete coursework, including the final exam. There is limited space for enrollment.

Students can earn full credit from these courses, but the credit will be designated as credit recovery on the transcript. There are no exceptions to this provision.

Credit recovery provides students with an opportunity to earn graduation credit for a course in which they have earned an "F" grade. The credit recovery course, letter grade, and credit earned will show on the official transcript, unless the credit recovery grade is not a passing grade. The original failed credit will also show on the official transcript and will not be replaced.

Exceptions

Exceptions to Credit Recovery availability may be granted in rare circumstances. Follow this formal petition procedure:

1. The student/Parent sends a written petition to the principal.
2. The principal reviews and gives approval or denial in writing to the student/Parent. The principal has the final decision-making authority, subject to review by the superintendent.

The BYU OHS Credit Review Committee consists of the principal, academic chair, school counselor, one ad-hoc committee member who is a BYU Online High School educator with subject matter expertise, and any other person the principal invites to advise the committee.

 All requests for exceptions to credit policy, credit procedure, grade replacement, or credit requirement, and under specialized circumstances, must be reviewed by the BYU OHS Credit Review Committee in order to be considered. The BYU OHS Credit Review Committee can modify the credit requirement for a learner(s) on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to being reviewed and approved by the Credit Review Committee, all modifications and exceptions must be reviewed and approved by the superintendent and either ratified by or disclosed to the board, according to the procedure set out in the exception procedure for the respective policy. The board must receive documentation of adherence to all relevant policies and management plans.

Semester Program only: Students in the Semester program follow a more traditional school year calendar that begins in August and ends in May. See the 2023–2024 Academic Calendar.

Semester Program: Students may add and drop classes up through the add/drop deadline of each semester (the 10th school day). A withdraw date will be indicated on the transcript if a student withdraws from a class after the add/drop deadline. Students who choose to withdraw from a class must do so officially by sending an email to the BYU Online High School counselor that notifies the school counselor that the student wishes to withdraw. Withdrawal is not official until the school counselor sends a reply email confirming that the withdrawal request was received and accepted.

Students who do not officially withdraw will receive a failing grade. When a student withdraws from a class, a “W” will be posted on the student’s transcript (a “W” does not affect the student’s grade-point average). To withdraw from classes for extenuating circumstances after the withdraw deadline, students may petition for an exception to this policy through the School Leadership. 

Flex and Adult Programs: For information about Independent Study courses, please refer to the Refunds and Withdrawals policy on the Independent Study policies website.

Exceptions

Exceptions to the Add/Drop Deadline and Withdrawals may be granted in rare circumstances. Follow this formal petition procedure: 

1. The student/Parent sends a written petition to the principal.
2. The principal reviews and gives approval or denial in writing to the student/Parent. The principal has the final decision-making authority, subject to review by the superintendent.

Students must complete all the course requirements (lessons, assignments, and exams) before a final course grade is issued. Once all course requirements are completed and the course final exam grade has posted, students will be able to see final grades. Students can see all course grades on their transcript.

All assignments, quizzes and exams earn grades as either points or a percentage. All grades are then combined to compute a final grade for the course. (Course-specific details can be found in each course.) 

BYU OHS calculates students’ unweighted GPA by averaging the point value of the grades from each class. Grades are assigned point values as shown below:

Semester Program: Semester students are expected to attend all live VLIs. Teachers will be tracking attendance; therefore, if you are unable to attend live VLIs, please send your teacher and principal an email to explain the reasons. Students who receive approval by the teacher and principal to not attend VLIs live must still watch the VLI recordings. Students will be expected to participate in exit tickets based on VLI.

Flex program: Flex students have no live attendance requirements.

BYU OHS wants to offer our exceptional educational experiences to qualified students regardless of their financial circumstances, to the extent practicable, using the policy set by the ESA governing board in the management plan. Generally, consideration to receive financial assistance is available to all students enrolled in the BYU OHS program. Students may apply for financial aid after completing the application for admissions. 

Applications for financial assistance will be considered primarily on the basis of financial need, while also considering academic potential, character, and the capacity to contribute to the school community and help others develop their skills, talents, and abilities. Applications are evaluated, in part, on the potential impact their participation in this program will have on themselves, their family, and others. Students receiving financial aid from BYU Online High School must:

• Complete the Financial Aid Requirements form where students and Parents:
  • Agree to honor all policies set forth by BYU Online High School and BYU Independent Study,
  • Agree to make adequate academic progress by maintaining final grades of a C or higher in every course, 
  • Provide information regarding the total “Tuition and Fees” for which they would like to receive financial aid, and
  • Submit a thank you letter or video

Students who do not meet the above Financial Aid Requirements may not be eligible to receive further financial aid in the following semesters.

The amount of granted financial aid, if any, will vary according to the need of the participant as determined by the reviewing committee and financial aid resources available to the Division at the time of application. Financial assistance is applied towards the cost of tuition and/or fees only. We do not provide financial aid or loans for computers or other school-related materials.

From time to time, the BYU Online High School may also offer academic incentive programs.

Semester Program: Courses that are not completed in the required timeframe will expire and receive a failing grade. To prevent this, students should plan their time carefully and maintain close communication with Parents, teachers, and staff. Semester deadlines are final, and extensions are generally not available in the Semester BYU OHS program. Semester students are expected to complete all courses, including Independent Study courses, by the Semester deadline (last day of school). Exceptions may be requested. Any exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Flex and Adult Programs: For information about Independent Study courses, please refer to the BYU Independent Study Course Expiration policy.

Exceptions

Exceptions to course expiration timelines may be granted in rare circumstances. Follow this formal petition procedure: 

1. The student/Parent sends a written petition to the principal.
2. The principal reviews and gives approval or denial in writing to the student/Parent. The principal has the final decision-making authority, subject to review by the superintendent.

Assignment Submission 

Semester Program: The number of assignments varies from course to course. Most courses are structured in weekly modules, but others are more flexible. Before the semester begins, students should review each course and make a plan and a schedule that enables them to finish assignments before the deadline.

Since the nature of assignments varies by course, students should carefully follow the instructions for composing and submitting assignments described in each course. BYU OHS does not take responsibility for lost assignments. We urge students to always to make copies of assignments and to back up all files and data. If a submission is lost, the student will need to resubmit.

Flex and Adult Programs: The number of assignments varies from course to course. Most courses are structured in weekly modules, but others are more flexible. Students should review each course and make a plan and a schedule that enables them to finish assignments before the deadline.
Since the nature of assignments varies by course, students should carefully follow the instructions for composing and submitting assignments described in each course. BYU Online High School does not take responsibility for lost assignments. We urge students to always make copies of assignments and to back up all files and data. If a submission is lost, the student will need to resubmit.

Grading

Assignment grades generally will be posted within 3–7 days of submitting an assignment. If a grade has not been posted within the allotted time, students should first contact the teacher to make sure they received the assignment. 

Some assignments require more time for grading. The teacher generally notify the students if an assignment will take longer than 7 days to grade.
Incomplete or partially submitted assignments may receive a lower grade, or they may be returned with a grade of I (Incomplete). In the discretion of the teacher and under some circumstances, the teacher may invite the student to redo and resubmit it.

Retaking Assignments

Some courses allow students to retake and resubmit certain assignments for a better grade. Please see individual course policies/syllabus for specific details.

Students

Students are encouraged to reach out to teachers and administration through Canvas, Buzz, and/or email communication as needed. Students generally will be added to the Parent/Student Orientation Canvas course to receive training and regular information about BYU OHS.

Students are responsible for their own learning and are expected to complete their own work and uphold the Student Code of Conduct. Students can take responsibility for their learning by:

• Creating and following a weekly schedule 
• Organizing the learning space and having supplies ready 
• Completing lessons and assessments in each course on time 
• Studying for tests and quizzes 
• Communicating with teachers and other school staff via phone or email 
• Reviewing progress with Parents, teachers, and administrators
• Asking questions when they do not understand the material 
• Attending Virtual Live Instruction (VLI) (Semester only)

Keys to Success:

• Create your daily and weekly schedule, rather than following a set school schedule
• Complete and submit assignments on time
• Stay on track to complete each course within its time limit
• Engage with your peer mentors from the Student Success Center 
• Be proactive in communicating with teachers, peer mentors, and the school counselor when you have questions
• Check email DAILY! (students and Parents)

Parents and/or Local Mentor

Parents are encouraged to reach out to teachers and administration through Canvas, Buzz, and/or email communication as needed. Parents generally will be added to the Parent/Student Orientation Canvas course to receive training and regular information about BYU OHS.

A local mentor is either a Parent or an individual authorized by the Parent to provide the student with academic support and to communicate with BYU OHS staff regarding the student’s academic records and progress.

A student’s parents and/or local mentor participate in some decision-making with BYU OHS and should be willing to meet with teachers and administrators to discuss their student’s education. Parents and/or a local mentor can follow their student’s success by choosing to be set up with an Observer Role.

Parents and/or a local mentor can support student learning by:

Daily

• Encouraging lesson completion 
• Ensuring attendance/pacing (Semester only)

Periodically

• Planning with student to create a schedule and ensure assignments are completed on time 
• Overseeing organization of the learning space and general supplies
• Communicating with students and reviewing grades, assignments, and overall progress 
• Being aware of assessment results using the grade book in the Learning Management System (LMS)
• Communicating with teachers and other school staff via phone or email

Teachers

Teachers generally will send out regular Canvas, Buzz, and/or email communication as needed. Teachers are generally available through Canvas, email, text, and phone and will also offer regular office hours for students who need additional support. Teachers will generally also hold semesterly Parent/Teacher conferences.

All BYU OHS teachers must be credentialed, be higher education faculty, or otherwise meet the credentialing requirements of BYU High School Online Learning accreditors. 

All teacher hiring must be approved by the principal. All BYU OHS teachers are evaluated by the principal and Assistant Manager of Educational Services and are required to have a current teaching license and subject endorsement for the class they are teaching.Only Utah teaching licenses are accepted for hiring purposes. As a condition of employment all teachers must keep their Utah teaching certification current.

BYU OHS Teachers are trained in and utilize a wide range of technologies and strategies to support students. BYU OHS teachers provide the following support:

• Tracking student participation in each course
• Working with a school counselor to develop and supervise individual student learning plans
• Adapting curriculum to meet learning standards and individual student needs
• Assessing student learning and comprehension
• Giving feedback on assignments
• Instructing students through synchronous virtual classes
• Assisting in instructional design to develop and adapt courses
• Communicating with students, Parents, and other teachers
• Coordinating with Division student support educators regarding wraparound support activities

Additional support may also be available in foundational English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Teachers may assign adaptive programs, virtual instruction in small groups, or videos the teacher records on a certain concept.

Teachers can be contacted through email or during virtual office hours. Contact information can be found on the teacher’s course page. Students must direct all academic questions to teachers before contacting the administrators. 

BYU OHS teachers include: 

• Caitlin Ackley, Social Studies Teacher
• Alicia Coca, Spanish Teacher
• Anne Dallin, Social Studies Teacher
• Haylee Frohlich, English Teacher
• Jordan Hadlock, Health/PE Teacher
• Abby Harris, Math Teacher
• April Larsen, Science Teacher
• Julie Lewis, Math Teacher
• James Meidell, Science Teacher
• Trevor Schramm, ASL Teacher
• Ryan Strong, English Teacher

Administrators

Administrators are generally available through email, text, and phone and will also offer regular office hours for students and/or parents who need additional support. Administrators will send out regular newsletters and email communication as needed.

Administrators serve as a link and support between students, teachers, Parents, and Student Success Center peer educators. Administrators work to develop a relationship with students and provide guidance and support as students progress through their high school education at BYU OHS.

BYU OHS administrators include:

• Jennifer Chamberlain, Principal
• Joseph Roberson, Academic Chair 
• Diane Flood, School Counselor
• Caitlin Ackley, Lead Teacher

The principal oversees the school’s operations and procedures, student safety and overall well-being, staff/faculty hiring & evaluation, curriculum & instruction, student success plan/team, accommodations, and student discipline. The principal also attends board meetings, advises and recommends policies, and ensures compliance. The principal regularly communicates with student/Parents through email, phone, newsletters, etc. The principal is the Parent Council coordinator and works closely with legal, our Student Success Center, Instructional Design, Production Process, Educational Services, and REDA teams, etc.

The academic chair oversees the schools’ academic orientation and decision-making process, is the ACT Coordinator, and works closely with Marketing, Customer Services, Computer Operations, Finance (Budget/Financial Aid), Multi-Media, and Graduation teams, etc. The academic chair meets regularly with students to review academic information and academic experience. 

The school counselor oversees the school’s academic advising and counseling, graduation and career planning, transcripts and credits, mental health counseling referrals, College and Career Readiness, and the college application process. The school counselor is our NCAA/AP/Concurrent Enrollment Coordinator, supervises student progress, and coordinates student academic planning with teachers and Parents. The school counselor works with students and school staff to provide access to and help communicate about additional educational resources and other support available through the Division’s Student Success Center.

The lead teacher teaches, provides teacher support, training, and Professional Development and serves as a liaison for students who need teacher and/or peer mentor support. The lead teacher supports the Student Success Team (SST), Professional Learning Community (PLC), and Instructional Design (ID) & Student Focus Groups. The lead teacher is a Student Council & Clubs Coordinator and works closely with the Student Success Center (Peer Mentors/Educators, Testing, Accommodations) and Educational Services.

Office Specialists

The office specialists are a great resource of information for Parents, students, and community members. They answer questions through phone calls and emails, provide office support, provide Admissions, Financial Aid, Registration/Enrollment support including transcripts and other academic records as needed.

BYU OHS office specialists include:

• Miki Allen, Office Specialist
• Shari Edwards, Office Specialist 

Student Community

All students: Students may participate in Discussion Boards and/or other interactive elements within their Independent Student courses. Student and Parent information will also be included in the BYU OHS Student Directory, unless they opt out.

Semester Program only: BYU OHS is dedicated to enriching activities for students both in and out of the classroom. One challenge of distance learning is a lack of interaction with peers. To meet this challenge, BYU OHS organizes social events to help give students an online community. Students have opportunities to be involved in VLIs, Student Council, Clubs, Hangouts, Devotionals, etc. Students will also be added to the Student Body Canvas course to receive regular information and communication from our Student Council and community. 

Student Council

Please see our Student Council Handbook for more information about our Student Council organization and policies.

Student Success Center

At BYU Online High School we have the amazing opportunity to partner with the BYU Student Success Center (SSC). The SSC has a highly qualified staff that is creating programs to support our students. They hire current BYU students to act as mentors that have been specifically trained to work with high school students.

In cooperation with the SSC, we have created policies and processes for helping our students be successful in their classes. Please see information about our Mentoring Program, including our BYU OHS Academic Success Plan Policy. We have created a system that will send out an email every other week when a student's grade falls below a B. Information on these emails will include current grade, recommended interventions, and required action.

Please schedule with ANY mentor. Here is a short video explaining how to do that if you are not sure how to use our scheduling system. If you have any issues with scheduling or questions about the mentoring program, please reach out to peermentoring@byu.edu, and they will be happy to help. 

Peer Mentors will send out regular email communication to support BYU OHS students as needed.

Peer educators, mentors, tutors, etc. are available for specialized and individualized organizational and instructional support at the request of parents and students. 

Every BYU OHS student is assigned a Peer Mentor that they are encouraged to contact when they need additional support. You will also have access to other Peer Mentors as needed if your Peer Mentor isn’t available. Your Peer Mentor will reach out to you at the beginning of the school year to ensure you know who they are and how they can support you.

Please visit the Student Success Center website to learn more.

Customer and Technical Support

Before contacting our technical support team, refer to the Technical Support FAQs on BYU Independent Study's Customer and Technical Support page.

If you need further help, our technical support team is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Students will need to provide their BYU Net ID when requesting help from customer service departments.

BYU OHS involves online interactions with minor participants (under the age of 18). We take careful measures to help ensure that these online interactions are safe for minor participants and program staff. The following policies apply to the online interactions below.

Parents are invited to attend any online interactions with their minor participant. This includes being present during their student’s proctored exams. If a parent elects to observe the exam, they must remain quiet and offer no assistance during the exam.

Participants (and their parents) must comply with the following rules for online interactions, or they may be removed from the online interaction and possibly the school:

• Follow the direction of the school staff managing the online interaction.
• Dress fully in appropriate attire that is neat and modest. (For example, clothing that does not cover the stomach or shoulders, or that is low-cut in the front or the back, is not appropriate).
• Refrain from any communication (whether verbal or visual) that is graphic, profane, or disrespectful to anyone. (Any form of harassment or bullying is strictly prohibited.)
• Ensure that surroundings visible to others are appropriate and free from any improper images or private information.

Online interactions may be recorded and saved for quality assurance in a secure manner that protects the privacy of the participants. Recordings are not used for any other purpose without express permission from the participant’s parent. Each one-on-one online interaction is subject to randomized monitoring by supervisors of BYU OHS.

Any questions regarding online interactions may be directed to the principal.

As with all educational programs sponsored by Brigham Young University, students enrolled in BYU OHS courses are expected to demonstrate a high sense of personal honor, integrity, and courtesy in all coursework and examinations, as well as all interactions with students, teachers, and program staff. 

Academic Dishonesty

Students must avoid every form of academic dishonesty and misconduct, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification, and cheating on examinations or assignments. Students commit themselves to academic work of integrity—that is, work that is their own, work that adheres to the scholarly and intellectual standards of accurate attribution of sources, and work that appropriately and accurately portrays research and data.

“Plagiarism” is a form of intellectual theft involving the unauthorized use or close imitation of the words, ideas, or data of another as one’s own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote. Plagiarism may occur with respect to unpublished as well as published material. Copying another student’s work and submitting it as one’s own individual work without proper attribution is a serious form of plagiarism. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to the following:

• Direct plagiarism: Verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source
• Paraphrased plagiarism: Paraphrasing, without acknowledgment, of ideas from another that the reader might mistake for the author’s own
• Plagiarism mosaic: Borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and blending this original material with one’s own without acknowledging the source
• Insufficient acknowledgement: Partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source 
• Attributing someone else's work as your own, regardless of whether it was created by a human or an artificial intelligence, is considered plagiarism and constitutes a breach of academic honesty

“Cheating” is a form of dishonesty where a student attempts to give the appearance of knowledge or skill that he or she has not fairly obtained. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to the following:

• Copying from another person’s work during an examination or while completing an assignment
• Allowing someone to copy from you during an examination or while completing an assignment
• Using unauthorized materials during an examination or while completing an assignment
• Collaborating on an examination or assignment without authorization to do so
• Taking an examination or completing an assignment for another, or permitting another to take an examination or to complete an assignment in place of you

“Fabrication or falsification” is a form of academic dishonesty where a student invents or distorts the origin or content of information used as authority. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• Citing a source that does not exist
• Attributing to a source ideas and information that are not included in the source
• Citing a source for a proposition that it does not support
• Citing a source in a bibliography when the source was neither consulted nor cited in the body of the paper
• Distorting the meaning or applicability of data
• Inventing data or statistical results to support conclusions

Other Student Misconduct

Students must always be respectful and courteous in interactions with instructors, staff, and other students. It is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct to interact with others in a way that is dishonest, profane, or unduly disrespectful.

Student Misconduct

Students must at all times honor the Student Code of Conduct. 

BYU Online High School personnel have sole discretion to determine when egregious or repeated violations of the Student Code of Conduct results in termination of a student’s enrollment. No refund of any tuition or fees are available when termination of enrollment is due to one or more violations of the Student Code of Conduct.

Parent, Guardian, Local Mentor, Friend, Advocate, and Family Misconduct

BYU Online High School expects Parents, guardians, local mentors, friends, advocates, and family members of students to be respectful and courteous in interactions with instructors, staff, and other students. 

Individuals who do not honor the Student Code of Conduct with respect to a BYU Online High School student jeopardize the student’s continued enrollment in BYU Online High School. BYU Online High School personnel have sole discretion to determine when Parent, guardian, and/or family or friend conduct that does not align with the Student Code of Conduct results in the termination of a student’s enrollment. No refund of any tuition or fees are available when termination of enrollment is due to failure to honor the Student Code of Conduct.
BYU OHS aligns its mission, purposes, and practices to the mission of Brigham Young University.

Disciplinary Action

When BYU Online High School reasonably suspects that a student may have engaged in a material violation of this Student Code of Conduct, the student will be given notice of the allegations and a fair opportunity to respond. Upon review of the available information, including the student’s response, BYU OHS will conclude, based on a preponderance of the evidence (i.e., whether it was more likely than not), whether the student engaged in the misconduct. The review process is confidential. BYU OHS personnel are not permitted to disclose results of a review process to individuals other than the student whose conduct is reviewed, and the student’s Parent, except as required by law.

When a student is found to have violated this Student Code of Conduct, BYU OHS will use its discretion in appropriately addressing the situation and may impose a wide range of disciplinary actions commensurate with the violation found to have occurred. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Reprimanding the student in writing
• Requiring work affected by the academic dishonesty to be redone
• Administering a lower or failing grade on the affected assignment or examination
• Administering a lower or failing grade for the course (even if the student withdraws from the course)
• Removing the student from a course
• Rescinding the grade of the affected assignment or course
• Prohibiting re-enrollment in the course
• Prohibiting participation in any additional BYU Online High School/BYU Independent Study courses
• Terminating enrollment in BYU Online High School (with no refund of any tuition or fees)

Students may appeal disciplinary action through the process set forth in the Academic Grievance Policy.

BYU Online High School administration reserves the right to remove students from our program if Parents, families, and/or students are antagonistic to the mission, vision, values, policies, or procedures of BYU.

Class Etiquette

• Students are expected to attend and be on time to lessons, meetings, and appointments. Teachers have varying tardiness policies, which are available on the course syllabus or home page.
• Students should have their camera on and have their whole face visible in the frame. They should be sitting up, not lying down.
• The background should be classroom appropriate and non-distracting to other students. Teachers may ask students to change their background.
• Students must enter meetings under their full name.
• Students should keep their microphones on mute unless invited to participate.

Dress Code

For all lessons, meetings, appointments, and recordings students must be dressed in school-appropriate attire. 

• Students must be modest and wear shirts with sleeves. Tank tops are not allowed. Shirts with very low or revealing necklines are not appropriate.
• Clothing should not display offensive language or graphics, including but not limited to swear words, slurs, or sexual material.
• Students may not wear pajamas.
• Headwear and eyewear should not block the camera’s view of the student’s face, either physically or with shadows.

Bullying

BYU OHS is committed to providing all students with a safe and civil school environment in which all students are treated with dignity and respect. To that end, BYU OHS has a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, including cyberbullying.

Definition

“Bullying” means a school employee or student intentionally committing a written, verbal, or physical act against a school employee or student that they should know could have the effect of:

1. Causing emotional or physical harm to the school employee or student
2. Placing the school employee or student in reasonable fear of:
   1. Harm to physical or emotional well-being; or
   2. Damage to the school employee or student’s property
3. Creating a hostile, threatening, humiliating, or abusive educational environment for students or school employees

Bullying includes relational aggression or indirect, covert, or social aggression, including spreading rumors, intimidation, enlisting friends to assault or spread rumors, and social isolation.

It also includes cyberbullying. “Cyberbullying” means using the internet, a cell phone, or another device to send or post text, video, or an image with the intent or knowledge that it will hurt, embarrass, or threaten an individual.

Enforcement

Bullying is strictly prohibited at any school activity, including clubs and chat boards. Additionally, any bullying that affects the learning environment is subject to investigation. If out-of-school actions or speech constitute a bullying or cyberbullying incident, BYU OHS may take action against the student who initiated the speech. 

If a student is found to be in violation of the bullying policy, the student shall be disciplined by appropriate measures up to and including suspension and expulsion, loss of participation in school activities, and/or probation. If a school employee is found to be in violation of the bullying policy, the employee shall be disciplined by appropriate measures, up to and including termination.

Additionally, anyone who makes a false allegation of bullying shall be subject to discipline.

Reporting

If you have been the victim of or witnessed a bullying incident, please report it by email. Reports are confidential to the extent permitted by law and are treated with care.

Our primary goal is to help each student reach his or her fullest potential. We work toward this goal through efforts to develop positive partnerships between students, Parents, teachers, staff, and the administrative team. This can only be done through open and honest communication. Successful communication begins with trust and mutual respect. In order to grant privacy and respect to both Parents and teachers, we ask that you follow the sequence below when you have a concern:

1. All issues regarding the classroom should first be directed to the teacher. Most issues can be resolved in this way. If a problem persists, please contact the principal.
2. Messages and requests for teacher conferences should be sent to the teacher through email with copies to the principal. Faculty email addresses are included in the school newsletter and on the website. When emailing, please include a brief description of the subject matter so the teacher may be prepared for a discussion. Please allow up to 24 hours for staff to respond.
3. Emergencies should be directed to the principal.
4. All inquiries regarding school policy should be directed to the principal.
5. All members of the school community are expected to be courteous and treat others with dignity and respect.

For NC-SARA information, please visit our Student Accommodation Requests, Complaints, Concerns, and Petitions page. 

Students enrolled in online courses must be able to access the internet and use the keyboard and/or mouse for basic navigation to interact with course content. Basic familiarity with browsers, email, and word-processing programs is recommended.

Some online courses may require a variety of additional skills, such as submitting .doc, audio, image, or video files. BYU OHS recommends basic familiarity with spreadsheets, presentation programs, and audio/visual/video editing software. If you are concerned about the technical demands for a particular course, please review the syllabus for a list of required software. Please contact us by email to raise accessibility and accommodations concerns or requests.

BYU’s Global Privacy Notice details how BYU collects, uses, and shares personal information from students and participants in its programs and activities.

In keeping with BYU’s Global Privacy Notice and applicable laws, BYU OHS has adopted the following procedures to ensure the privacy of its students’ education records.

FERPA and access to education records: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires that BYU OHS protect the privacy of student education records. Generally, before personally identifiable student information can be released, (1) the identity of the student must be verified; for third-party requests (e.g., from a Parent or school counselor), the requester must also (2) verify his or her identity and relationship to that student, and (3) either have been granted guest access to records on the student’s FERPA permissions form or fall within the category of individuals for whom student permission is not required.

Transfer of FERPA rights: When the student is 18 years old, or enters postsecondary study at any age, the rights to the student’s education records under FERPA transfer from the Parents to the student. If the student is enrolled in BYU OHS’s non-university-level courses and is at least 18 years old or is enrolled in BYU OHS’s university courses, regardless of age, education records will not be released to anyone other than the student and any school in which the student is currently enrolled or seeking to enroll. Access to the student’s education records may be granted to a third party if the student provides signed permission granting a specified person rights to access his or her records. View a printable FERPA permissions form.

Tax dependency: If the Parent of a student who has turned 18 or enrolled in a university course can provide tax documentation that the student was claimed as a dependent in the previous income tax year, the Parent may have access to the student’s educational records. In addition to the FERPA permissions form, proof of tax dependency must be provided each time information is requested from the student’s education records.

Sharing education records with other educational institutions: Under FERPA, BYU OHS may share a student’s education records with other educational institutions in which the student is concurrently enrolled or to which the student may be seeking to enroll. For example, if you are a high school student and have supplied your high school’s name, BYU may inform your high school of your course activity and grades. Officials of other educational institutions will typically be required to register for a verified Counselor Portal account in order to access such records or information. Students may request and obtain from BYU OHS a copy of any records shared with another educational institution.

Net ID and password: In addition to FERPA, other laws and regulations require that the BYU OHS protect sensitive personal information and financial records. BYU OHS’s systems require individuals to log in using a secure Network Identification (Net ID) and password. Sharing of Net IDs and passwords with third parties is strictly prohibited because it violates confidentiality and degrades the ability of BYU OHS to protect secure information. A student who shares his or her Net ID and password may be subject to discipline per the BYU OHS Student Code of Conduct. All students (or their Parent/legal guardian for youth registrations) are required to individually log in so personal, financial, and education information remains secure and protected.

Periodic internal audits of BYU Online High School shall be conducted by the Research Evaluation and Data Analytics Department utilizing Utah Regulation R277-116 as a guide.