All high schools around the nation deal with cheating among the students. North Atlanta is no different. The methods of cheating seem to become more creative each and every day. There is one question that principals and teachers alike struggle to answer: What consequences are fair for a student who is caught cheating? 

Cellphones and other forms of technology like tablets and smartwatches have played a major role in the advancement of cheating in school. With access to the internet, students have the ability to research anything on the test that sits in front of them. The issue that a student faces in this situation is how to go on their phone without the teacher catching them. This has led students to undergo innovative strategies that most would never think of. “Between the legs, in the case of their calculator, just when you think you’ve seen it all, a new method makes its way to the classroom,” said math teacher Adrienne Carter.

Throughout the building, teachers have their own methods to prevent phones being used to cheat. Many teachers have recently used phone pockets in their classrooms. Each student is required to place their phone in a pocket at the front of the classroom as they enter. Although the students struggle to live without their phones during class, a number of teachers have discovered that phone pockets are extremely helpful in weeding out the cheating. “Phone pockets are definitely useful toward limiting cheating,” said Leila Austin, North Atlanta economics teacher. “Why not take away the main cause of the issue if we can?”

North Atlanta french teacher Phillipe Maury has seen it all in his 21 years of teaching. Copied work is a majority of the cheating that makes its way to his classroom. Maury finds the topic of cheating to be extremely controversial, especially at North Atlanta. “If a student is caught cheating by a teacher, we are required to allow the student to retake the assignment,” said Maury. “In the real world, you won’t always be given a second chance, so it is debatable whether cheating should be taken so lightly.”

Throughout history, cheating has been an issue that educators struggle to bring an end to. As new ways of cheating fill the halls, teachers must keep their eyes out for pesky students trying to sneak one by them.The