School-Wide Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is key to student success. Students who do not attend/log on regularly and/or who do not actively participate in their courses seriously jeopardize their opportunities to learn and reach their potential. We encourage all students to take full advantage as there is a correlation between attendance and grades and students are expected to login 3 times per week.
The school and teachers will monitor attendance patterns for their respective students and will work with them, and their parents/guardians to support students in any way they can. If student attendance issues cannot be resolved, the administration will be informed and possible consequences may include: student and parental/guardian contact, attendance contracts, or even removal from the program.
Ontario Virtual Academy operates on a continuous entry and exit model where there is no defined start date or end date. It is, therefore, the students’ responsibility to communicate their anticipated endpoint to the teacher and then adhere to that timeline (within reason). Attendance for record keeping purposes will be based on the number of completed lessons. For example, if a course has 30 different lessons to complete and the student has completed 24 of these, the attendance register would indicate that the student was in attendance 80% of the 110 hours per credit course. This value will be scaled accordingly for the mid-semester report card. Students who do not complete their courses within 6 months will be removed from the course and will not be reinstated unless there are extenuating circumstances that can be verified by appropriate documentation.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING POLICY
OVA is committed to upholding the principles of academic integrity, which are foundational to student learning, evaluation, and achievement, as outlined in Growing Success. Students are expected to complete all assessments independently and honestly, demonstrating respect for the intellectual property of others.
Plagiarism is defined by OVA as:
- Representing the ideas, expressions, or work of another individual as one’s own without appropriate acknowledgment
- Incorporating direct quotations, paraphrased content, or summarized material without proper citationSubmitting work that has been partially or wholly completed by another person
- Presenting material obtained from digital or electronic sources, with or without modification, as original work
Cheating is defined by OVA as:
- Purchasing, selling, or distributing assignments, tests, or examination materials
- Submitting the same work for evaluation in more than one course without prior teacher approval
- Having another individual complete work on one’s behalf
- Allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted by another student
- Providing work to another student for submission
- Giving or receiving unauthorized assistance during tests or examinations
Academic dishonesty undermines the integrity, fairness, and validity of the evaluation and assessment process. Academic misconduct is any action or behaviour (including any attempt to engage in such behaviour) that breaches one or more of the above values associated with academic integrity.
AI USAGE POLICY FOR STUDENTS
In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, students are expected to promote:
- Honesty
- Trust
- Fairness
- Respect
- Responsibility
AI Disclosure Requirement
Students must clearly disclose the use of AI or external tools when used in the process of completing assignments. Failure to disclose AI use is considered a form of academic dishonesty.
Prohibited Use of AI
Students may not:
- submit AI-generated work as their own
- use AI during assessments unless explicitly permitted
- rely on tools in a way that prevents demonstration of their own learning unless specific exceptions are made by the teacher explicitly
PRIVACY AND STUDENT RECORDS POLICY
Student information and academic records are collected and stored securely through password-protected systems for educational and administrative purposes.
Ontario Virtual Academy maintains student records, including enrolment information, coursework, and final grades, in a secure digital format. Student work may be retained as evidence of learning.
Access to records is limited to the authorized principal, the teacher of the student, the student, and parent/guardian (where applicable).
Information may be shared with other institutions where required for credit recognition or reporting.
APPROPRIATE COMPUTER USE POLICY
Learning Management System (LMS) at the Ontario eSecondary is designed for educational purposes only. All use of any LMS tool within the course for any purpose other than the intended educational purpose is prohibited. The inappropriate uses include, but are not limited to criminal, obscene, commercial, or illegal purposes.
The administration has the right to review all student work in order to determine the appropriateness of computer use. If the LMS is deemed to be used inappropriately, the Administration will levy consequences which may include suspensions and/or removal from the program. In some cases, further action may be taken including contacting day schools, legal representation or the police.
Students need to be very vigilant in order to prevent them getting into a situation where they may be suspected of inappropriate use.
Therefore students are reminded to:
- Always protect their passwords and not share them with anyone
- Always inform their teachers of suspicious messages or other incidents that they encounter
- Always only access content that is intended for student use.
PRIVACY & CONTENT OWNERSHIP
SAFE SCHOOLS
OVA will attempt to provide and maintain a safe and supportive educational environment in which learning can occur. Protection of a person’s dignity and self-esteem is crucial and not negotiable.
All members of the OVA community, which includes students, staff and parents, will treat each other with respect in all interactions. Any actions determined to jeopardize the moral tone of the learning community including disrespectful, distasteful, abusive, harassing comments made to any of our community members will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly by the OVA Principal. Consequences may include, counselling, parental involvement, suspension, expulsions and/or the involvement of the authorities.