Should You Turn In a Cheater?

Some honor codes insist that students tell on each other

Yes I don't want to be the odd one out, but yes, I truly believe that turning someone in for cheating is the honorable thing to do.

Cheating is unfair to the students who play by the rules. When you report on students who cheat, you could actually be doing them a favor, by stopping them before they make more serious mistakes later.

I always wanted to be known as the girl who walked through her four years of high school with integrity. As a freshman, I gave in to peer pressure here and there. But in the second half of the year, I decided I was going to stand up for what was right. I remember the day very well. There was only a week before the school year ended. I was sitting in Spanish class when I heard that someone had found answers to a final. I didn't know what to do. I thought I would just keep quiet--until someone told me that the answers were being sold to a lot of people in our class.

Then I knew I needed to take a stand. I went to the teacher and told her what was going on. She told me that someone had already told her, but she appreciated my honesty. I left that day feeling proud.

By the end of the week, everyone knew I had told, even though I hadn't said anything. Some friends criticized me, asked why I'd done it, and said, "It's no big deal, everyone cheats."

Today, I sometimes get embarrassed when the subject is brought up. But I did what I knew was right, and I have no regrets.

The bottom line is: Follow your conscience. Forget about what others think of you. You will be a better person in the end.

--SARAH SEATON, 18 Omaha, Neb.

No It's really none of my business if another student cheats. People hate it when others tattle. If I report on a cheater, others may say, "You can't say anything around her, she'll tell the teacher," and I won't be trusted.

If a student is cheating on a test at school, it is his or her problem. Consequences will have to be dealt with by that student, not by me.

Have you heard the saying, "What goes around comes around"? Well, I believe that students who cheat will get their just rewards in the end--whether I see it happen or not. I was in a karate class once, and a friend and I were both due to be awarded a new stripe to advance to the next level. My friend got one stripe, and then the instructor forgot and gave her a second--undeserved--stripe, moving her up to a level she hadn't earned. And she said nothing.

Did I speak up? I did not. But my friend lost something important anyway: my trust. Maybe it was God's will that she learn the lesson of honesty at another time and place.

Students have consciences and know that cheating is wrong. The student who cheats will most likely feel bad and have to deal with that feeling. A cheater will not make the best of a learning opportunity, and it will not be good for his or her reputation, either.

Cheating really only hurts the person who cheats. If you choose to cheat, you could get caught. Even if you are not caught, you will eventually get what you deserve --without my having to be the snitch.

--JACLYN GRESKO, 15 Lebanon, Pa.

What do you think? Cast your vote at UPFRONT ONLINE. nytimes.com/upfront