For many high school students, getting involved with extracurricular activities isn't just about building an impressive application to colleges, although such involvement certainly does help. Rather, extracurriculars let students explore hobbies or interests, provide opportunities to meet kids from other schools, and allow them to blow off some steam and have fun outside of the classroom environment.

What students do in Drama Club, Game Club, or as part of the soccer team isn't as regulated and rigorous as in, say, algebra or science class. So does that mean the school's rules and codes of conduct don't apply? When you commit misdeeds like cheating under the auspices of an extracurricular activity, are you subject to the same type and severity of punishment when you get caught? Let's explore the topic together.

What Kind of Cheating Could Occur?

Before we talk about the repercussions, let's look at the possibilities. What kind of bad behavior might happen outside of the classroom and during the school day?

Academic Misconduct

Participation in a scholastic bowl event, math tournament, quiz competition, formal debate, or any other event that pits one student's knowledge and academic acumen against another can be a fantastic experience. Students who get involved with competitions like these learn the value of preparation, research, teamwork, and intuition. They learn how to lose and win gracefully. And they get valuable exposure to other schools, neighborhoods, cities, and cultures.

However, academic misconduct—cheating, yes, but also any type of illicit behavior or act that gives the student or their team a leg up—is just as tempting in the extracurricular environment as in the everyday classroom.

Bad Behavior in Athletics

The same advantages apply to athletic competitors, as well. Whether the student participates in a team sport or more individual pursuits like track and field events, sports offer a wealth of benefits.

Unfortunately, healthy competition can easily morph into a not-so-healthy obsession—and that, in turn, can make it very tempting indeed to cheat or otherwise gain an unfair advantage against the student's opponent(s).

Additionally, school pride plays a pretty big part in athletics, especially in certain sports. When a community elevates its high-school sports teams through boosterism, athletes can feel tremendous pressure to win at any cost.

Is Extracurricular Cheating the Same as In-School Misconduct?

Essentially, yes. Of course, the exact details—of both the infraction and its punishment—will vary depending on the circumstances, but make no mistake: your school will not tolerate violations of its code of conduct of any kind while engaged in extracurricular pursuits.

Even though they take place outside of the usual parameters of school, these events are still school-related. And whether students travel for a match of any kind or engage in an asynchronous competition, cutting corners is a no-no. After all, the student-athletes or academic competitors are acting as representatives of the school. As such, they have a responsibility to act accordingly and to meet all behavioral expectations outlined in their school's code of conduct.

How to Approach an Accusation

Have you or your child been accused of some extracurricular wrongdoing? No matter where the alleged incident took place or even what type of misconduct it was, you have recourse. You don't have to go into this battle with the school board or other governing authority on your own—that is, if you tap Joseph D. Lento to be in your corner.

Make an appointment for an initial consultation, at which Attorney Lento and his Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm will want to hear about your case and discuss its details with you. Using his experience negotiating all types of misconduct cases, from plagiarism to Title IX violations, Attorney Lento will work hard to secure the best possible outcome for all parties. Don't wait—contact us today. Call 1-888-535-3686.