Sidwell’s point-based disciplinary system is, most simply, a means of penalizing the student body. It allows substantial leeway, providing students with numerous opportunities to discontinue prohibited behavior before facing consequences. Severe consequences only transpire if a student receives over 24 points in a quarter, or three Losses of Privilege (LOPs), and is assigned a punishment by the Honor Committee accordingly. Small infractions, therefore, do not affect students significantly. The system is designed to discourage repeated offenses which indicate a need for a substantial behavioral change. If necessary, points students feel were assigned unfairly can be disputed with the Assistant Dean of Students. This privilege discourages teachers from assigning unwarranted points and allows students to voice their concerns regarding the indicated infractions. Furthermore, no tally of points is recorded, and points are only reported to colleges in the context of larger consequences, such as a Day of Reflection after multiple infractions, so individual points have no major impact on students. Points are a fair method of discouraging misbehavior amongst the student body, and only continued repetition of offenses is seriously punished.
Moreover, the Honor Committee is impartial, giving students the opportunity to voice their perspectives on their situations. The faculty member who has accused a student of a serious infraction is called to explain their rationale for doing so, demonstrating the equitability of an Honor Committee hearing towards both students and faculty. Furthermore, the committee is composed of unbiased students who collaboratively decide on the appropriate punishment for their peers; committee members close to the student or directly involved in the issue will not be required to attend the hearing, thus avoiding a potential conflict of interest. The Dean of Students must also confirm the Honor Committee’s decision, ensuring its neutrality. Beyond friends or family providing emotional support, external influences are limited during hearings, and none are present during the committee’s decision-making process, allowing the committee to fully focus on reaching a fair consensus. The committee is also more lenient if students are honest, forthcoming, show remorse for their misconduct and do not deny objective evidence.
The Honor Committee is a just and objective overseer of Sidwell’s point system, making Sidwell’s point system a fair and effective disciplinary method. The system is professionally and deliberately devised to optimally meet the needs of students and faculty. Within the system, unnecessary points are limited and consequences are commensurate with the offense, taking into account students’ objections and concerns. The Honor Committee fairly judges and punishes students’ misbehavior, considering the perspectives of both student and faculty member to formulate the most appropriate response.
