Cheating is in some way a part of all high schools, whether the students or staff care to admit so are not. This can range from students simply copying down a few problems in the latest math homework, to convoluted ploys that can involve entire classes full of students. The introduction of online school in 2020 may have entirely altered students’ attitudes regarding cheating. With the setting of school they had for so long attended being suddenly uplifted, some sought to use methods they wouldn’t have previously to pass their classes.

Yes, students cheat more in online school. This much is apparent to anyone who has dealt with school during the pandemic era. The entire risk of cheating was gone; any question was one Google search away. While teachers could take limited precautions in preventing cheating, (each as flimsy as the last), the only real barricade to stop students were their ethical beliefs, and moral compass.

While most students didn’t initially rely on cheating to complete their work, the prospect was simply too tantalizing to ignore. “After a certain point I stopped caring about learning the material, I just wanted to pass my classes,” commented a junior who wishes to remain anonymous. “I don’t know if I’ve met anybody who didn’t cheat in online school at least a little bit” they added.

It’s clear that the majority of students cheated in online school– some more than others. But did the habits translate back to in-person school? “I never cheated in school before COVID, but now I do it occasionally” states a senior. Their word is not alone, far more instances of cheating can be seen in the past year than before online school. Breaking the barrier of cheating online seemed to diminish the fear of being caught for in-person school. It’s a problem that isn’t likely to be solved anytime soon without major upheavals of our current systems.