Fragility of Fairness: Students Deserve "Due Process" Too

Opinion by Belle Ng (Grade 9)

Last year, I was accused of plagiarizing a summative essay by a teacher. The accusation cost me sleep, tears, and a lot of trust in the system that is supposed to protect us students. I’m not retelling a rumor or exaggerating a story. This actually happened, and it never should have.

My argument is simple: students should not be accused of plagiarism without evidence.

Here’s what happened. The summative was written in class. The prompt was given on the spot. No phones, no laptops, and students were spaced out so no one could see anyone else’s work. Before the test, our teacher explicitly encouraged us to practice beforehand—even with friends—to gather ideas.

So I did exactly what I was told to do.

I studied with a classmate. We discussed themes and structure. Then we went into class and wrote our essays independently. After the test, instead of receiving feedback, we were accused of cheating. Not because of shared documents. Not because of copied sentences.Not because of any actual proof. But because our essays were considered “too similar.”

Of course they were similar. We were in the same class, taught by the same teacher, given the same prompt, and encouraged to prepare the same way. That isn’t cheating—it’s the predictable result of education. Still, the accusation was escalated. The principal became involved. We were forced to rewrite the essay. Throughout the entire process, no one could point to a single piece of concrete evidence that we had cheated.

That is the real issue.

Accusations were made without evidence, which directly goes against the principles our education system claims to value. The Enlightenment (which we are learning about in I&S class currently) emphasized reason over assumptions and evidence over authority. Punishment without proof was considered unjust. Yet in schools, plagiarism accusations can often work in reverse: similarity becomes guilt, and defending yourself becomes an excuse.

This approach causes real harm. Research on academic integrity shows that false accusations lead to anxiety, loss of confidence, and disengagement from school. I experienced that firsthand. I stopped trusting feedback. I second-guessed my writing. I started wondering whether thinking too clearly—or too similarly—was something to be afraid of. That isn’t education. It’s intimidation.

Anger alone doesn’t fix anything, so solutions matter. First, evidence must be required before accusations are made. Similar ideas or shared vocabulary are not evidence; copied content is. Second, schools need a clear distinction between collaboration and cheating.

If students are encouraged to study together, they should not be punished for the outcome of that preparation. Third, students deserve real due process, not conversations where decisions have already been made. In my case, explanations were shut down and the same accusation was repeated, making the discussion feel pointless.

These are not extreme demands. They are basic standards of fairness.

When authority acts without evidence, it becomes abuse of power—even in a classroom. The Enlightenment taught us to question power when it becomes unjust. That is exactly what I am doing now.

Innocent until proven guilty should apply in schools too.