
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 20, 1993                   TAG: 9310200142
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

MANY GOOD STUDENTS CHEAT

Cheating is pervasive among the nation's top high school students, according to a survey of juniors and seniors with at least a B average. Nearly 80 percent admitted some dishonesty, such as copying homework or cheating on an exam.

The survey by Who's Who Among American High School Students covered a range of topics. "High school is a very dangerous place today," Paul Krouse, the Who's Who publisher, said Tuesday.

The survey, completed during the 1992-93 academic year, found that among the 1,957 students questioned:

One in five females had been a victim of a sexual assault, in most instances by someone she knew. In one-third of the cases, the assailant was another student.

One in three knows someone who has brought a weapon to school.

Forty-two percent of the males have access to one or more firearms.

The survey also found the teens had a "startling lack of responsibility about their physical welfare. AIDS doesn't scare them. Pregnancy does, but not enough to make them take precautions consistently. And drinking is a way of life, even behind the wheel."

Krouse said there is a sense of invulnerability. That might partially explain the high rate of cheating. Krouse said students might think, "I'm not going to get caught, so what's the harm, what's the risk?"

by CNB