The meeting was set for the following Thursday. The conference room smelled like the same lemon cleaner it always did. Ms. Nair arrived five minutes early. The Holloways arrived exactly on time. David Holloway wore a blazer on a Thursday morning; his wife Catherine had a leather notebook open on the table before anyone sat down. Principal Harmon came in last, poured himself a coffee, and took his seat at the head of the table in the manner of someone who hoped the whole thing would resolve itself without his direct involvement.
The Holloways spoke for eleven minutes. David used the phrase “context matters” four times and mentioned once, almost in passing, that he sat on the district’s School Improvement Advisory Board. Catherine said Brennan had been under considerable stress and that the assignment had stirred up feelings about his late grandfather.
When they finished, Ms. Nair placed the two documents side by side on the table and pointed to three sentences that were word-for-word matches. She asked if there was another explanation. There was a long pause. Principal Harmon offered Brennan a resubmission for partial credit. Ms. Nair agreed. She had expected exactly this.