Yes, he is 2E, AS as well, DeeDee. You're right that it's a battle just for the faking it part, usually.
He had to write an apology letter because DH told him to, but what I was trying to do was to get beyond the "faking it" to try and get him to understand why what he did was wrong. These are the discussions that make my head hurt. As it turns out, DH told the principal that the reason he had to write an apology letter was to waste his time the way he wasted the school's time having to write him up and call home to make sure he got his pink slip signed. I didn't personally think that it was such a great idea to say it was for wasting time, but ...well, anyway. I was trying to get it past the pro forma apology and into the understanding of the matter, so that he wouldn't just be "forced to apologize" without knowing why.
His punishment at school for this was a pink slip and one day of detention (stay in at recess and specials). We really wanted him to understand that it was more serious than that, to get it into his head that this is unacceptable. (Not to mention ridiculous, given the fact that he almost never misses a spelling word anyway -- occasionally one on the Morrison-McCall 50-word tests, resulting in GLE of 12th grade or 13th.)
He does go to a counselor outside of school, though insurance battles have led to it being rather sparse this school year.
To top this all off, the principal sent an email today. She talked with him some more when he turned in his pink slip, and she reports that he mentioned cheating on the SATs to get into a better college. Good thing he won't be taking those for a while! DH has him doing a report on the SAT cheating scandal of the past year, which I'm afraid will be regarded by him more as research than as deterrent. Gak! Well, at least we know he wants to get into a good college, and that he will, one way or another.
