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National Honor Society

ByLaws
Poplar Bluff Chapter
National Honor Society
Senior High School

Article I
The name of this chapter is the Poplar Bluff High School National Honor Society

Article II
Purpose
The object of this chapter shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of character in the students of Poplar Bluff Senior High School.

Article III
Definition of Membership
Membership of this chapter shall be known as active and graduate. Graduate members have no vote in the affairs of the active chapter

Article IV
Selection of Members
Membership shall be based on scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Members are selected by the majority vote of the Faculty Council, which is appointed by the principal. No student has a right to be selected into NHS. Students must be enrolled the equivalent of one semester as a full time student. Students are considered for membership in the spring of the junior year and the fall of the senior year. The chapter advisor serves as non-voting member of the Council.
1. Scholarship Candidates eligible to election into this chapter shall have a cumulative weighted B+ (9.00) GPA or higher. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of two weighted classes the semester their candidacy is being reviewed. However, starting with the graduating class of 2013, to be considered for selection, a student must have earned a minimum of three credits (six semesters) in weighted classes prior to the semester being considered for candidacy. Also, the student must be enrolled in a minimum of two weighted classes the semester the candidacy is being reviewed. To maintain membership, students must continue to be enrolled in a minimum of two weighted classes until graduation and maintain a B+ (9.00) cumulative GPA.
2. Leadership, Character, and Service Students who meet the required scholarship standard are invited to complete a Student Activity, Leadership, and Service Form. This form provides the Council with detailed information regarding the candidate’s involvement and leadership in school and community organizations. The appropriate supervising adults must sign to verify the accuracy of the information provided. Students must be actively involved in minimum of two school-related clubs, organizations, or sports the semester the candidacy is being reviewed to be eligible for membership. Starting with the graduating class of 2013, a history of involvement and leadership in school activities will be required, meaning that students must provide evidence of involvement of one year of more in two school activities. They must also provide evidence of fulfilling a leadership role, whether an elected office or an appointed position, in at least one school or community activity. They must also provide evidence of a minimum of 10 hours of service performed for a community organization that is not school related. If selected, members are expected to continue their positive involvement and leadership in school and community organizations.
3.Character Two forms of additional input are available to assist the Council. First, the candidates’ disciplinary records are reviewed. Second, members of the faculty at large are solicited for input regarding a candidate’s service, character, and leadership .The evaluation forms are completed at a faculty meeting. Faculty unable to attend due to absence from school will be able to complete their evaluation in the counselor conference room in the presence of a counselor within 5 school days of the meeting. Teachers evaluate students on a scale of 1 to 4 in each area, with 1 being low and 4 being high. Scores of 1 or 2 must be accompanied by documentation. The Faculty Council may ask members of the faculty to further document or clarify low ratings. Only faculty members who know the candidates professionally, either as their classroom teacher, counselor, administrator, or as their coach, sponsor, or advisor in extra-curricular activities, may provide input. There is no a set cutoff point for teacher evaluations for automatic selection or non-selection. This passage from the NHS Handbook: 2005 Edition explains the reason for this practice:
If points are added or averaged in order to determine a “cutoff point” for membership, two factors should be considered:
o The cutoff should be determined prior to the reading of the candidates’ forms.
o The cutoff should not be used as an absolute determinant of membership, but instead serve merely as a guide. An absolute determinant would, under such circumstances, be viewed as a replacement for the Faculty Council vote and would not enable the Faculty Council to deliberate effectively over each candidate.
4. Faculty Council Review The Student Activity, Leadership, and Service Information Forms, Faculty Evaluation Forms, and disciplinary records are carefully reviewed by the Faculty Council. After careful consideration of the data, the Faculty Council votes on each candidate. A majority vote of the Council is necessary for selection. The PBHS NHS Advisor serves as a non-voting member of this Council.
5. Notification Candidates are then notified in person and in writing regarding selection or nonselection. Copies of letters are also mailed to parents. Nonselected students will be apprised in writing of the reason for their nonselection. Students may appeal this decision to the principal or chapter advisor within 10 school days of receipt of written notification. See Article V.
6. Induction Following notification, a formal induction ceremony is held to recognize all the newly selected members. Students must be formally inducted to become members. Once inducted, new members are required to maintain the same level of performance in all four criteria that led to their selection. This obligation also includes regular attendance at chapter meetings. Members whose qualifications fall below NHS standards may be subject to a Faculty Council review which could result in dismissal. See Article VI.

Article V
Appeals in Cases of Nonselection
1. Students may appeal the decision of the Faculty Council. Appeals must be registered with the principal or chapter advisor within 10 school days of receipt of written notification of nonselection. To register an appeal, the student or parent simply needs to request that the Faculty Council reconsider an individual student’s case. This request must be submitted in writing to either the chapter advisor or the principal within 10 school days of receipt of nonselection notification. Students and parents alike must understand that no student has a right to be selected for membership in a chapter of National Honor Society.
2. If no appeals are registered within 10 school days of nonselected students receiving written notification, all records pertaining to that round of selection will be destroyed.
3. The appeal process may include
- a review by the chapter advisor of the notes from the Faculty Council session
-resubmission of the student’s information to the Faculty Council for
reconsideration
-submission of the relevant information to the principal who consults with the Faculty Council or advisor regarding the decision-making process.
4. Grounds for granting an appeal may include technical or procedural errors such as inadvertent omission of a student’s name from the list of those who meet the scholarship criteria, erroneous averaging of grades, or the chapter’s failure to follow prescribed procedures.
5. Outcomes of an appeal may include
-rejection of the appeal, sustaining the original judgment
-request from the principal for the Faculty Council to reconsider the case
-a change in the decision, resulting in selection of the student by the Faculty Council
-an overturning of the Faculty Council’s decision by the principal
-referring the appeal, following rejection, to the next step in the school hierarchy, the superintendent.
6. Neither the National Council nor the national office has the authority to hear appeals in the cases of nonselection.
7. Should an appeal be granted, the student will be inducted in the principal’s office should the induction ceremony for that semester have already taken place.

Article VI
Discipline and Dismissal
1. A member can be considered for dismissal when performance falls below the acceptable levels of any of the standards by which the student was selected, when the member fails to fulfill chapter obligations, or when the member is found guilty or violating school rules or the law.
2. The Faculty Council may meet to vote to decide if action is needed. The advisor will serve as a non-voting member of this Council.
3. The first action the Council may take is to warn a student in writing that his or her behavior has fallen below a standard and to detail the nature of the concern. A copy of this letter will be sent to the parents and maintained by the advisor.
The Faculty Council determines when a student has exceeded a reasonable number of warnings, thus warranting consideration of dismissal OR if a single offense seriously compromises the standards of NHS, thus warranting dismissal.
4. In all cases of pending dismissal, a chapter member shall have a right to be notified in writing of the offense(s) and to a hearing before the Faculty Council.
5. After the hearing, the Council will vote to determine if the student will be dismissed. There is no automatic dismissal from NHS. Dismissal is by majority vote of the Council AFTER the hearing.
6. Students and their parents will be notified in writing of the Council’s decision.
7. Appeals of the Faculty Council’s decision must be registered with the principal or chapter advisor in writing within 10 days of receipt of written notification.
8. Appeals are to be handled first by the school principal, and thereafter, in the same manner as disciplinary appeals in our district.
Neither the National Council nor the national office has the authority to hear appeals in the cases of dismissal.

Article VII
Meetings
The first regular meeting of the school year shall be for the election of officers.
Meetings may be held when deemed necessary by the council or the advisor to transact business.
Special meetings, approved by the council, may be held under the call of the president.
The chapter shall conduct its meetings according to Roberts’ Rules of Order.

Article VIII
Officers
The officers of the chapter shall be a president, vice-president, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, treasurer, sergeant-at-arms, and historian.
A majority of votes cast shall be necessary to elect and install any officer. If the first vote does note yield a majority, a second vote shall be taken on the candidates who have received the highest number of votes.
It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings of this chapter.
The vice-president shall fill the chair of the president in his or her absence.
The main duty of all the officers is to assist the advisor in planning, organizing, and conducting the induction ceremony in the spring and fall.

Article IX
Dues
Each active member shall pay dues of $10.00. Dues will be paid to the advisor within 10 days of being inducted into the chapter. Dues pay for the membership card and pin and the cost of the induction ceremony.

Article X
Amending the Bylaws
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the chapter, provided that the proposed amendment has been approved by the council and reviewed by the members prior to the meeting at which it is to be voted upon.
Sections dealing with the procedures for selection, disciplining, and dismissal of members can be amended only by the Faculty Council.

Related file: NHS-Student Manual.doc

Added 5/4/2009