GRETNA CHAPTER of the NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY BYLAWS
Article I
NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools (NHS).
Section 2. The purpose of this organization shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of secondary schools.
Section 3. The NHS shall be under the sponsorship and supervision of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA, 22091
Article II
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL
Section 1. The control of this organization shall be vested in the National Council.
Section 2. The National Council shall consist of seven members appointed by the Board of Directors of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The executive director of NASSP shall be ex-officio of the National Council and shall serve as treasurer of NHS. The director of NASSP’s Division of Student Activities shall serve as secretary of the National Council.
Section 3. The seven members shall be appointed for a three-year term.
Section 4. Four members shall constitute a quorum of the National Council.
Article III
STATE/REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Section 1. Local chapters may choose to organize state associations. The state principals association may form regional associations as defined by NASSP.
Section 2. Any state or regional association of National Honor Society chapters shall conform to this Constitution and shall work with the NASSP Division of Student Activities in furthering the purpose of this organization.
Section 3. All state and/or regional associations shall be affiliated with the National Honor Society.
Section 4. The state or regional affiliation shall NOT serve as an appeal board for local chapter non-selection or dismissal cases.
ARTICLE IV
LOCAL CHAPTERS
Section 1. Any secondary public school is eligible to apply for a charter for a local chapter. Nonpublic secondary schools accredited or approved by state departments of education or by accrediting agencies approved by the National Council are eligible to apply for a charter for a local chapter. Each school shall have its own chapter. Two or more different schools may not share the same chapter. A middle level unit in the same building with a high school unit will be an appropriate cause for two separate chapters (one for the National Junior Honor Society and one for the National Honor Society).
Section 2. Each chapter shall pay a chartering fee determined by the National Council.
Section 3. Each school with a chapter shall pay an annual affiliation fee recommended by the National Council and approved by the NASSP Board of Directors.
Section 4. The annual individual member dues paid to a chapter, state, or regional affiliate, if any, shall not exceed ten dollars inclusively. The exact amount shall be determined by the executive committee of the chapter and shall be subject to the approval of the chapter membership. Dues for the Gretna High School Chapter will be $2.00. Dues may be collected annually.
Section 5. Duly chartered local chapters shall conform to this Constitution as set forth by the National Council. Failure to do so may result in the loss of the charter.
ARTICLE V
THE PRINCIPAL
Section 1. The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter.
Section 2. The principal shall annually appoint a chapter adviser, who may serve consecutive terms.
Sections 3. The principal shall be a part of the local school district appeal process for non-selection or dismissal cases.
ARTICLE VI
THE CHAPTER ADVISER
Section 1. The chapter adviser(s) shall be responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students, and community.
Section 2. The chapter adviser shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions.
Section 3. The chapter adviser shall regularly review each member for compliance with Society standards and obligations.
Section 4. The chapter adviser shall help the chapter officers understand and carry out their duties.
ARTICLE VII
FACULTY COUNCIL
Section 1. The faculty council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal. No principal or assistant principal may be included on the faculty council.
Section 2. The term of the faculty council shall be one year. Members may be appointed to consecutive terms.
Section 3. The chapter adviser shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the faculty council.
Section 4. The faculty council shall meet at least once a year to select members and to consider non-selection, dismissal, other disciplinary actions, and warning cases.
ARTICLE VIII
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in local chapters is an honor bestowed upon a student. Selection for membership is by a faculty council and is based on outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
Section 2. Membership shall be known as active and graduate. Active members shall become graduate members at graduation. Graduate members shall have no voice or vote in chapter affairs.
Section 3. The faculty council shall reserve the right to award honorary membership to school officials, principals, teachers, NHS advisers, or adults in recognition of outstanding service rendered to the school in keeping with the purpose of the National Honor Society.
Section 4. Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony.
Section 5. Members who are seniors in good standing are eligible to be nominated by their chapters to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship Program.
Section 6. A National Honor Society member who transfers to another school and brings a letter from the former principal or chapter adviser to the new school adviser shall be accepted automatically as a member in the new school’s chapter. Transfer members must meet the new chapter’s standards within one semester in order to retain membership.
Section 7. Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.
ARTICLE IX
SELECTION OF MEMBERS
Section 1. To be eligible for membership, the candidate must be a member of those classes (sophomore, junior, senior) designated as eligible in the chapter bylaws. (Freshman [ninth graders] are not eligible.) Candidates must have been in attendance at the school the equivalent of one semester. Some candidates may be ineligible for induction because of the semester ruling. Many students, including students of military parents, are required to move with parents or guardians that have transferred in their work. The present school principal should seek a recommendation from the previous school principal pursuant to the candidate’s selection. Based on the recommendation of the previous principal, the faculty council may waive the semester regulation.
Section 2. Candidates must have a cumulative scholastic average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or the equivalent standard of excellence. Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, and character.
Section 3. The selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the faculty council.
Section 4. A description of the selection procedure shall be published in an official school publication that is widely available in a timely fashion to all students and parents of the school. The selection procedure shall be determined by the faculty council and shall be consistent with the rules and regulations of the National Honor Society.
Section 5. The National Council and the NASSP shall not review the judgment of the faculty council regarding selection of individual members to local chapters.
ARTICLE X
DISMISSAL
Section 1. An applicant that falsifies his/her application form will be disqualified from consideration. If it is determined, after admission, that the application was falsified, the applicant will be dismissed. An applicant that is guilty of falsifying his/her application form will not be allowed to reapply for the Gretna High School Chapter of the National Society.
Section 2. Members that fall below the academic standards (3.5 GPA), which were the basis for their selection, shall be promptly warned in writing by the chapter adviser and given one semester (the next marking period) to correct the deficiency.
Section 3. Members that are convicted of a felony will be dismissed from the society.
Section 4. Poor conduct and violation of school, local, state or federal rules, policy, law, or statute, in or out of the school setting, may result in a member losing their good standing as a National Honor Society member and or dismissal of the chapter.
First offense:
i. Any member suspended in or out of school, will need to complete 3 additional service hours for each day of suspension to remain in good standing. These hours are in addition to the required amount to remain in good standing.
ii. During the academic school year, a member issued a citation and having pending charges for or be under the supervision of the court or pretrial diversion program or have been adjudicated to be guilty in federal, state, district, county or juvenile court for
a) any alcohol, drug, or tobacco related infraction or misdemeanor
b) traffic citations with a penalty of six points or more under the point system dealing with traffic citations, Neb. Rev. Stat. Section 60-4,182, as amended, or
c) a Class I, II, or III or IIIA or Class W misdemeanor
will need to complete 5 service hours to remain in good standing.
iii. Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing by school staff, will need to complete 5 additional service hours to remain in good standing.
Second offense:
i. Any member suspended in or out of school, issued with a citation as mentioned under Article X, Section 4, will not be considered in good standing. Students will not receive the National Honor Society chords, and will not be recognized as a member of good standing at graduation.
ii. Any member caught cheating or plagiarizing by school staff will not be considered in good standing.
Section 5. In all cases of impending dismissal, a member shall have a right to a hearing before the faculty council.
Section 6. A member who has been dismissed may appeal the decision of the faculty council under the same rules for disciplinary appeals in the school district.
Section 7. The National Council and the NASSP shall hear no appeals in dismissal cases.
ARTICLE XI
CHAPTER OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the chapter, their duties, and the method of their election shall be determined by the members of the chapter and be described in the chapter bylaws.
Section 2. A majority of the votes cast shall be necessary to elect any chapter officer.
Section 3. Number and qualification: The officers of the chapter shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Historian, and a Parliamentarian and such other officers as may be deemed necessary by the chapter adviser and faculty council.
Section 4. Election and Tenure: The officers of the chapter shall be elected from the senior class by a majority of the votes cast at the regular meeting held in April of the previous school year. Each officer shall hold office for a term of one (1) year, unless his or her service is terminated sooner because of dismissal from the chapter or otherwise.
Section 5. Duties of Officers:
(a) President: The President shall be the principal officer of the chapter and subject to the control of the chapter adviser and faculty council, shall in general supervise and control all of the business and affairs of the chapter. The Presidents shall, when present, preside at all meetings of the chapter.
(b) Vice-President: In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President.
(c) Secretary and Treasurer: The Secretary and Treasurer shall attend and keep minutes of the meetings of the chapter in one (1) or more books provided for that purpose. They will also be in charge of keeping the National Honor Society bulletin board up to date with important information.
(d) Historian and Parliamentarian: The Historian and Parliamentarian will be in charge of taking attendance at regular meetings and will finalize attendance with the chapter advisor(s) after each meeting.
(e) All officers shall be in charge of monthly meeting preparation. This includes posting meeting signs the week prior to the monthly meeting, printing attendance sheets, gathering clipboards, and taking attendance at each meeting.
Section 6. Vacancies: Vacancies occurring in any office by reason of transfer, early graduation, dismissal or otherwise may be filled by a vote of the chapter members at the next regular meeting or at a special meeting.
ARTICLE XII
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The executive committee shall consist of the officers of the chapter and the chapter adviser(s).
Section 2. The executive committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the chapter between its business meetings, make recommendations to the chapter, and determine and perform such other duties as are specified in the chapter bylaws. All actions and recommendations of the executive committee shall be subject to the review of the chapter membership.
Section 3. The executive committee shall have the responsibility for ensuring that chapter activities and procedures follow school policy and regulations.
ARTICLE XIII
MEETINGS
Section 1. Each chapter shall have regular meetings during the school year on days designated by the executive committee and in accordance with school policy and regulations.
Section 2. Attendance at monthly meetings are mandatory and may be considered excused only if a student is absent from school at the time of the meeting and/or have notified the adviser(s) prior to the meeting date. Any member who has 2 or more unexcused meeting absences, will NOT be considered in good standing but may complete an additional ½ hour of service for each missed meeting AND must consult the adviser for missed information presented from the meeting to remain in good standing..
Section 3. Regularity of meetings. The chapter shall hold its regular meetings the first Wednesday afternoon and first Thursday morning of each month beginning in September of each school year. All subsequent meetings shall be held as needed, and determined by the executive committee with the guidance and approval of the chapter adviser.
Section 4. Special meetings approved by the executive committee may be called by the president.
Section 5. Chapters shall conduct meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised in all points not expressly provided for in this constitution or the chapter bylaws.
ARTICLE XIV
ACTIVITIES
Section 1. A chapter may determine one or more service projects for each year.
Section 2. All members shall regularly participate in these projects.
To remain in good standing, each member must complete 10 service hours each school year as approved by the current adviser(s). A member not completing 10 service hours by the end of their junior year will need to complete the 10 hours for their junior year plus an additional 3 hours as well as 10 service hours for their senior year, for a total of 23 hours to remain in good standing. Service hours do not carry over from their junior year into their senior year, unless less than 10 hours were completed their junior year.
(For example, if 10+ hours are completed as a junior, the member is in good standing as long as 10+ hours are completed their senior year. If less than 10 hours were completed as a junior, those hours will apply toward 13 hours needed to make up their junior year and 10 more hours are needed for good standing as a senior)
Service hours completed outside of National Honor Society may be counted towards the 10 hours needed to remain in good standing for National Honor Society. However, you may only earn 5 hours from these other organizations.
Section 3. These projects shall have the following characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community; have the support of the administration and the faculty; be appropriate and educationally defensible; and be well planned, organized, and executed.
ARTICLE XV
OFFICIAL INSIGNIA
Section 1. This organization shall have an official emblem selected by the National Council. The emblem shall be uniform.
Section 2. The distribution of the emblem and the rules for its use shall be under the exclusive control of the National Council.
Section 3. Each active, graduate, or honorary member in good standing shall be entitled to wear this emblem. Graduating seniors who are not in good standing by May 1st (subject to change) may not receive the NHS insignia or be recognized as a member in good standing at the commencement exercises.
Section 4. Any member who resigns or is dismissed shall return the emblem to the chapter adviser.
Section 5. All insignia must be procured from the national secretary of the National Honor Society, 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA, 22901. All insignia are registered in the United States Patent Office and may not be copied by anyone.
Section 6. The motto of the National Honor Society shall be Noblesse Oblige.
Section 7. The official colors of the National Honor Society shall be blue and gold.
Section 8. A graduate member may replace a lost emblem by verifying membership to the national office.
ARTICLE XVI
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. This Constitution may be amended at any meeting of the National Council or by mail by an affirmative vote of four members of the National Council.
Section 2. Except as otherwise provided by the constitution of the chapter or by specific provisions of these Bylaws, the Bylaws may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of the chapter members, with the approval of the chapter adviser and the faculty council.
REVISED July 2022