Policies of CMH
1. Membership Requirement
a. Membership is a privilege, not a right. CMH is a co-op and support group and they are only what each member puts into it.
b. You must submit the information necessary (information off of drivers license) to the CMH board for a background check upon registration for membership. Cost of background check is included in semester fee. This process protects our children, and provides peace of mind. Any questionable activity will be discussed in private. This is a one time process unless the board deems a reevaluation necessary.
c. For the co-op, you must commit to attending and volunteering for a 10-12 week semester. This co-op is purely run by our parent volunteers, so if you do not show up, you are letting the group down. Each family must have at least one child in classes K-12 (i.e. all children may not be signed up for PreK or Nursery). You must volunteer for four hours. CMH is a student based co-op. This means that the focus of classes is on the children. If you have ideas for parent activities, please schedule them for non-class hours.
d. CMH functions primarily for the purpose of the co-op. We have recently expanding our group to be a support group as well, further guidelines for that will be decided upon in planning.
e. Each family will be required to pay a semester fee twice a year. This fee covers the cost of the website, general supplies, insurance and love offering for the church we are using. The semester fee is slightly variable each semester based on the needs of the co-op. The cost is $65 per family for the co-op. If you are a member of the co-op, you do not have to pay extra to attend the support group, unless outings require you to do so.
f. Besides the semester fee, each family is responsible to pay class fees for each class your child is enrolled in. The class fee is a fee set by the teacher that only covers the cost of the class supplies.
g. Each family will be responsible for setting up and cleaning up during the co-op day. Your responsibilities will be determined per semester.
h. Volunteering beyond classes. CMH functions only at the capacity of its members. If you have ideas for an activity for the group, please let us know. If you have a desire to volunteer more than simply teaching a class, please let the board know, because we have a place for you. Because the group is run by military families, we have a very high turn over rate and are always looking for future leaders. We are also looking for new ideas. If you have an idea for something that you don't currently see being done, we are counting on your creative abilities to add to CMH.
2. Code of Conduct
a. All students and parents are expected to treat people and property with courtesy and respect at all times.
b. Below are a list of rules the must be followed. Each child will:
walk while indoors;
keep noise to a minimum, being considerate of those around us;
raise your hand in class (do not speak when the teacher is speaking);
refrain from the use of foul or offensive language;
refrain from disruptive behavior (especially in class);
be obedient (listening the first time, without arguing);
speak to others with kindness and respect;
be respectful of others space (no pushing, pulling or hands on another person)
avoid inappropriate displays of affection
be to your class on time
be prepared for class
stay within the specified areas at the church
always be kind and respectful to others
food shall only be consumed in the gym during lunch, unless due to a medical need.
c. If a family member is witnessed setting off a fire alarm, the family is responsible for the Emergency Service Fees. This must be paid in full by the end of the current semester. The family will be ineligible to participate in a new semester until payment of fee is complete.
3. Disciplinary Procedures
a. Any conduct in direct violation of the above policy will result in disciplinary action. It is the responsibility of every adult to enforce this standard and politely inform the parent of the child's offense.
b. If a disruption occurs in class, the offending child will be taken into the hallway or away from the main group (by the co-teacher) and spoken to about the offense. The child will be expected to regain composure before being reintroduced in the classroom setting. If a disruption occurs again, the child is to be spoken to about the offense again. It is up to the teachers discretion if the child needs to be taken to the parent at that time. If the teacher is unable to continue to have the child in the classroom, the co-teacher will accompany the child to their parent. The parent must then seek the teacher, at a time other than during class, for an explanation. The teacher may use her discretion with contacting the child's parent in regards to continual class disruptions.
c. If the behavior persists the following week, the same procedure will be followed. If brought to the parent a second week, the child will be expected to make an apology to the teacher before being readmitted to the class.
d. Those children who continue to be unable to participate in class may, by the discretion of the board, be asked not to return.
e. Please see section 9 on allergies and special needs.
4. Conflict Resolution (children and adults)
a. Matthew 18:15-17 ESV “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained a brother. But if he does not listen take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established between two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to him, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen to even the church, let him be to you as a Gentile or tax collector.”
b. The goal of conflict resolution is to restore the relationship. It should be the aim of each Christian to live peaceably with all believers. Unity of the church must be preserved.
c. You are to first go alone to the offender or offendee. Explain you point of view with the upmost respect. Attempt to resolve the issue. If the person does not seem to listen, bring along one or two people that you BOTH respect. These witnesses are not to be “on your side”, they are simply there to promote the restoration of the relationship. If the person still will not listen you are to treat him as a Gentile. Treating him as a Gentile means giving that person undeserved grace and treating them well even if they do not deserve it.
d. It is the parents responsibility to guide their children through this process if they have a conflict with another child at co-op.
5. Dress Code (Students and Parents)
a. All: No offensive writing or graphics on clothing
b. Girls:
Nothing too short. The hem of shorts or skirts must come to the end of fingertips. Please put shorts under the younger girls skirts.
Nothing strapless or spaghetti straps (regular tank tops are fine)
Clothing must cover middrift and cleavage
c. Boys:
Must make sure that pants are pulled up and no undergarments are showing
Must keep shirt on at all times
6. Sick Policy
a. Any person who has had any of the following in the past 24 hours will not be admitted to co-op:
fever over 99.9
runny nose that is NOT clear
a contagious stage of illness as diagnosed by a doctor
b. Please use your best judgment on whether your child is sick or not. Our goal is to minimize any illness in the group.
c. If you or your child has any of these symptoms Monday morning, please contact the appropriate people AT THAT TIME, to inform them of your upcoming absence.
7. No Show/ Frequent Absence Policy
a. Any family that signs up for a CMH event and does not attend or call to give a 24 hour notice of absence will be put on a no show list. If you do not call or show up two times in a given school year, you will be prohibited from attending any further CMH events. Any family that continuously misses co-op days (3 or more) will have their membership reviewed by the board and may have their membership revoked. Families must still fulfill their financial obligations.
8. Dropping out
a. When registering with CMH you are committing to attending and volunteering for a 10-12 week semester.
b. Dropping out will only be permitted with military short orders.
c. Please schedule appointments and other activities on non-co-op days.
d. After registration, refunds are not permitted.
e. At the start of the semester, the parent has two weeks to do a class change for their child provided the effected teacher agree to the switch.
9. Allergies and Special Needs
a. Please inform the board in writing of any medical allergies. You will need to inform CMH if this is an allergy that causes anaphylaxis and a protocol to follow if exposed to the allergen. (For example: If your child has a peanut allergy, we will keep the room peanut free.)
b. You may also inform the board of any preferential dietary concerns in writing. (For example: our family does not eat preservatives or food coloring) The teacher is not required to follow your suggestions, but will inform you of the food provided in class so that you may provide a replacement for your child.
c. Special needs children are encouraged to be in the same room as their parents.
d. If your child has emotional, education, or developmental delays please inform their teachers. The teachers have no way of knowing of any difficulties until class is underway, and it would make co-op as a whole run more smoothly if the teachers know what to expect. This will also help your child get what they need out of the co-op as we take your child's needs into consideration.
e. If your child has a Therapist, Respite Care or other Facilitator to help your child during the day. A background check is needed to be given to the Director for records.
10. Church love offering
a. Great Neck Baptist Church has graciously opened their doors to us for several years. They do not require any payment and allow us to use their trash bags, electricity, water, and facilities. Each semester we give a love offering. Part of the cost of the love offering is included in the registration fee. We encourage every family to pray about an additional amount to give, since this is truly a huge blessing for CMH.
11. Evacuation Procedures
a. In the case of an emergency the teacher is responsible for every child in their class. Please make sure that you take attendance each week to ensure the whereabouts of each student.
b. Please note the closest exit to your classroom.
c. You will need to escort the students to a safe location outside of the building in an orderly fashion.
12. Website and Communication
a. CMH uses a homeschool-life website to help maintain communication in one place. This company is a homeschool company and serves homeschool groups.
b. All official correspondence is placed on the website and secret FB group.
c. Any offensive posts will be deleted by the board.
d. Do not alter official posts made by a board member.
e. Our Public CMH Facebook page is a fun social option for additional interaction.
At the end of each semester any members that have not committed to returning in the fall will be deleted from the FB group as well as the membership list for this website. You can always reapply if you decide you wish to rejoin us.
13. Weather Cancelations
a. Any changes to the schedule due to inclement weather will be posted on our forum and Facebook page as soon as possible. As a general rule, if the public school system is closed, CMH will be closed.
14. Areas for CMH at the church
a. CMH does not have access to the whole church building. Please stay within the guidelines below. If you see someone in an unauthorized area, please remind the person that we are not to be there.
b. These are the areas that are off limits:
upstairs (unless the teens are with an adult in the teen room)
the front sanctuary area of the church (the offices are located at that end of the church and it can be very distracting if we are using that hallway)
the gym bathrooms
any of the rooms off of the gym wing except for the projector room, room 110 & 108 (the rooms directly behind the projector room)
c. Please do not let your child be unaccompanied in the kitchen
15. CMH Field Trip/Special Event Policy
CMH encourages its members to actively participate in our group by arranging exciting field trips and special events for the membership. Here are a few guidelines to make sure that these outings run as smoothly as possible.
1. All events must be approved by our board.
2. All events must comply with our Statement of Faith or with our Bylaws.
3. The following information must be provided to the board BEFORE the event is booked:
a. The date, time, and venue
b. The price per person (including a breakdown of the types of tickets available, if needed)
c. The registration deadline
d. The cancelation policy
e. Payment information (any deposit due dates, final payment, fees, types of payment accepted, etc)
f. A brief description of the activity
g. Any other information that is relevant
4. Once the Board has approved the event, it is the responsibility of the event planner to make all arrangements including reserving, promoting, and answering questions about such event.
5. A final roster needs to be provided to the treasurer before any monies will be paid out to a venue. As such, it is the responsibility of the event planner to make sure people know about the event and are signed up before a deposit is due or a final payment is paid. Doing so may require a significant lead time in some cases and should be planned for accordingly. There will be no refunds or additions after that date.
6. The event planner must never collect money for an event. Only board members are authorized to accept payments made to CMH for group events.
7. CMH accepts no responsibility for events arranged without specific board approval and will not advertise nor collect money for such events. Furthermore CMH will not pay or reimburse any expenses that may have been accrued as a result of booking an event without prior approval.
16. The group maintains an EIN number with the IRS. Beginning fiscal year 2013, the EIN was listed in the tax exempt database in order to begin filing the 990N paperwork. This paperwork is to be filed each year to maintain IRS compliance.