National Honor Society of Garland High School Bylaws

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this chapter shall be the Chapter of the National Honor Society of Garland High School.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purpose 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 students of Garland High School.

ARTICLE III: POWERS

Section 1. This chapter operates under the direction of and in full compliance with the NHS National Constitution. See www.nhs.us/constitutions.

Section 2. The chapter advisors are given the authority to supervise the administration of chapter activities, as del- egated by the school principal.

Section 3. Final authority on all activities and decisions of the chapter resides with the school principal. (See Article V, Section 1 of the National Constitution.)

Section 4. Nondiscrimination. Our chapter of NHS maintains policies and practices that are designed to prevent discrimination against any qualified candidate or member on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. This policy of nondiscrimination applies to all practices, including the chapter administration and the selection, discipline, and dismissal of members.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership in this chapter is an honor bestowed upon deserving students by the faculty and shall be based on the criteria of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Section 2. Membership in this chapter shall be known as active, honorary, and alumni. Active members become alumni members at graduation. Honorary members are selected at the discretion of the faculty council. Alumni and honorary members have no voice or vote in chapter affairs.

Section 3. Eligibility:

a. Candidates eligible for selection to this chapter must be members of the junior, or senior class.

b. To be eligible for selection to membership in this chapter, the candidate must have been enrolled for a period equivalent to one semester at Garland High School.

c. Candidates eligible for election to the chapter shall have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a weighted scale.

d. Upon meeting the grade level, enrollment, and GPA standards, candidates shall then be considered based on their service, leadership, and character.

ARTICLE V: SELECTION OF MEMBERS

Section 1. The selection of members to this chapter shall be by a majority vote of the faculty council, which consists of five faculty members appointed by the principal. The chapter advisors shall be the sixth and seventh, nonvoting, ex officio members of the faculty council.

Section 2. The selection of active members shall be held once a year during the second semester of the school year.

Section 3. Prior to the final selection, the following shall occur:

a. Students’ academic records shall be reviewed to determine scholastic eligibility.

b. All students who are eligible scholastically (i.e., candidates) shall be notified and asked to complete and submit the candidate information form for further consideration.

c. The faculty shall be requested to evaluate candidates determined to be scholastically eligible using the official input form provided by the chapter adviser.

d. The faculty council shall review the candidate information forms, faculty input, and other relevant information to determine those who fully meet the selection criteria for membership.

Section 4. Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony.

Section 5. An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers from this school will be given an official letter indicating the status of his/her membership upon request.

Section 3. An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers to this school will be automatically accepted for membership in this chapter. The faculty council shall grant to the transferring member one semester to attain the membership requirements and, thereafter, this member must maintain those requirements for this chapter in order to retain his/her membership.

ARTICLE VI: OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS

Section 1. There will be no annual dues for this chapter.

Section 2. Each member of this chapter who is in good standing with regard to the membership standards and member obligations shall be granted the privilege to wear the emblem adopted by the National Honor Society.

Section 3. Any member who withdraws, resigns, or is dismissed from the chapter shall surrender the privilege of wearing the emblem to the chapter.

Section 4. Chapter members who are seniors in good standing shall be granted the privilege of wearing the honor cords (or other insignia adopted at the local level) at graduation.

ARTICLE VII: OFFICERS

Section 1. The senior officers of the chapter shall be president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, and the junior officers of the chapter shall be junior representative and historian.

Section 2. Senior student officers shall be elected at the February last meeting of each school year. All returning members in good standing with the chapter are eligible to run for a position as an officer. Any active member can nominate an eligible member as a candidate for office. Junior student officers shall be elected at the September October meeting of each school year. All new members inducted in the previous spring semester in good standing with the chapter are eligible to run for a position as an officer.

Section 3. Officer elections shall be determined sixty percent by secret ballot and forty percent by application score. The percentage of votes a candidate gets will be multiplied by 0.6 and be added to the application score multiplied by 0.4. The application score will be determined by weighting each short answer as 2.5 points, the essay as 10 points, and the teacher recommendations as 20 points (10 for each) for a total of 40 points. The candidate with the highest composite score will fill the position.

Section 4. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings of the chapter, and serve as the official representative of the chapter at school and community functions.

Section 5. The vice president shall preside in the absence of the president and shall also keep a record of members’ contributions to leadership and service, including but not limited to advertising events for which members can fulfill their required hours.

Section 6. The secretary shall keep the minutes and attendance records for meetings and be responsible for recording and reporting the service hours each member has submitted for approval.

Section 7. The treasurer shall keep a record of business expenses, dues, and all other financial transactions of the chapter.

Section 8. The junior representative shall act as a liaison between junior members and the officer board in voicing concerns, wants, or needs of the members. They shall organize the junior portion of the Man Show fundraiser and encourage active participation of junior members in chapter projects as well as support senior officers and historian as needed.

Section 9. The historian shall keep a record of chapter projects, events, and fundraisers and contribute to a general member notebook and chapter historical record as they see fit. They shall support the junior representative and senior officers as needed.

Section 10. If an elected officer cannot perform their duties due to extraneous circumstances, the officer will remain a member of the chapter, and an election will occur at the next available meeting. The newly elected officer will only fill the remaining time for the term.

Section 11. If an elected officer is suspended or expelled from the chapter due to failure to meet service hour, meeting attendance requirements, or membership requirements, the officer position will be automatically revoked after a notice is given to the officer, and an election will occur at the next available chapter meeting. The newly elected officer will only fill the remaining time for the term.

Section 12. If an elected officer does not abide by the mandates and responsibilities for student officers, the other student members of the officer board and the chapter advisors must unanimously elect to remove the officer from the board, and the chapter as necessary. An election will occur at the next available chapter meeting, and the newly elected officer will only fill the remaining time for the term.

Section 13. An officer meeting containing the majority of the student officers and the chapter advisors shall take place a minimum of once between each general chapter meeting to discuss goals and projects for the next meeting and month.

Section 14. Officers and the chapter advisor faculty adviser(s) shall collectively be known as the chapter’s executive committee. The executive committee shall establish annual goals for the chapter and have general charge of the meetings and the business of the chapter. Any action by the executive committee is subject to the review of the chapter members.

ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular meetings of this chapter shall be monthly with an alternate make up meeting the following day. Special meetings can be called by the president with the approval of the adviser.

Section 2. This chapter shall conduct its meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 3. Members are expected to attend all but two chapter meetings.

Section 4. Students who fail to meet the meeting requirements will be put on probation.

ARTICLE IX: ACTIVITIES

Section 1. The chapter shall determine one or more service projects for each semester year.

Section 2. All members shall participate in at least one of these projects per semester.

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.

Section 4. All members shall be required to participate in the Man Show fundraiser in the spring semester. This can be through direct participation in the production and selling one ticket or selling two tickets.

Section 5. Each member will be required to record using the official hours form 12 designated volunteer hours with chapter or chapter endorsed projects and 12 volunteer hours with community and other outside service organizations as meets the requirements on the official hours form each semester. Opportunities to volunteer for chapter hours will include any events sanctioned by GISD that must be approved by the chapter officer board, including but not limited to CAS projects and grading papers for teachers, and events submitted for the consideration of and approved by the chapter officer board. If a member records over the necessary 12 chapter hours, the extraneous hours will count towards the requirement for 12 individual service hours, but extraneous individual service hours will not count for the required chapter hours. An extraneous amount of any of the required hours will not count towards the hour requirements for the following semester.

Section 6. No more than 812 hours on a given day from a service event can be received from one service event a day, and the hours must be reported within two school weeks of the event.

Section 7. Students who fail to meet the service hour requirements will be put on probation for the following semester and notified through written notes. Students may get off probation through making up the hours they fell short the preceding semester in the following semester in addition to regular hour requirements. If by the end of the semester they are not off probation, the student will be dismissed at the discretion of the faculty council.

Section 8. The chapter shall publicize and promote its projects in a positive manner.

ARTICLE X: DISCIPLINE and DISMISSAL of MEMBERS

Section 1. Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, service, leadership, or character may be considered for discipline or dismissal from the Garland High School Chapter of the National Honor Society. A member of the National Honor Society is expected to maintain his/her academic standing and take an active role in service and leadership in his/her school and community.

Section 2. If a member’s cumulative grade point average falls below the standard in effect when he/she was selected of 3.5, he /she will be given a written warning and a reasonable time period for improvement. If the cumulative grade point average remains below standard at the end of the warning period the student will be subject to further disciplinary action by the faculty council that can include consideration of dismissal from the chapter.

Section 3. Violations of the law or school regulations can result in immediate consideration of the dismissal of a member (see Section 6 below). These violations include, but are not limited to DWI; stealing; destruction of property; cheating; truancy; or possession, selling, or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at school or school-related activities or in the community.

Section 4. Offenders of the school conduct code (such as use of profanity, failure to comply, unexcused absences, excessive tardiness, etc.) will receive written warning notification. A conference may be requested by either party (faculty council or student/parent). If the member is involved in another violation of the school conduct code, the member may be considered for dismissal.

Section 5. Chapter officers, as representatives of the chapter, can be removed from their positions as a consequence of disciplinary action taken by the faculty council.

Section 6. In all cases of pending dismissal:

a. The member will receive written notification from the advisor/faculty council indicating the reason for consideration of dismissal.

b. The member will be given the opportunity to respond to the charge(s) against him/her at a hearing before the faculty council prior to any vote on dismissal (in accordance with due process identified in Article X of the National Constitution). The member has the opportunity to present his/her defense either in person or via a written statement presented in lieu of the face-to-face hearing. Following the hearing, the faculty council will then vote on whether to dismiss. A majority vote of the faculty council is needed to dismiss any member.

c. The results of the faculty council vote will be presented to the principal for review, and then stated in a letter sent to the student and parents. Dismissed members must surrender any membership emblems to the adviser.

d. The faculty council’s decision may be appealed to the building principal and afterwards according to provisions of the school district discipline policies.

e. A member who is dismissed or resigns may never again be considered for membership in the National Honor Society.

Section 7. In lieu of dismissal, the faculty council may impose disciplinary sanctions upon a member as deemed appropriate.

ARTICLE XI: RATIFICATION, APPROVAL, and REVIEW.

Section 1: These bylaws will be approved upon receiving a two-thirds affirmative vote of all active members of the chapter, a majority affirmative vote of the faculty council, and approval by the administration.

Section 2: These bylaws shall be reviewed and if necessary, revised within five years from the date of approval noted on this document.

ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS

These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the chapter, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given to members at least one month prior to the vote. The exceptions are Articles V and X, which are developed by the faculty council with the approval of the principal (selection and discipline).