Bylaws to the Constitution of the National Honor Society for the PermianHigh School Chapter
Last updated: January 25, 2008
ARTICLE 1
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.Membership in this chapter is an honor bestowed upon a student. Selection
membership is by the faculty advisory board and based upon OUTSTANDING
scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once members have an ongoing
responsibility to demonstrate the qualities of scholarship, character, leadership,
and service.
Section 2.Scholarship requirements for this chapter are as follows: candidates must have
spent at least one semester enrolled in PermianHigh School, shall be members of
the junior or senior classes, and have a cumulative scholastic average of 90/4.0
for at least the three consecutive semesters immediately preceding nomination.
This level of scholastic achievement will remain fixed for continued membership
in the National Honor Society. Office, library, lab, or teacher assistants; student
council; or any other local credit courses are not acceptable for meeting NHS
course requirements plus the grades are not computed for National Honor Society
purposes.
After induction, at the end of each semester, cumulative grade point averages
will be reviewed. If a student has fallen below a 4.0 cumulative grade point
average, he/she will be placed on academic probation and will have until the end
of the semester to return to 4.o status. If a student fails to raise his/her average
back to a 4.0. then the student will be dismissed form National Honor Society.
Also, conduct will be reviewed at this time. Unacceptable conduct can cause
dismissal of a student.
If at the end of the fall semester, a senior has not maintained a 4.o cumulative
grade point average, he/she will be placed on probation for a six week period. At
the end of this six week period, the student’s grade will be reviewed. If the
student has raised his/her grades from the Fall semester average, his/her standing
with the National Honor Society will remain fixed. If the student fails to raise
his/her grades from the Fall Semester average, the senior student could be
dismissed at the end of the six week period.
Section3.The Faculty Advisory Board determines eligibility for character, leadership, and
service; however, the principal has the final decision and may overrule the board.
The Faculty Advisory Board may comment regarding a student’s behavior;
however, a discipline referral is to accompany all negative comments. The grade
level principal will check the discipline record of each National Honor Society
candidate. Two category 1 and 2, or one category 3, or one category 4, or one
category 5 offenses make a student ineligible for membership.
Category 1 and 2 offenses are referred to in the student discipline code handbook.
These include cheating or copying the work of another; throwing objects that can
cause bodily injury or property damage; leaving school ground or school-
sponsored events without permission; directing profanity, vulgar language, or
obscene gestures toward other students, district employees, or volunteers;
scuffling or fighting; stealing from students, staff, or the school; damaging or
vandalizing property owned by others; defacing or damaging school property
including textbooks, furniture, and other equipment with graffiti or by other
means; violating safety rules as communicated in the student handbook or
campus or classroom rules; disobeying school rules about conduct on school
buses; hazing; failing to comply with directives given by school personnel;
committing extortion, coercion, or blackmail and obtaining money or any other
object of value from an unwilling person; forcing an individual to act through the
use of force or threat of force; using the Internet to threaten students, employees,
or cause disruption to the educational programs; sending or posting messages that
are abusive, obscene, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, damaging to
another’s reputation, or illegal; possession published or electronic material that is
designed to promote or encourage illegal behavior or could threaten school
safety; committing or assisting in a robbery or theft that does not constitute a
felony according to the Texas Penal Code; name-calling, ethnic or racial slurs, or
derogatory statements that school officials have reason to believe will
substantially disrupt the school program or incite violence; engaging in verbal or
written exchanges that threaten the safety of another student, a school employee,
a school volunteer or school property; engaging in any misbehavior that gives
school officials reasonable cause that such conduct will substantially disrupt the
school program or incite violence; engaging in inappropriate physical or sexual
conduct; possessing or using matches or a lighter; discharging a fire extinguisher;
causing a false alarm; possessing material that is pornographic; possessing
smoking, or using tobacco products; possessing or selling look-alike drugs or
items attempted to be passed off as drugs and contraband; possessing a paging
device, cellular telephone, or laser pointer; violating computer use policies, rules,
agreements signed by the student, and/or agreements signed by the student’s
parents or guardian; violating dress and grooming standards as communicated in
the student handbook or by sponsors of extracurricular activities; or repeatedly
violating other communicated campus or classroom standards of behavior;
violating standards of behavior at extracurricular activities.
Category 3 offenses as stated in the student handbook include three or more
infraction in the 1 and 2: using profanity, vulgar language, or obscene gestures;
possessions or use of fireworks and /or other explosives or setting fire; fighting;
truancy; vandalism/graffiti; violation of rules while in in-school suspension; the
transmittal, possession, use, sale, or attempted sale of what is represented to be
any substance prohibited under school rules; false fire alarm/false 911 call;
sexual harassment; alcohol possession, use, sale, delivery, or being under the
influence; assault; terroristic threat; drug possession, use, sale, delivery, or being
under the influence; possesses, smokes, or uses tobacco products; engages in
conduct that contains the elements of an offense relating to abusable glue or
aerosol paint, or relating volatile chemicals; public lewdness; indecent exposure,
any conduct on or off of school property or at any school-sponsored activity that
is punishable as a felony; weapon possession; fireworks.
Category 4: Alternative Education Program includes offenses as listed in the
student handbook which include assault; terroristic threat; drug possession, use,
sale, influence; alcohol or drug possession, use, sale, delivery, or being under the
influence; engages in conduct that contains the elements of an offense relating to
abusable glue or aerosol paint, or relating to volatile chemicals; public lewdness;
indecent exposure; any conduct on or off school property or at a school-
sponsored activity that is punishable as a felony; weapon possession; graffiti;
student receives deferred prosecution for conduct defined as a felony under Title
5 Penal Code; the court or jury finds that the student engaged in delinquent
felony conduct under Title 5 Penal Code; superintendent or designee has
reasonable belief that the student has engaged in a felony conduct under Title 5
Penal Code; superintendent or designee has a reasonable belief that the student
has engaged in a felony conduct other than those defined under Title 5 Penal
Code and continued presence of student in a regular classroom threatens the
safety of other student s or teachers or will be detrimental to the educational
process.
Category 5: expulsion as listed in the student handbook which includes
possession, use or exhibition of a firearm, an illegal knife, a club, or prohibited
weapon; aggravated sexual assault; arson; murder; capital murder; criminal
attempt to commit murder, or capital murder; indecency with a child; aggravated
kidnapping; drug or alcohol offenses if punishable as a felony; a third drug
offense for any amount; serious or persistent misbehavior during placement in
alternative education program; retaliation act against a school employee; engages
in felony criminal mischief;
Section 4.Candidates for membership shall be inducted at a special ceremony. Attendance
is mandatory to become a member.
Section5.Dues are $12.00 per academic year for each year of membership.
ARTICLE II
DISMISSAL
Section 1.Members who fall below the required scholastic average at the end of a semester
are placed on academic probation. These members have one semester to raise
their averages to the required 90/4.0. Failure to meet the required average will
result in recommendation for dismissal.
Section 2.Members who fall below the standards of character, leadership, and service
which are the basis for their selections shall be promptly warned by the chapter
advisor and given a specified time to correct the deficiency, except in the case of
more than two Category 1 and 2 offenses, any Category 3 offenses, any Category
4 offenses, and any Category 5 offenses.
Section 3. The Faculty Advisory Board shall consider more than one warning of a Category
1 and 2 offense as excessive and as reasonable cause for dismissal.
Section 4.In all cases of impending dismissal, a member shall have a right to a hearing
before the Faculty Advisory Board.
Section 5.A dismissed member may appeal the decision of the Faculty Advisory Board
under the same rules for disciplinary appeals in the school district.
Section 6.Once dismissed, a student is never again eligible for membership in the
National Honor Society.
Section 7.Dismissed members must return their membership cards and any other symbols
of membership to the advisor. Former members who fail to return symbols of
membership are violating school policy and are eligible for disciplinary actions.
Section 8.Students who do not complete the required community service hours at the end
of the required time will be placed on probation and accrue penalty hours. If a
student does not complete these penalty hours as well as the regular community
service hours at the end of the required time, the student will be dismissed from
the Chapter.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
Section 1.Offices of this chapter shall include a president, a first vice-president, a second
vice-president, a secretary and an historian.
Section 2.Duties of the officers include: President, to preside at all meeting; First Vice-
President, to substitute for the President; First and Second Vice-President, to cooperatively arrange for NHS members to serve in various capacities during the school year; Secretary, to keep all minutes of the meetings and to maintain the attendance roll of meetings; and Historian, to prepare a scrapbook and to be in charge of bulletin boards and publicity.
Section 3.The officers and the faculty adviser shall comprise the executive council whose
duty is to plan and call chapter meetings
ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS
Section 1.The Permian Chapter of the National Honor Society shall hold a minimum of one
chapter meeting during the school year. The executive council is responsible for
determining the dates and the times of all meetings.
Section 2.In order to remain in good standing, a member of the NHS must attend at least
50% of the meetings in both the Fall and the Spring semesters. If attendance at
the particular meeting is not possible, the member must inform the advisor in
writing of the absence prior to the meeting date.
Section 3.Meetings shall be conducted according to the ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER,
NEWLY REVISED.
ARTICLE V
ACTIVITIES
Section 1. The Permian Chapter of the National Honor Society shall have a minimum of
two service projects each year, one beginning in the Fall, for the current members, and the second project, in the Spring, for new inductees.
Section 2.All members shall participate in these projects. Lack of completion of a service
project is cause for dismissal.
Section 3.All new junior and senior inductees are required to complete ten hours of
community service in the first Spring of their membership. This will be an activity designated by the executive council. All new inductees are required to complete and turn in their hours to their sponsor by the designated time period or penalty and /or dismissal can be imposed.
Section 4.All second year senior members are required to complete twenty community
service hours. These hours are to be completed and turned in to the sponsor by
the designated time period or penalties and/or dismissal can be imposed.
Section 5.All members must also perform a designated number of group service hours, as
designated by the executive council. These hours will be specified and turned in
with the community service hours.
Section 6. A member who does not complete the required community service and/or
group hours by the designated time period will be placed on probation with
penalty hours and a time limit imposed.
Section 7.A member who does not complete the required community service and/or group
hours by the designated time period AND who does not complete the
probationary hours within the allotted time will be dismissed from the Chapter.
ARTICLE VI
TRANSFERS
Section 1.Members in good standing of the Permian Chapter of the National Honor Society
who transfer to another school may request a letter indicating their membership.
Section 2.A member of the National Honor Society who transfers to this school is eligible
for membership in this chapter. To meet requirements, the Permian Chapter of
the NHS requires a signed letter form the advisor of the previous school stating
that the transfer student is a member in good standing. This transferring Student
must maintain the requirements of this chapter in order to retain his/her
membership.