By-Laws of Olathe East Chapter of National Honor Society

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1. The chapter shall be known as the Olathe East Chapter of National Honor Society.

Section 2. The purpose of this organization will be as defined in Article 1, Section 2 of the National Constitution.

Article II. The Principal

Section 1. The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the Chapter.

Section 2. The principal shall be a part of the appeal process for non-selection or dismissal cases.

Article III. Chapter Advisor

Section 1. The chapter advisor shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities and financial transactions.

Section 2. The advisor shall regularly review each member for compliance with NHS standards and obligations.

Section 3. The advisor with principal approval shall select five faculty members to serve on the faculty council for a one-year term. The term may be extended by the principal.

Article IV. Selection of Members

Section 1. To be eligible for membership, the candidate must be a junior or senior at Olathe East and must have been in attendance at Olathe East the equivalent of one semester. Transfer students will seek recommendation from their previous school principal pursuant to their selection. Based on the recommendation, the faculty council may waive the semester regulation.

Section 2. Candidates shall have a cumulative scholastic average of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale.

Candidates inducted into NHS as of November 2011 were selected based on a 3.75 on a 4.0 scale and shall be required to maintain that GPA. In addition, candidates will be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership and character by current teachers, former teachers and three activity sponsors. One activity sponsor must be from East and one from the community. A minimum of 12 service hours is expected prior to selection.

Section 3. The faculty council shall review each candidate on the personal data packet and on teacher/sponsor recommendations. The candidate must have a 3.5 rating in leadership and character on the recommendations. The selections of each member-elect to the Olathe East chapter shall be by majority vote of the faculty council.

Section 4. Candidates who meet these standards will then be designated members-elect and will participate in a service internship between November and April of the school year. If the member-elect successfully completes the fifteen hour service internship within the designated time period and has retained the high standards on which the faculty council designated him/her a member elect, he/she will be invited to become a member of NHS.

Section 5. The chapter advisor and faculty council shall decide the date for an initiation of new members. The advisor shall determine deadlines for selection of members in order to meet the initiation date.

Section 6. Standards for election to the Olathe East chapter are also outlined in Appendix B of the constitution.

Article V. Membership

Section 1. Membership in the Olathe East chapter of NHS is an honor bestowed upon a student. Once selected, members have the responsibility to maintain the standards on which they were selected.

Section 2. Members are required to attend all meetings and must submit a written excuse to the chapter secretary if they are absent. If the absence is unexcused as determined by the advisor and executive board, the member will be placed on probation. Two excused absences will also be grounds for probation. A second unexcused absence or a third excused absence will require a hearing before the faculty council and may result in dismissal from NHS.

Section 3. Members shall be required to perform community and school service: 25 hours of community service and school service the first year of membership; and 32 hours of community service and school service the second year. The service hours are to be completed by April (specific date to be determined). If the hours are not completed by specified date, the student will be dismissed from NHS. Extensions will only be granted for junior-class NHS members for OEHS recycling.

Section 4. 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 5. A National Honor Society member who transfers to Olathe East and brings a letter from the former principal or chapter advisor 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 6. Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.

Article VI. Dismissal

Section 1. Dismissal procedures shall be as outlined in the national constitution.

Section 2. Candidates and their parents will be given a written description of dismissal procedures from Olathe East chapter of NHS prior to their selection into membership. Both candidate and parents will sign a form indicating knowledge of such procedures.

Section 3. Appendix A contains a detailed outline of the dismissal process for the Olathe East Chapter.

Article VII. Meetings

Section 1. The chapter shall meet once a month. Other meetings may be called when deemed necessary by the chapter advisor and/or the president of the Olathe East chapter.

Section 2. Meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Article VIII. Officers

Section 1. The officers of Olathe East chapter shall be the following: president, vice-president, historian, secretary and treasurer.

Section 2. They shall be referred to as the Executive Board.

Section 3. Officers may be added or deleted at the discretion of the chapter advisor.

Section 4. Duties will be as outlined by National Honor Society. Additional duties may be assigned by the chapter advisor. The Executive Board will determine policies and activities by majority vote. Committees shall be appointed as the Executive Board determines the need for them. Each officer will keep a notebook on his/her office and train new officers for the following year.

Section 5. Officers will be elected in April, installed in May and serve for one year. If a vacancy occurs during the year, the advisor and the Executive Board may appoint a replacement or call for a vote of the membership.

Article IX. Activities

Section 1. The Olathe East chapter shall determine one or more service projects in which all members will participate. The project(s) shall have the following characteristics:

• fulfill a need within the school or community;
• have the support of the administration and faculty;
• be well-planned, organized and executed.

Section 2. Each member shall also have the responsibility for choosing and participating in a service project which reflects his/her special interest or talents.

Article X. By Laws

Section 1. The by-laws of the Olathe East chapter shall be ratified by three-fourths of the membership.

Section 2. Members may amend a by-law by submitting an amendment to the Executive

Board who will decide by majority vote if the amendment proposed would be discussed at the next chapter meeting. Three-fourths of the membership must approve an amendment for passage.

Ratified by the chartered chapter of Olathe East High School, October 6, 1992.

Revised, April 19, 1994, to include the Olathe School District's NHS sponsors criteria for selection to NHS.

Revised, September 30, 1997, to reflect the NHS criteria for selection.

Appendix A

NHS Olathe East Chapter

Dismissal Policy for NHS Members:

The Olathe East Chapter of NHS will follow the dismissal policy as stated in the National Constitution and in the handbook (1992). Specific guidelines as adopted by the faculty council, December 1993, are hereby stated:

1. If a member is involved in any type of school suspension (ISS or OSS), the faculty council will review the situation and decide if disciplinary action is warranted. The member will receive written notice of the outcome of the council meeting.

If a member is involved in multiple suspensions, he/she faces possible dismissal and will receive a written notice to appear before the faculty council.

If an NHS member is arrested for a civil or criminal offense, the member shall receive a written warning and shall be placed on probation for one semester. The faculty council shall also review the situation and decide if a hearing is warranted. If the council so decides, the member will appear before the council to explain the circumstances. The member shall receive written notice of the outcome of the hearing.

If a member is convicted of a crime, he/she faces possible dismissal and will appear before the faculty council for a hearing.

If a member incurs multiple arrests with no convictions, he/she will receive written notice to appear before the faculty council for possible dismissal.

Hearings include: the NHS member, his/her legal guardian (s), all members of the faculty council, the faculty advisor and an administrator. Only the faculty council has voting rights.

If a member is dismissed, the membership card and pin must be returned to the faculty advisor as stated in the constitution.

*The following was revised May 13, 2016, to reflect the NHS criteria for dismissal:

If a member is involved in one or more suspensions, he/she faces dismissal and will receive a written notice to appear before the faculty council.

If an NHS member is arrested for a civil or criminal offense, the member shall be dismissed. The member shall receive written notice.

If a member is convicted of a crime, he/she shall be dismissed. The member shall receive written notice.

If a member incurs multiple arrests with no convictions, he/she will be dismissed. The member shall receive written notice.