2023-2024 NHS Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE LAKE TRAVIS CHAPTER NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Lake Travis Chapter of the National Honor
Society of Secondary Schools, which appears on the charter granted by the National Council.
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 Lake Travis High School.
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in this chapter is an honor bestowed upon a student. Selection for
membership is by the Faculty Council and is based on outstanding scholarship, character,
leader-ship, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to
demonstrate these qualities.
Section 2. Membership shall be known as active, honorary, and graduate. Graduate and honorary
members shall have no voice or vote in chapter affairs.
Section 3. Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony.
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. The chapter will
nominate two members.
Section 5. 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 Lake
Travis chapter's standards within one semester in order to retain membership.
ARTICLE III: DUES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Section 1. Annual dues for each member shall be twenty dollars ($20.00), which are due at the
October regular meeting.
Section 2. Failure to pay dues, to attend meetings, and to turn in verified documentation of
required service hours by the indicated deadlines may result in disciplinary action, including
dismissal by the Faculty Council.
ARTICLE IV: SELECTION OF MEMBERS
Section 1. To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a member of those classes
(sophomore or junior) designated as eligible. (In accordance with the National Council, freshmen
[ninth graders] are not eligible.) Candidates must have been in attendance at the school the
equivalent of one semester.
Section 2. The minimum standard for scholarship shall be a cumulative scholastic average of at
least 95.000 percent, or the equivalent standard of excellence. Candidates shall then be evaluated
on the basis of service, leadership, and character.
Section 2. Students meeting the scholastic requirement are notified in February to attend a
meeting where information forms are distributed. Those eligible students who wish to be
considered for membership must complete the student activity information forms with appropriate
signatures, and the specified essay. Completed forms must be returned to the adviser by the
deadline. Once the completed form is received, the student's name is placed on a list of
candidates.
Section 3. All LTHS faculty members are asked to evaluate the qualities of leadership, character,
and service for those candidates whom they currently teach or have taught in the recent past.
Section 3. The NHS advisers present the completed student activity information forms and results
of the faculty evaluations to the Faculty Council. The selection of each member to the chapter
shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council.
Section 4. Those students who submit information forms, regardless of whether they are offered
membership in NHS, will receive notification of their induction status.
Section 5. The National Council and NASSP shall not review the judgment of the Faculty Council
regarding selection of individual members to local chapters.
ARTICLE V: MEETINGS
Section 1. The chapter shall have regular monthly meetings during the school year on the day
designated by the advisers. All members are expected to attend all meetings, unless excused by
the advisers or president. Failure to attend meetings (in person or virtually) may result in
disciplinary action, including dismissal from the society by the Faculty Council.
Section 2. The officers of the chapter shall be elected at the regular April NHS meeting, and they
will be installed as officers at the Induction Ceremony in May. Section
3. The chapter president or other designated student leader may call special meetings approved
by the executive committee.
Section 4. Chapters shall conduct meetings according to Robert's Rules of Order in all points not
expressly provided for in this Constitution or the chapter bylaws.
ARTICLE VI: ACTIVITIES AND REQUIRED SERVICE HOURS
Section 1. The chapter shall determine two or more service projects through committees for each
year.
Section 2. All members shall regularly participate in these projects through committees.
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. In order to retain active, in-good-standing status, each member shall complete a
minimum 25 hours of community service each year. These service hours should be comprised of a
minimum 15 hours outside of school and 10 hours within school, including participation in two
NHS sponsored service projects each year. A member shall receive ½ hour credit for each regular
National Honor Society meeting attended.
Section 5. Senior members (12th grade) are to document and turn in verification of service hours
to the parliamentarian or adviser at or before the regular April meeting. Junior members (11th
grade) are to document and turn in verification of service hours to the parliamentarian or adviser
at or before the regular May meeting. In either case, failure to do so will result in a dismissal
hearing before the Faculty Council.
ARTICLE VII: DISMISSAL
Section 1. The Faculty Council, in compliance with the rules and regulations of the National Honor
Society, shall determine the procedure for dismissal. A written description of the dismissal
procedure shall be available to interested parties.
Section 2. Members who fall below the standards that were the basis for their selection shall be
promptly warned in writing by the chapter adviser and given a reasonable amount of time to
correct the deficiency, except that in the case of flagrant violation of school rules or the law, a
member does not necessarily have to be warned.
Section 3. The Faculty Council shall determine when an individual has exceeded a reasonable
number of warnings.
Section 4. In all cases of impending dismissal, a member shall have a right to a hearing before
the Faculty Council. (This is considered "due process" for all members.)
Section 5. For purposes of dismissal, a majority vote of the Faculty Council is required.
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 NASSP shall hear no appeals in dismissal cases.
ARTICLE VIII: 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 member of the faculty as chapter adviser and
co-adviser, who may serve consecutive terms.
Section 3. The principal shall receive appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates or the
discipline or dismissal of members.
ARTICLE IX: FACULTY COUNCIL
Section 1. The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by
the principal. The chapter advisers shall be ex-officio, nonvoting members of 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 Faculty Council shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the
chapter, select members, and to consider non-selection, dismissal, other disciplinary actions, and
warning cases.
ARTICLE X: THE CHAPTER ADVISERS
Section 1. The chapter advisers shall be responsible for supervision of the chapter and act as
liaison between faculty, administration, students, and community.
Section 2. The chapter advisers shall regularly review each member for compliance with Society
standards and obligations.
Section 3. The chapter advisers shall help the chapter officers understand and carry out their
duties.
ARTICLE XI: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The executive committee shall consist of the officers of the chapter and the chapter
advisers.
Section 2. The executive committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the chapter
between its business meetings, make recommendations to the chapter, organize service projects,
set meeting agendas, and plan the Induction Ceremony. 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 according to the school handbook.
ARTICLE XII: CHAPTER OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the chapter shall be president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer,
parliamentarian, historian, and Student Council representative. Officers shall be active members
of the NHS who are seniors and in good standing. Juniors wishing to run for elected office for the
following year shall submit a nomination form to the adviser in mid-February. Any member that
wishes to run for office and plans to graduate in January must seek permission from the adviser.
Section 2. A majority of votes cast shall be necessary to elect any officer of this chapter. Voting
will be by ballot unless there are no contested races, in which case voting may be by acclamation.
New officers shall be installed at a special ceremony. Section
3. It shall be the duty of the president to preside over the meetings of the chapter and the
induction ceremony. The president must meet with the advisers prior to every NHS meeting to
prepare agenda. The president must meet with the advisers and the principal at least quarterly.
(This office requires 20 to 40 hours.) Section 4.
The vice-president shall fill the chair of the president in their absence. The vice-president must
meet with advisers prior to every NHS meeting to prepare agenda. (This office requires 20 to 40
hours.) It shall be the duty of the vice-president to obtain a speaker for the Induction Ceremony.
Section 5. The chapter secretary shall keep the minutes of meetings. The secretary shall prepare
the annual report for the Lake Travis Chapter. The secretary shall publicize the chapter projects in
a positive manner.
Section 6. The treasurer shall receive and disburse all funds of the chapter and shall keep an
accurate account of receipts and disbursements in accordance with school regulations. The
treasurer is responsible for maintaining NHS project cost records.
Section 7. The parliamentarian shall maintain order during meetings according to Robert’s Rules
of Order. The parliamentarian is responsible for maintaining the files of members’ service project
records.
Section 8. The historian shall record the chapter activities by assembling a scrapbook, which is to
be presented at the May general meeting. The historian is responsible for photographing NHS
activities. The historian chairs the Induction Ceremony Planning Committee.
Section 9. The Student Council representative shall attend all Student Council meetings and
report information at NHS meetings.
Section 10. Officers of the National Honor Society are subject to dismissal procedures for failure
to fulfill the duties of their office. Any person elected may be removed from office by a two-thirds
majority of votes cast by the members of the chapter, but only after the grounds therefore have
been presented to the person in writing and the person has had an opportunity for a hearing
before the faculty council.
Section 11. In the event of a vacancy in an elected position, the faculty council shall have the
authority to appoint a temporary replacement, if necessary, until an election can be held to fill the
position.
ARTICLE XIII: OFFICIAL INSIGNIA
Section 1. This organization shall have an official emblem selected by the National Council.
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 with the chapter shall be
entitled to wear this emblem.
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.
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. An active senior member in good standing (with service hours documented and
complete) may wear the white NHS stole of honor at the graduation ceremony.
ARTICLE XIV: AMENDMENTS
Section 1. These by-laws may be amended by an affirmative vote of a two-thirds majority of the
active members in good standing, provided the proposed amendment has been approved by the
chapter’s executive committee and by the National Secretary of the National Honor Society and
notice to members has been given at least one month prior to the meeting at which it is to be
voted upon.