Oak Park National Junior Honor Society By-Laws

Article I

Section 1.  The name of this organization shall be Oak Park National Junior Honor Society.

Section 2.  The purpose of this organization shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, to develop character, and to encourage citizenship...

Section 3.  The Oak Park National Junior Honor Society shall be under the sponsorship and supervision of the faculty and administration of Oak Park Middle School, 1218 16th Avenue SE, Decatur, AL   35601.

Article II

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 chapter adviser(s) who may serve consecutive terms.

Section 3.   The principal shall be a part of the local school district appeal process, non-selection, or dismissal classes.

Article III

Section 1.  The chapter adviser(s) shall be responsible for the direct day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students and community.

Section 2.   The chapter adviser(s) shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions.  The chapter adviser(s) shall keep a record of the annual activity report.

Section 3.   The chapter adviser(s) shall regularly review each member for compliance with Society standards and obligations.

Section 4.   The chapter adviser(s) shall help the chapter officers understand and carry out their duties.

Article IV

Section 1.   The faculty council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal.  No principal may be included on 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 chapter adviser(s) shall be (an) ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member(s) of the faculty council.

Section 4.   The faculty council shall meet at least once a year to select members and to consider dismissal, non-selection, and warning cases.

Article V

Section 1.   Membership is an honor bestowed upon a student.  Selection for membership is by faculty council and is based on outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, service and citizenship.

Section 2.   The faculty council shall reserve the right to award honorary membership to school officials, principals, teachers, OPNJHS advisers, or adults in recognition of outstanding service rendered to the school in keeping with the purpose of the Oak Park National Junior Honor Society.

Section 3.   Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony.  Members and parents agree to the posting of the names of members on the Oak Park website unless written notice is provided in writing before the induction ceremony.

Section 4.   An Oak Park student who transfers from another school and brings a letter from the former principal or chapter adviser to the Oak Park school adviser(s) shall be accepted automatically as a member of the Oak Park National Junior Honor Society.

Section 5.   Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership in the Oak Park National Junior Honor Society or its benefits.

Article VI

Section 1.   To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a member of the eighth grade. 
Candidates must have attended Oak Park Middle School for one semester or transferred from another school in the Decatur School System.

Section 2.   Candidates must have a scholastic average of 93.  This average will be computed using the student’s semester average in each subject area for the first semester of their 8th Grade year.  Advanced classes will be assigned additional weight.   Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, character and citizenship.

Section 3.   Candidates can have only one Class I discipline report.  (Refer to the Decatur City Schools Code of Student Conduct).

Section 4.  Candidates must have no Class II or Class III discipline reports.  (Refer to the Decatur City Schools Code of Student Conduct). 

Section 5.  The selection of each member to the chapter shall be majority vote of the faculty council.

Section 6.  A description of the selection procedure shall be published on Oak Park's official school website which is widely available in a timely fashion to all students and parents of the school.  The selection procedure shall be determined by the faculty council and shall be consistent with the rules and regulations of the Oak Park National Junior Honor Society.

Article VII

Section 1.   The procedure of dismissal shall be determined by the faculty council in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Oak Park National Junior Honor Society.  A written description of the dismissal procedure shall be available to interested parties.

Section 2.  Members who fall below the standards which were the basis for their selection shall be promptly warned in writing by the chapter adviser(s) and given a reasonable amount of time to correct the deficiency, except that in the case of flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws a member does not, necessarily, have to be warned.

Section 3. Students with more than one Class I discipline are dismissed.  (Refer to the Decatur City Schools Code of Student Conduct.)

Section 4.  Students with any Class II or Class III disciplines are dismissed.  (Refer to the Decatur City Schools Code of Student Conduct.)

Section 5.  Students with a conduct code violation of “disturbs the learning situation or disruptive / uncooperative” are dismissed.

Section 6.  Students with more than one of the following conduct codes per semester are subject to dismissal:

• Inconsistent effort
• Comes to class unprepared / does not dress out for PE
• Test/Assignments missing
• Inadequate participation / inattentive
• Excessive absences / tardies
• Excessive talking

 Section 7.  Students whose grades fall below the ninety-three (93) overall average will have nine weeks to improve.  If grades do not improve, the student will be brought before faculty council.

Section 8.  Students are allowed one academic warning before dismissal.

Section 9.  In all cases of impending dismissal, a member shall have a right to written notification of charges and a hearing before the faculty council.

Section 10.  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.

Article VIII

Section 1.  The officers of this chapter shall be president, vice-president, secretary, and one or more historians.

Section 2.  Members who wish to be an officer must

• Complete an application dealing with qualities of an Oak Park National Junior Honor Society member. 
• Be selected by the faculty council upon review of applications.  Candidates may be asked to interview if the council deems it is necessary.

 Article IX

Section 1.  The president presides at meetings.  The president is responsible to see that everyone does his/her job.  The president provides direction for the Oak Park National Junior Honor Society.

Section 2.  The vice-president serves in the absence of the president.  The vice-president will be coordinator of committees, will meet with committee heads, keep records of projects delegated to committees, attend committee meetings, and keep a list of committee time-lines.

Section 3.  The secretary keeps attendance records.  The secretary keeps minutes of each meeting and reads them during the meeting.  The secretary handles correspondence, reminders about meetings, thank you notes, etc.

Section 4.  The historians will be responsible for the OPNJHS scrapbook.  The historians will document in pictures and writing all projects and activities of the chapter.

Section 5.  If officers are dismissed or cannot fulfill their duties, new officers will be selected by the faculty council to finish the year.

Article X

Section 1.  The executive committee shall consist of the officers of the chapter and the chapter adviser(s).

Section 2.  The executive committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the chapter between its business meetings, make recommendations to the chapter, and perform such other duties as are specified in the chapter by-laws.  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.

Article XI

Section 1.  The Oak Park National Junior Honor Society chapter shall meet during the school activity period as scheduled.

Section 2.  Special meetings approved by the executive committee may be called by the president.

Section 3.  Meetings shall be conducted according to the Robert’s Rules of Order in all points not expressly provided for in these by-laws.

Article XII

Section 1.    Oak Park National Junior Honor Society members must propose amendments to the by-laws in writing to the faculty adviser(s).

Section 2.  The by-laws can be amended by a majority of the members and the faculty council.