By-Laws

I. Name and purpose

The name of this chapter shall be the Booker T. Washington chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools, which appears on the charter granted by the National Council of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools, duly signed by the members of the National Council.
The object 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 the character in students of Booker T. Washington High School.

ii. membership

Membership in this chapter shall be based upon Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
Candidates shall have spent at least one semester at Booker T. Washington High School, and shall be members of the sophomore or junior class. Candidates eligible to election to the chapter shall have a cumulative scholarship average of 3.6 or its equivalent. This scholastic level of achievement for admission shall remain fixed, and shall be for this chapter the required scholastic achievement for admission to candidacy for membership in this chapter. All students who rise in scholarship to or above such standard level shall be admitted to candidacy for election to membership. Their eligibility shall then be considered on their Service, Leadership, and Character.
Prospective members must complete the Student Activity Form. Candidates must adhere to the specified deadline. Late forms shall not be reviewed for membership. After review of the Student Activity Form, the faculty council and/or Advisor(s) shall issue letters of invitation to the students who have met all the criteria of Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
To finalize membership, students must show their acceptance of invitation by completing the induction process. Exceptions will only be made if the student brings a written and satisfactory explanation to the sponsor. The student must then complete an individual induction process with the principal, sponsor, and at least one president of the chapter.
A student who transfers to Booker T. Washington High School and brings a letter of recommendation from his or her advisor shall be accepted automatically into this chapter. Transfer members will have one semester to meet Booker T. Washington High School’s NHS standards to retain membership.

iii. Officers and executive board

The officers of this chapter shall be a president or co-presidents, Booker T. Washington school events officers, community events officers, Induction/Baby Hornets officers, communications officers, and one (optional) webmaster, with an allowance of two members at large.
The total number of Executive Board officers shall not exceed ten percent of the general membership.
New chapter officers for the incoming class will be selected via an application process, except members-at-large, who are chosen by the sponsor(s). The president(s) shall be elected from the senior Executive Board officers, must have served previously on the executive board, and shall be voted on by the general membership at the final meeting of the year.
The Executive Board shall consist of the faculty sponsor(s) and the elected student officers of the chapter.
The Executive Board shall have general charge of the meetings and business of the chapter, but any action on the part of the Executive Board may be subject to the review of the chapter.
It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings of this chapter and keep the agenda of all meetings.
It shall be the duty of the Booker T. Washington school events officers to supervise the volunteer activities of the chapter within the school. The officers may be also called upon to preside over meetings in the absence of the co-presidents.
h. It shall be the duty of the community events officers to supervise the volunteer activities of the chapter in the community; the officers may also be called upon to preside at the meetings in the absence of the co-presidents.
It shall be the duty of the Induction/Baby Hornets officers to plan and organize the annual induction ceremony and reception and to supervise new members of the chapter. The officers may also be called upon to record the payment of dues of all members.
It shall be the duty of the communications officers to notify members of all meetings. The officers shall be in charge of all announcements and be required to keep attendance at meetings of both the Executive Board and the general membership.
It shall be the duty of the Webmaster to maintain and regularly update the chapter website.
No Executive Board member can be on probation at any time.

iv. Meetings

The meetings of this chapter shall be determined by the Executive Board and approved by the assistant principal who oversees the activities calendar.
All members are required to attend one meeting per month. The member shall be awarded one point for each meeting attended. Each member is permitted to miss one meeting per semester with no penalty. Any further absences will result in a point deducted from the member’s total point count.
The presidents or sponsor may call additional meetings, approved by the Executive Board.

v. Dues

Annual dues for each member shall be established by the individual chapter, but shall not exceed $15.00. The amount shall be subject to the approval of the executive committee of the chapter.
If dues have not been paid by the end of the first semester then the member is on probation. He/She must pay dues not exceeding $20.00.

vi. Faculty Council

The Booker T. Washington National Honor Society Chapter Council shall be composed of five faculty members selected by the principal and sponsor(s). The names of the Faculty Council members shall remain confidential.
The Faculty Council shall review the Student Activity Forms of candidates and elect new members to the chapter.
The Faculty Council shall determine all appeals of dismissal.

vii. The point system

Each member is required to complete twenty service hours each semester. Each volunteer hour is considered a point. Up to five of these hours may be volunteer work done independently of the National Honor Society. The remaining hours must be done through activities sponsored by the National Honor Society chapter.
If a member signs up to volunteer or work a certain National Honor Society sponsored event and does not show up at his/her scheduled time, the points will be deducted from the member’s accumulated total. Action can be taken by the sponsor to prevent this from happening again. The sponsor has the right under extreme circumstances to place the member on probation if he/she is consistently absent from scheduled events.

viii. Prohibition and Dismissal

If a member does not fulfill the requirements of twenty service hours per semester, that member shall be placed on probation for one semester. The member must make up the points he/she lacks in addition to the full twenty points for the next semester in order to be removed from probation. If the member meets another failing condition during their probationary period, he/she shall be relieved of membership.
Members may be placed on probation, suffer point penalties, or be dismissed as a result of disciplinary violations as defined in the Disciplinary Violations Addendum.
If a member does not pay his/her dues, said member shall be placed on probation.
Failure to meet the established GPA standard shall result in probation.
The Executive Board shall promptly warn any member who falls below the standards that were the basis of his/her election to the Society in writing. If, at the end of the next semester, the member still fails to meet said standards, he/she shall be dismissed from the chapter. A member will be allowed only one probation period. The Faculty Council shall notify students of probation status. Once a member is dismissed from membership, he/she is never again eligible for membership in the National Honor Society.
A member who receives notice of dismissal may appeal, in writing, to the Faculty Council. If the Faculty Council upholds the dismissal, the principal may review the member’s appeal.
When a member is dismissed, notice of such action must be reported to the national secretary of the National Honor Society, 1904 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia, 22901.

ix. election protocol

In order to run for the office of President, a candidate must have accrued one half of the semester’s total point requirement by the election date.
A president or two co-presidents shall always be elected.
In the event that a President resigns from office or is placed on probation, the office shall rightfully be given to the candidate with the next highest number of votes.
If a member of the Executive Board resigns from office or is placed on probation, it shall be the decision of the sponsor(s) whether it shall be necessary to refill the position. In the event that it is deemed necessary to find a replacement, the candidate with the next highest number of votes shall be given the position. If the officer had no competition for the committee in question, a new election shall be held at the first meeting of the year.

Disciplinary Violations Addendum

The National Honor Society of Booker T. Washington High School shall resolve disciplinary problems in accordance with the actions of the school administrators and The Code of Student Conduct of Tulsa Public Schools.

Level 1, 2, and 3 Offenses resulting in a suspension of one to five days shall require that the disgraced National Honor Society member earn one extra point for each day of suspension in order to remain in good standing.
Level 4 and 5 Offenses that result in a suspension of over five days in length shall require that the disgraced member earn five extra points. That member shall also be placed on probation.
Level 6( or above) Offenses, which often result in long-term suspension shall cause the disgraced member to be dismissed from the chapter.