The national office is not involved in selection or disciplinary decisions. However, there are policies and procedures rooted in the NHS National Constitution or National Handbook that all chapters are bound to observe. The national office reserves the right to contact schools to require corrective action when violations of Honor Society policy are evident. This contact may occur whether or not a formal complaint has been filed. When contacted, chapters are obligated to make the corrective action by the stated deadline(s).

This page will acquaint you with matters that are considered violations of those policies.   You should know that parents, students, and other interested individuals have access to an online complaint form, which allows them to identify areas of concern when violations of national policy are suspected, including the following:

Selection Violations

  • Chapter has no faculty member assigned to serve as the Honor Society adviser, and/or the principal or an assistant principal is currently serving as the adviser.
  • Chapter has no faculty council.
  • Chapter has more/fewer than five faculty council members. (Violation for NHS and NJHS only)
  • Principal serves on the council and/or has voted in the selection process.
  • Honor Society adviser serves as a voting member of the faculty council. (Violation for NHS and NJHS only)
  • The scholarship criteria is not based on a cumulative GPA. These violations may include:
    • Chapter bases selection on class percentages or quotas (e.g., top 10% of the class.)
    • Chapter calculates the GPA excluding some courses, in conflict with the school’s official recorded GPA.
    • Chapter bases selection decisions on individual course grades (e.g., “No C’s allowed” or “no grades below…”)
    • Chapter bases selection decisions on a quarterly or semester average (e.g., score 90 or above for all quarters/semesters), rather than a cumulative GPA.
    • Use of standardized test scores as part of the Scholarship criteria.

General Chapter Management Policy Violations

  • Chapter has no bylaws. (Note: Chapters are not required to provide bylaws to nonmembers, but they should be able to verify the existence of this governing document.)
  • Chapter refuses to accept a qualified transfer member from another chapter.
  • Chapter does not conduct service projects.

Due Process Policy Violations (Dismissal from membership)

  • Chapter has placed a member on warning due to an individual course grade that has not impacted the cumulative GPA.
  • Chapter has dismissed or is considering dismissing a member without prior written warning and period of time for improvement. (Exceptions: No warning is required for violations of school rules or the law.)
  • Chapter has improperly dismissed a member without affording the member the right to a hearing with the faculty council.
  • Chapter has denied a dismissed student the right to appeal the decision to the school principal. (Note: The right to appeal exists only for dismissal decisions. Appeals are not a right in cases of nonselection.)
  • Chapter has not provided a copy of the dismissal procedures when requested. Questions can be directed to [email protected]