Honor Society Formal Complaint Procedures

Instructions

The national office of NHS, NJHS and NEHS has established the following procedures for submitting complaints regarding the policies and procedures of schools that currently hold active charters of NHS, NJHS and NEHS. The complaint process seeks to ensure that all chapters are operating in compliance with established Honor Society policies identified in the NHS, NJHS and NEHS Constitutions and Handbooks. 

This complaint form is not to be used to appeal the membership decisions of local chapters. Please contact your school district's central office or school hierarchy if you wish to elevate your appeal beyond the school principal. Review and follow these instructions to submit a formal complaint:
1. Review the NHS ConstitutionNJHS Constitution or NEHS Constitution and list of policy violations below to identify any possible violations of Honor Society policy. The national office cannot hear appeals or render decisions for selection or dismissal. Complaints must identify at least one violation of Honor Society policy as the basis of the complaint, and include evidence of the violation(s) in the space(s) provided.

2. Address all alleged policy violations with the chapter adviser, school principal and school district superintendent (or princpal's superior in a private school) in writing. Confirm below that these individuals have been given an opportunity to respond to these concerns and to correct any possible violations of Honor Society policy prior to filing the complaint.
 
3. If available, include copies of chapter bylaws, dismissal procedures, selection procedures or other policy documents provided by the school. Bylaws are often provided to Honor Society members by the chapter adviser or school principal. The school is not required to provide bylaws to nonmembers, but the adviser and/or principal should verify the existence of bylaws.  

* Chapters are required to publish a description of their selection procedures in a school publication and provide a written description of their dismissal procedures upon request. If these documents do not exist or the chapter is unwilling or unable to provide them, please note that in your timeline below along with the date of request.
 
4. Only include information that is specifically relevant to the issue(s) identified in the complaint. Do not embellish or otherwise misrepresent actions of the chapter (adviser, faculty council, and/or principal). Avoid including any unfounded allegations or rumors in your correspondence. This includes rumors or hearsay about other students/members and their membership status.

5. Do not include academic records (i.e., report cards or transcripts), medical records, recommendations, legal documents, or other normally privileged information. 

6.
Enter your name and active email address where required. Anonymous complaints are not reviewed. A copy of the full complaint will be included in our correspondence to the school.  
 
Unless otherwise indicated (i.e. noted above in red), complaints are reviewed within 20 business days of receipt. **This is a review period, not a resolution period.**

Next steps: If violations of Honor Society policy are identified, the school will be contacted following the review, and an outline for corrective action will be provided to the school. The national office will work to bring the chapter into compliance with national policies. For documentation purposes, updates regarding your complaint will be sent via email from policy@nhs.us only, and not by phone. 

The national office cannot guarantee a change in membership status as the result of the complaint investigation, but we do work to correct violations and bring chapters into compliance. In some cases, this will result in a favorable change in membership status. 
 
Schools that fail to or refuse to comply with these corrective actions can have their Honor Society charter revoked. Revocation is a last resort. The goal of the complaint process is to bring errant chapters into compliance so that they may continue to recognize students who meet the requirements for membership.

Updates regarding a student's membership status will be provided by the school, not the national office. Following the corrective action required by the national office, the school should provide this information to parents and students. 

School Information

*indicates required field
Chapter Type *

Contact Information

Nature of Complaint: Please select any violations that apply. Do not select violations that are not referenced and/or verified in the documents or emails that accompany the complaint. (Attach all required documentation where required below.)

Violations of Selection Policies
General Chapter Management Policy Violations
Violations of Discipline and Dismissal Policies

Supporting Documentation

In the sections below: 1) attach a timeline summarizing efforts to address the policy violation(s) identified above. 2) Include any other relevant materials to assist in the investigation of this complaint, including written correspondence with the adviser, principal and superintendent about the policy violation(s) selected above.

To expedite the complaint review, only include attachments that are relevant to the complaint and only in the designated sections. 

Other relevant documents may include:

  • Chapter bylaws.
  • Chapter's published selection procedure description. 
  • Letters from the school regarding warning, dismissal, or nonselection.
  • Forms or other relevant documents provided by the school that verify the policy violations. 








Release

If you are submitting this complaint on behalf of a named student, a release is required by the student's parent/legal guardian for complaints regarding a student's nonselection or dismissal from NHS, NJHS or NEHS. 

Submission