The purpose of HEN is to coordinate home-school activities
for Omaha and surrounding areas, as well as serve and
respond to local home-school support groups and families.
Some activities of HEN may include:
Support Groups - coordinate and inform
area support groups of upcoming events, seminars, training,
etc.
Communication - publish a monthly
newsletter with coming events, articles of encouragement,
member support group news, and legislative information.
Education - for potential and current
homeschoolers and the general public.
Legislation - keep homeschoolers abreast
of legislative and local education issues impacting homeschooling.
Membership in this organization may
be secured any time of year by presenting a completed
application form to the Secretary along with the annual
dues and a signed copy of the Responsibilities of HEN
Members.
Payment of dues in this organization
shall allow for receipt of all membership communication,
discount on designated activities, and inclusion in all
other benefits.
HEN will operate on the basis of
the Statement of Position and the Statement of Faith included
in this constitution. However, except for board members,
agreement with these statements is not an obligation of
membership.
All membership information shall
be treated with confidentiality.
Members of HEN who fail to follow
the Member Responsibilities or other HEN Board approved
guidelines will have their membership revoked upon decision
of the HEN Board. The HEN Board may terminate membership
without cause. A pro-rated refund of the membership fee
will be given when the membership card is returned to
the Secretary of the HEN Board.
The officers
of this organization shall be: President, Vice President,
Treasurer, and Secretary. The Executive Directors shall
be: President and Vice President. The Board of this
organization shall consist of the four officers and
at least two members at large. Additional board members
may be added upon an affirmative vote of the board.
Board members shall be added with a 2/3 majority of
the entire board.
Home Schooling must be the joint
responsibility of the husband and the wife. The mother
generally bears the primary responsibility for the education
of the children. In recognition of this, either the
President or the Vice President of HEN shall be a woman.
In cases where both a husband and
a wife serve on the board, their position on the Board
will be the joint responsibility of both spouses and
shall constitute one vote at Board meetings.
The officers and members at large
shall be appointed by the Board as needed. Any member
of the organization may express their willingness or
interest in serving to any member of the Board.
Any Board member failing to perform
their assigned duties and/or cooperate with the consensus
of the Board may be replaced at any time at the discretion
of the other board members with a 2/3 majority vote
of the entire board.
Officers of the Board and their
duties shall include:
• President - Responsibility
for the management of the organization. The President
shall schedule, plan, and preside over board meetings,
offer general direction to the organization, work with
the treasurer in the disbursement of funds, recruit
new board members, oversee programs and communication,
and represent and speak on behalf of the board and of
HEN. The president is not obligated to hold another
major area of responsibility within the organization.
The President shall serve a term of three years, and
the selection of each President shall be made at the
beginning of the previous President’s third year
to provide for a smooth transition
• Vice President - Shall
execute functions of the President when the President
is unable to carry out a given responsibility, assist
the President in the day-to-day operations of the organization,
and/or perform other duties as assigned by the President.
• Secretary - Shall
record all business conducted at a general or Board
meeting, submit records to the President or a member
upon request, handle any necessary correspondence, and
maintain all membership information.
• Treasurer - Shall
be responsible for maintaining financial records of
organization, for payment of bills of the organization
as authorized by the President, and for procurement
of necessary equipment.
• Members at Large -
Shall carry out such duties as assigned by the Executive
Directors.
• No one person may hold more than one of the
above offices at the same time.
Qualifications of HEN Board members
shall be:
a. Board members shall have home educated for three
years or have been committed to homeschooling for three
years.
b. Board members must be members of HEN.
c. Board members must agree to support the HEN Constitution
and sign the Statement of Position and Statement of
Faith.
The Board may form standing committees
consisting of any HEN members. Ad hoc committees may
also be appointed by the President for specific duties
not to exceed one year. The Chairman of each standing
committee and members of other designated committees
must:
a. be members of HEN.
b. sign the Statement of Position and Statement of Faith.
c. be accountable to the HEN Board.
d. attend any meeting deemed necessary by the HEN Board.
e. meet with the Executive Directors as requested.
The Board
will meet at least twice a year or more often at the
discretion of the President and Vice President, to appoint
officers and decide on matters of HEN policy and procedures.
The Board will meet annually with
all standing Committee Chairmen for evaluation and review
of HEN activities.
Except for the appointment of new
board members, decisions must be passed by a simple
majority of a quorum (2/3) of the Board present at the
meeting.
This Constitution shall become effective
upon the unanimous approval of the entire Board.
This Constitution may be amended
by unanimous vote of the entire Board, provided notice
of the proposed amendment is submitted in writing to
the Board one week prior to the meeting.
Article 7 - Relationship
of HEN to Support Groups and Families
The Board shall provide a nucleus
of contact for support groups throughout Omaha and the
surrounding areas.
Support groups are formed for the
purpose of supporting home education and have the autonomy
and freedom to conduct their meetings as they see fit.
The HEN organization shall not
in any way impinge on the rights of parents to educate
their children as they believe best; only advice and
help will be offered to families of HEN, which is only
a service organization to be used by each family as
it wishes.
Persons who are not members of
HEN are welcome to attend designated HEN activities,
and are required to conduct themselves according to
the guidelines.
Family
1. We believe the family is the basic governmental,
social, and spiritual unit created by God. In it the
child gradually learns self-government, social relationships,
and develops a relationship to the Creator and Savior.
The family also provides protection from over-extensive
government and over-stimulating social involvements.
2. We understand family to mean a male and female legally
married to each other with or without children, though
we recognize the exceptions of the single parent.
Parental Rights and Responsibility
in Education
1. We believe the ultimate responsibility for the education
of children belongs to parents. Thus, we believe this
is an inalienable right and responsibility given by
God, which the State cannot create, destroy nor alter.
Parents may allow another to teach some of the cognitive
information that children need to know, but all education
must be under the control and supervision of the parents.
2. We believe education in the home to be the best form
of education, but we recognize that many parents cannot
educate at home for valid reasons and we support the
right of parents to choose alternatives.
Nature of Education
1. We believe that all education is religious in nature
since one's view of the world and life inevitably is
involved in teaching. Every discipline of knowledge,
whether it be subjects such as mathematics, science,
or history, will have as its final reference point a
theistic or humanistic view of reality. Therefore, there
is no neutral academic discipline.
2. Thus, we believe that all social, physical and cognitive
knowledge should have as its beginning the fear of God
and as its end the glory of God.
