home

Harmony Home Educators

Guiding Principles & Bylaws

STATEMENT OF FAITH

OUR HISTORY AND PURPOSE

MEMBERSHIP

OFFICERS

BEHAVIOR AND DISCIPLINE

FIELD TRIPS

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

POLICIES

SUMMARY STATEMENT 

All references to home schooling in this document pertain to Act 169, the Pennsylvania Home Education Law of 1988.

STATEMENT OF FAITH 

1.    We believe the Bible alone to be the infallible Word of God, the supreme and final authority for all faith and life.
2.    We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3.    We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, His bodily resurrection and imminent return in power and glory.
4.    We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost and only those who put their faith in Jesus Christ alone can be saved.
5.    We believe that salvation is a free gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose substitute death on the cross paid the penalty for man’s sin.
6.    We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict men, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.
7.    We believe in conducting ourselves in all honesty before society and God and in and upholding biblical standards of morality including, but not restricted to, modesty in dress and demeanor and abstinence from sexual practices abhorred by God such as sex outside of marriage, prostitution, and homosexuality.
8.    We believe in the spiritual unity of believers through our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that individual doctrinal differences which may exist should not hinder the unity of Christian home educators. 

OUR HISTORY AND PURPOSE 

In 1988, a group of home schooling families met at Harmony Heart Camp in Montdale, Pennsylvania. Its primary purpose was to establish a support group for Bible-believing families who had chosen to educate their children at home. This support would include encouragement, opportunities for curriculum assessment, informational forums, and prayer for one another, with the ultimate goal of glorifying God in all things.

Over the years, Harmony Home Educators (HHE) has experienced many changes in membership, both through attrition and the involvement of new members, but our purpose is unchanged. We seek to facilitate area families as they carry out their God-given mandate of training their children to honor the Savior.  

MEMBERSHIP 

Effective January 1999, the HHE yearly membership fee was $15.00 for members receiving the newsletter via e-mail. Because the greatest expenditure of HHE is the rental of facilities for Enrichment Day, a new fee schedule was enacted for the 2009-2010 school year to ensure that those who benefit from Enrichment Day are those who pay for Enrichment Day.

            Basic Membership - $10.00 (includes newsletter sent via e-mail, and all activities except Enrichment Day)
            Enrichment Day participation - Add $10.00
            Newsletter sent via regular mail - Add $10.00 (to cover printing and postage)
            Late fee - Add $5.00 if renewing after August 1st

Basic Membership will be offered free to families whose oldest child will not be 5 years old by Sept. 15 to encourage them to learn more about homeschooling. This does not include Enrichment Day activities.

Due to increases in mailing expenses and other needs of the group the fee schedule will be reviewed annually and adjusted at the discretion of the officers.
Funds from membership fees will be used to provide:
•    a monthly newsletter, which is the primary means of communication for HHE.
•    a website, www.hhepa.org, and a Facebook group as alternate means of communication with the membership as well as the community.
•    a gift certificate or a check for each graduating home schooled senior whose family is a member of HHE.
•    monthly meetings designed to strengthen the teaching methods of the members.
•    scheduled Enrichment Day activities, in which children interact in a group setting for those who choose this option.
•    occasional field trips and other group activities.
•    periodic speaker honorariums.
From time to time, special events may require additional fees to defray the cost of the activity. Non-members in good standing may also participate in organized events but may be subject to higher fees. All participants agree to abide by the standards of conduct established by HHE. 

OFFICERS 

Officers are appointed by the Steering Committee. They must demonstrate the following involvement before being appointed:
1.    Must be an active member in full standing with HHE.
2.    Must have attended at least three of the previous seven monthly meetings.
3.    Must be in full agreement with the Statement of Faith, as evidenced by signature on the membership form.
4.    Must have home schooled under Act 169 at least one full year at the time of the appointment.
5.    Must be actively home schooling under Act 169 during the term of office.
6.    Must not have a family member serving as an officer during the same year. This is to insure diversity of leadership. A family member shall be defined as husband/wife, parent/child, siblings, or similar in-law relationships.

The following officer positions will be subject to annual appointment:
1.    President – conducts all meetings, directs the group’s activities, and coordinates the master calendar.
2.    Vice-President – assists the president and assumes the office if the president is unable to finish the term.
3.    Secretary – keeps minutes of Steering Committee meetings and takes care of correspondence.
4.    Treasurer – maintains financial records including revenues and expenditures from all sources. Provides a status report of HHE finances at Steering Committee meetings.

The following positions of leadership are appointed by officers, may be assigned at any time, and require an individual to agree to the HHE Statement of Faith:
1.    Enrichment Day Coordinator(s) – coordinates Enrichment Day activities.
2.    Field Trip Coordinator – plans and schedules field trips, coordinating events in conjunction with the president. Communicates events through formal announcements and notices in the monthly newsletter.
3.    Newsletter Editor – compiles and edits the monthly newsletter.
4.    Steering Committee – is the governing body of HHE which advises and assists officers in HHE duties. Members are chosen from HHE membership based on prior experience in home schooling and may include past presidents of HHE and founding members as well as long-standing HHE members. The Steering Committee appoints additional members as needed and assists with activities as requested by officers. The committee meets four to six times per year and provides suggestions for the consideration of the officers.

BEHAVIOR AND DISCIPLINE

Because effective discipline is necessary for adequate instruction during organized activities, the following requirements will be enforced:
1.    Children are expected to be respectful toward each other and those in authority.
2.    Children are expected to be in control and quiet during group learning events. Disruptive and rude behavior will not be tolerated.
3.    Anyone who violates the above principles will receive two warnings, after which he/she will be suspended from participation within the group for a period of one month. Following the suspension, the child is allowed to attend strictly in a probationary status which will last through the remainder of the year. During the probationary period, the officers may require a parent to be present at future activities; any disruptive action will be cause for immediate suspension from group activities for the remainder of the year.
4.    All students attending Enrichment Day or other activities must have a parent or other responsible adult present.

FIELD TRIPS 

The Field Trip Coordinator shall be responsible for the planning and execution of each activity. Those wishing to attend a field trip should notify the Coordinator within the allotted registration times and pay any appropriate fees. Should individual(s) have conflicts that require cancellation, they must notify the Coordinator of the conflict so the event will not be delayed. There is no guarantee that fees can be refunded once the period of enrollment has passed.

The Field Trip Coordinator will not be expected to wait longer than 15 minutes beyond the scheduled time of departure for the commencement of a field trip.

A parent or responsible adult must accompany each student. Each participant is expected to be on his/her best behavior because the reputation of HHE and homeschooling is at stake. Normal discipline procedures previously described will be enforced on field trips; however, due to the unique nature of field trips, if a student’s behavior is deemed unusually unacceptable, the Field Trip Coordinator has the authority to take further disciplinary action.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY 

HHE is not responsible for injuries, illnesses, or other events which may transpire in the normal course of its activities. Since HHE does not provide insurance, it is the responsibility of each member to maintain adequate health and accident insurance. Neither HHE nor its officers, members or attendees are liable for actions or injuries which occur in the planning, administration, and execution of any event.

POLICIES

Policies, including changes to this document, may be adopted or amended by a majority of the active members of the Steering Committee. 

A suggested policy must be consistent with the statement of faith and should be submitted to the officers in writing in order to be considered by the Steering Committee. Upon receipt of a suggestion, the officers will obtain input regarding the change and will include the item for discussion during the next regularly scheduled Steering Committee meeting.

Rev. 7/09