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Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op By-Laws

Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op is a Christian homeschool support group that exists to assist parents and others in their desire to homeschool. A child’s homeschooling program is determined by the parent/guardian of a child. Lighthouse operates to assist, not to fulfill that homeschool program. We are not, nor do we aspire to be, a school. The legal fulfillment of the homeschooling program that a parent chooses rests with the parent/guardian, not with Lighthouse. This principle of parental responsibility for a child’s education and behavior is essential to our purpose and provides a basis for our by-laws summarized below.

Lighthouse is governed by a board of directors, whose primary purpose is to provide a framework for classes, field trips, and special events for homeschooled students. The specific offerings can vary widely from one year to the next as we are completely reliant on the parents/guardians to be generous with their time and talents by offering to teach or contribute for the greater good of the Lighthouse community. For the purpose of this document, Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op will be referred to as “Lighthouse,” the families and children enrolled at Lighthouse will be referred to as “Member,” and the Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op Board of Directors will be referred to as “Board.”

The Purpose of Lighthouse:

• To reach out to Christian homeschoolers by providing classes, fellowship, and social activities.

• Create a Christ-centered environment for homeschooling children to receive an education par excellence.

• Build lasting friendships from Kindergarten through twelfth grade and beyond.

• Assist homeschooling parents in offering dynamic, quality classes that will support parents' efforts.

• To offer educational and enrichment opportunities, as well as to provide a support network, for all homeschooling parents.

• Involve a large number of the community to teach and build a social structure for activities such as field trips, year book creation, dramatic productions, sports, robotics team and other student groups.

Lighthouse Statement of Faith:

We affirm:

  • ...the Bible to be the inspired, the infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God. II Timothy 3:15, II Peter 1:21
  • ...there is one God, eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:1, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30
  • ...the deity of Christ John 10:33
  • His virgin birth Isaiah 7:14
  • His sinless life Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26
  • His miracles John 2:11
  • His vicarious and atoning death I Corinthians 15:3
  • His resurrection John 11:25, I Corinthians 15:4
  • His ascension to the right hand of the Father Mark 16:19
  • His personal return in power and glory. Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11
  • ...the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature, and that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God’s grace and through faith alone we are saved.John 3:16-19, John 5:24, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5
  • ...the resurrection of the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.John 5:28-29
  • ...the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28
  • ...the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.Romans 8:3-14, I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20, Ephesians 4:30, 5;18
  • ...that children are a gift of the Lord and are entrusted to parents, who are accountable to God to provide them with godly training and discipline.Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Psalms 127:3, Ephesians 6:4

An Overview of Lighthouse Framework and Policies:

Lighthouse is a board-run volunteer organization. The Board periodically evaluates the framework and policies necessary to fulfill our above-described purpose. The general framework may change and policies/requirements may be added or improved as needs Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op By-Laws in the group warrant. Members are encouraged to give input as desired at any time through direct communication with the Board.

I. Membership Requirements:

A. Open to anyone who is actively engaged in home education and who is willing to agree in writing to our policies including, but not limited to, the Statement of Faith and various liability waivers.

B. Payment of the yearly fee.

C. Provision of at least one of the following services to the group: monitoring, teaching, or serving on the Board. Lighthouse allows for a buy-out of monitoring duties. This rate is determined by the Board.

D. Enrollment is at the discretion of the Board. The Board retains the right to terminate or to not extend membership to any family by a super-majority vote. The Board will decide this in a manner that is consistent with Biblical principles and our Statement of Faith.

II. Leadership:

A. Requirements of Leadership:

(Leadership positions are defined as Teachers & Board Members)

1. Leaders must have been a Lighthouse member in good standing at least one full year prior to fulfilling a leadership position. In the event that a teacher does not have children at Lighthouse, and therefore isn’t a member, discretion of the Board is used in determining whether or not to accept this person as a teacher.

2. Teachers have been approved by the Board.

3. New Board members are appointed by the Board and must be a Christian as defined by our Statement of Faith.

4. Leaders must sign all necessary paperwork required to serve, including but not limited to, the Statement of Faith, and the Criminal Background Check. The Criminal Background Check needs to come back “clear” or be approved by the Board in order to be considered for service. Additionally, teachers must submit two references that are deemed satisfactory by the Board. One must be a pastoral reference and one a personal reference.

5. Leaders strive to maintain quality of leadership, the purpose of the

group, and harmony among the leaders.

6. In the event that the Board determines it needs a new board member, they will discuss and appoint a new member that is believed to have the best interests of Lighthouse at heart, and is viewed as a leader that would glorify God in their position on the Board. Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op By-Laws

B. Board Duties:

1. The Board will oversee the governance and functioning of Lighthouse, and the carrying out of the above-described purpose statement.

2. Each Board member has a specific area of service that may vary from

one year to the next, such as: Academics Coordinator, Secretary,

Treasurer, Board Chair, Field Trip Coordinator, Special Activities

Coordinator, Monitoring Coordinator and Landlord Liaison.

3. Keep all matters confidential and present a unified front to all.

4. Board members will not act unilaterally on an issue; they must

have the agreement of a majority of the Board to act.

5. Meet regularly to ensure efficient management of Lighthouse.

Minutes will be kept, but will not be considered open for public viewing.

Minutes can be released if the Board feels it is necessary for the harmony of the group.

6. The Board will manage Lighthouse funds, and will determine to be

good stewards of those monies. As part of these duties, the Board will

prepare periodic financial statements for Lighthouse Members.

7. Two board members will oversee the management of Lighthouse funds. Additionally, receipts must be kept and filed for all purchases using Lighthouse funds. No reimbursement will be given for purchases made where receipts can’t be provided.

8. Board will periodically review and update by-laws.

III. How the Group Functions:

A. Service Opportunities:

1. Members are encouraged to use their skills and talents to aid, encourage, and inspire others. Serving at Lighthouse may take a variety of forms including class instruction, monitoring, serving on the board, organizing field trips or a special event night, or helping with the yearbook. Spreading the burden helps prevent a few from carrying the entire load.

2. Members indicate their desire to serve in a teaching capacity during the solicitation of class proposals in the Early Spring, for the following school year. Class proposals are accepted or rejected by the Board. Once a class has been approved by the Board, the teacher is responsible for all class content; the Board has no role in overseeing each class. The teacher will set a class fee which is to cover materials only, and will collect this fee personally, from each of the enrolled students‘ families. If a teacher is unable to fulfill their commitment to teach, it is expected that they will refund the class fees (in whole or in part, depending on how many classes are left to be taught) to the parents of the enrolled students.

B. Finances:

Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op By-Laws

1. Lighthouse collects an annual fee from its members to cover various

expenses. The annual fee covers, but are not limited to, background checks on teachers and board members, facility rent, office supplies,

special event expenses, and classroom supplies.

2. The annual fee will be periodically determined by the Board.

3. Class fees are determined by the teachers and will not be collected by Lighthouse as these are not Lighthouse funds. Teachers are responsible for collecting class fees from Members and will provide Members with those materials for which they collected fees.

C. Liability:

As described above, parental responsibility plays a vital role at Lighthouse. Therefore, our Members and Leaders must sign our General Liability Waiver in order to participate at Lighthouse. This waiver may be updated periodically by the Board.

D. Behavior:

1. All Members, both students and parents, and Leaders are expected to

conduct themselves in a responsible manner, showing respect for those in authority. Student members should also show respect toward their elders in general.

2. All Members and Leaders will strive to be receptive to admonition from

the Leaders as well as other Members.

3. All Members and Leaders will handle disagreements with others using

the concepts taught in Matthew 18:15, related to addressing the offender privately before involving other parties.

4. The Board will only become involved in a matter after all other attempts at reconciliation have been exhausted. The Board will try to assist the parties involved in coming to a peaceful resolution.

5. If the behavioral principles outlined above are not followed, or a

peaceful resolution is not met, the Board retains the right to terminate membership, or to establish conditions for an individual’s on-going involvement and membership at Lighthouse.

6. We have intentionally omitted a list of unacceptable behaviors, as it would need to be exhaustive in order to be effective. It is assumed that Members will comport themselves in a manner consistent with Biblical principles and the Statement of Faith.

7. Members and Leaders are required to comply with rules and restrictions established by Lighthouse’s Landlord.

E. Child Abuse Prevention:

1. All parents are to be on campus and responsible for their children at all times. In the event they must leave the grounds, they will appoint another adult to be responsible for their child/children in their absence, as consistent with Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op By-Laws and will indicate this transfer of responsibility on the sign-out page located on the administrative table.

2. A State of NH Complete Background Check (CBC) is performed on all

teachers.

3. All classes must have one (CBC) approved teacher in attendance at all times.

4. All classrooms must have an unobstructed view through the window or door into the classroom.

5. All Leadership (Teachers & Board Members) must conform to and/or meet the requirements listed in II.A. above.

F. Termination of Membership:

1. If the Board deems it necessary, they may terminate a family, parent/guardian, or a child from Lighthouse membership at any time by use of a super majority vote.

2. Annual fees paid for the current year will not be refunded if a Member is terminated.

3. Class fee refunds are at the discretion of the teacher if a Member is terminated.

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