Christian Home Educators Fellowship
of Faulkner County
(CHEF)
STATEMENT OF FAITH
As members of CHEF, we believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, suffered and died on the cross for our sins,
rose bodily from the dead, and is Lord of all eternally. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, the only true guide for
thought, word, and deed. We believe that all true believers bear with one another in love, united by the Holy Spirit in one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.
The essence of this statement includes four elements:
1. personal faith in Jesus Christ and His work on our behalf
2. personal faith in the Bible as the revealed Word of God
3. personal commitment to love our brothers as ourselves
4. personal commitment to the body of Christ

CODE OF CONDUCT
We agree that in order to function effectively as a Christian group, we must have a minimum standard of conduct for all
members, families, and visitors. The public bases its opinion of home schoolers on the contact they have with our group; it
would be unfortunate if our behavior hurt the cause of Christ or of CHEF.
We agree that at all CHEF activities, all persons present must agree to submit to the authority of the Board of Advisors and
the officers of CHEF. In addition, specific activities will have Event Leaders, Chaperons, and Assistants, who have specific
responsibility to assure order. Any adult or child who is not willing to submit to the duly-constituted authority will be
verbally reprimanded or removed. The Event Leader will send a Notice of Misconduct to the Board of Advisors for review
and action. If an adult or a child must be reprimanded three times in a school year, they shall be barred from participation in
any other events for that year.
We agree that good manners shall be used at all times, by adults and children; lying, stealing, cheating, hitting, derogatory
comments, cursing, swearing, expressing contempt of another person are not allowed, and are certainly not Christian conduct.
We agree that since young children copy behavior they see in older children, there will be no public displays of affection
between boys and girls, particularly teenagers. This includes kissing, holding hands, pairing off, etc.
We agree that corporal punishment of children (physical discipline, spanking, etc.) is the sole responsibility of their own
parents; CHEF will not be responsible for an adult who attempts to punish someone else's child. Any child who cannot be
controlled verbally will be turned over to their parent for correction; if this occurs more than three times in a school year the
child will be barred from all CHEF activities.
We agree that any parents that accompany a CHEF activity will assume responsibility for keeping their own children in
order. Any parent that cannot control their own children will be asked to take their children and leave the activity.
We agree that the Board of Advisors will hear any appeals concerning discipline problems. The decisions of the Board
concerning the separation of a child or parent from CHEF are final. All such decisions apply only to the current school year,
however.
We agree that special rules of behavior apply to facilities/buildings. We are thankful to all churches and organizations that
allow us the use of their facilities. We must show our respect by complying with any rules that may apply. There shall be no
running, jumping, or standing on chairs or tables in the buildings. No children are allowed to wander the facilities without an
accompanying adult. We must be sure to leave the facility in the condition (or better) than we found it. Please help clean up
after all activities.

BY-LAWS

Article I
Name and Membership
I. The name of the organization shall be Christian Home Educators Fellowship of Faulkner County (hereafter referred
to as CHEF) a not for profit organization.
II. CHEF shall be composed of home schooling families who desire to affiliate. Membership shall be restricted to those
families that have signed the CHEF Code of Conduct, and have paid the current year's dues. Dues are waived for
the elected Officers and the newsletter editor.
III. Each member family shall be allowed one vote per adult in CHEF business matters and election of CHEF officials.
Hereafter member or members shall refer to all members of the families meeting the requirement of paragraph II.
IV. Membership dues shall be determined each year by the Board of Advisors and approved by general membership in a
regular business meeting.
V. Visitors are welcome at any of the CHEF functions; however, voting privileges shall not be granted. Any visitor
who will not conform to the CHEF Code of Conduct may be excluded from the activity by an Officer of CHEF, a
member of the Board of Advisors, or their designate.
VI. The mailing list of CHEF shall be confidential. No other organization shall be given access to current or past
membership rosters or mailing lists without the approval of the Board of Advisors. Information about individual
members shall not be released outside of CHEF.

Article II
Definition and Purpose
I. Definition
CHEF is a Christian organization serving home schooling families in the Faulkner County area providing particular
support to families affiliated with CHEF - of which are like-minded Christian home educating families dedicated to
observing the Biblical commands of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Proverbs 22:6, and Ephesians 6:4. CHEF is not a church,
nor is this organization meant to replace the ministry of the local church to the home educating family. CHEF shall
not mandate or monitor the specific home school activities of the member families including curriculum,
performance, or testing.
II. Statement of Purpose
CHEF is organized for the purpose of serving local home schooling families in and near Faulkner County in, but not
limited to, the following ways:
A. To provide mutual support and encouragement by home educators for home educators. This support
includes sharing of knowledge between home educators by means of formal and informal discussions
consisting of teaching, training, seminars, lending library, etc.
B. To enable home schooling families to participate in activities that would be more difficult to do on their
own, such as field trips, cooperative learning experiences, plays, etc.
C. To promote the advantages of home education to the general public through our presence, letters, support,
and activities.
D. To advance the cause of Jesus Christ by encouraging parents to raise up a godly generation through
spiritual and academic training in the home.
E. To provide information regarding the political climate of home education in Arkansas and in our nation.

Article III
Election of Officers and Board Of Advisors
I. Officers and members of the Board of Advisors shall be nominated and elected by the general membership subject
to the qualifications stated in these By-Laws.
II. Nominations shall be taken at a regularly scheduled CHEF meeting, a CHEF business meeting or a special called
CHEF meeting. Nominations may be taken from the floor or by mail from the general membership. The date that
nominations will close for a particular election shall be published in the CHEF newsletter.
III. All nominees shall be contacted by the presiding officers or their designate to verify that they meet the qualifications
for the office and that they are willing to serve should they be elected.
IV. The complete slate of qualified nominees and the date of the election shall be published to all CHEF members after
the nominations are closed. Election of officers shall occur no sooner than one week after notification to the
membership of the slate of nominees and the date of the election. The general membership shall elect officers and
board members by a simple majority vote of those present and any absentee ballots received by the time of the
election.
V. Members who cannot be present at the election meeting may place their votes by means of an absentee ballot. A
member must request an absentee ballot from the secretary. Only those absentee ballots received by the time of the
election shall be counted.
VI. Election of officers shall occur in the spring for the following year at a regular CHEF business meeting or a special
called business meeting. All one-year terms shall run from June 1 through May 31.
VII. Special elections may be called by the President or the Board of Advisors to fill vacancies as needed. Special
elections shall conform to the procedures of paragraph IV. Temporary appointments of officers may be made by the
President or the Board of Advisors to fill vacancies. All temporary appointments must be ratified by a simple
majority vote of those present from the general membership at the next business meeting.
VIII. Results of all elections shall be published in the CHEF newsletter following the election.

Article IV
Board of Advisors
I. The Board of Advisors shall consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and five members elected
by the general membership of CHEF. Board members must sign the CHEF Statement of Faith, the CHEF Code of
Conduct, and must be a current member in good standing. Board members may be men or women each elected
individually. Each generally elected board member must have been home educating for at least three years. Each
Board Member must have been a member of CHEF for the previous two years. There shall be a minimum of three
men and a minimum of three women on the Board of Advisors.
II. The generally elected board members shall serve a two-year term with staggered terms so that no more than three of
the terms will expire each year.
III. A Chairman shall be elected from the five generally elected members. The Chairman will officiate at Board
meetings. If the chairman is unable or unwilling to attend, a temporary chairman may be elected from those in
attendance at a board meeting.
IV. A quorum shall consist of at least five board members, one must be an Officer of CHEF, and at least three generally
elected members must be present. A quorum must be present at all board meetings except in the case where there are
not five currently serving Board of Advisors members. Any board member may call a meeting of the Board of
Advisors provided advanced notice is given to all board members.
V. The chief duty of the Board of Advisors shall be to safeguard the purpose of CHEF as stated in Article II. Other duties include resolving membership conflicts and CHEF Code of Conduct violations, interpreting the By-Laws, and
advising the Officers of CHEF as appropriate. In the event that an Officer or Board member must be removed from
office, the Board of Advisors shall coordinate such removal in accordance with Article XI Paragraph IV. The board
shall audit the CHEF books at least once a year.
VI. The Board may recommend policy and By-Law changes to the Officers or to the membership. No By-Law changes
may be made by the Board of Advisors.
VII. The Board has the power to make and implement temporary policy as needed for the benefit of the CHEF
membership. These temporary policies are to facilitate the continued function of the CHEF organization and shall
expire at the end of the school year (generally considered to be May 31st). All temporary policies enacted by the
board must be ratified by a simple majority vote of those present from the general membership in the next CHEF
business meeting.
VIII. The Board of Advisors shall meet at least twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, to review the
operation of CHEF and make policy recommendations. Additional meetings shall be held as needed. All Board
meetings shall be closed to the general membership unless opened by a vote of the Board members. A summary of
actions taken by the Board of Advisors shall be provided to the CHEF newsletter for publication and minutes of the
board meetings shall be available to the membership upon request of a member of CHEF.

Article V
Officers
I. Qualifications: Officers shall meet the following qualifications:
A. All Officers must sign the CHEF Statement of Faith, the CHEF Code of Conduct, and must be a current
member in good standing.
B. Each Officer must have been a CHEF member for the past two years.
C. Each Officer must have home educated for at least two years.
D. The President, Vice President, and Event Coordinator must be the primary home educator within their
home.
E. The President and Vice President must have served CHEF in a previous leadership position including but
not limited to: Officer, member of the Board of Advisors, Event Leader, or other activity coordinator.
F. The Event Coordinator must have served CHEF previously as an Event Leader.
G. Each Officer's family must be actively involved in majority of the CHEF activities.
H. The Board will decide if a nominated person is eligible as an officer if they do not meet all of the
qualifications.
II. Officers of CHEF may enact policy on a temporary basis. All temporary policy must be approved or disapproved by
a simple majority of CHEF members at the next business meeting. Any temporary policy not voted on shall expire at
the end of the school year.
III. The Officers of CHEF shall prepare and maintain a Policy Manual to document in writing the details of CHEF
operations. Each officer shall be responsible to write policies for their area of responsibility. The Secretary of CHEF
shall have responsibility for maintaining a complete set of policies in the Policy Manual, which shall be accessible to
all CHEF members.

II. President
A. The duties of the President shall include but not be limited to: plan, organize, and preside at CHEF monthly
meetings, CHEF business meetings, and special meetings; serve as liaison with state and other home school
organizations. The President may from time to time delegate other officers or members to perform these
duties; however, the responsibility for oversight remains with the President. The President shall also
provide oversight of the newsletter content as per Article VII para. V.
B. The term of the President shall be one year.

Vice-President
III. A. The duties of the Vice President shall include but not be limited to: perform the duties of the office of
President in the Presidents absence, serve as contact to the community for new members and other
organizations, perform other duties as directed by the President. The Vice-president’s duties also include
the oversight of the preparation and distribution of the Newcomer’s Packets, and contacting the nominees
for Officers or Advisers.
B. The term of the Vice President shall be one year.

Secretary
IV. A. The duties of the Secretary shall include but not be limited to: take minutes at all business meetings,
publish the newsletter, maintain the By-Laws and Policy Manual, and perform other duties as directed by
the President. The Secretary may delegate duties to other members; however, the responsibility for
oversight remains with the Secretary.
B. The term of the Secretary shall be one year. The Secretary and Treasurer offices may be combined as
determined by the Board of Advisors.

Treasurer
V. A. The duties of the Treasurer shall include but not be limited to: manages the CHEF bank account, maintains
membership list, report on CHEF funds and accounts as specified in Article VIII, and perform other duties
as directed by the President.
B. The term of the Treasurer shall be one year. The Secretary and Treasurer offices may be combined as
determined by the Board of Advisors.

Event-Coordinator
VI. A. The duties of the Event-Coordinator shall include but not be limited to: coordinates and oversees the
programs and activities of CHEF, appoints and assists Event Leaders with field trips, and perform other
duties as directed by the President.
B. The term of the Event-Coordinator shall be one year.

Event-Leader
VII. Event Leaders are not officers but must be current dues-paid members of CHEF.
VIII. Officers of CHEF may enact policy on a temporary basis. All temporary policy must be approved or disapproved by
a simple majority of CHEF members at the next business meeting. Any temporary policy not voted on shall expire at
the end of the school year.
IX. The Officers of CHEF shall prepare and maintain a Policy Manual to document in writing the details of CHEF
operations. Each officer shall be responsible to write policies for their area of responsibility. The Secretary of CHEF
shall have responsibility for maintaining a complete set of policies in the Policy Manual, which shall be accessible to
all CHEF members.

Article VI
Events and Activities
I. All members and visitors shall conform to the CHEF Code of Conduct at all CHEF events and activities. Anyone
violating the Code of Conduct may be required to leave the event or activity at the direction of a CHEF Officer or
member of the Board of Advisors or their designate.
II. All activities sponsored by CHEF shall be under the oversight of the CHEF Event Coordinator and the Event Leader
for that event and must be approved by the Event Coordinator or the president of CHEF.
III. Coordination of events and participation in such events shall be in compliance with the CHEF Policy Manual.
IV. Members of CHEF, as defined in Article I, shall be given preference in attendance and participation in all CHEF
sponsored or coordinated events and activities. Visitors may be allowed to attend an event or activity on a space-
available basis subject to the policies and guidelines for that event or activity.

Article VII
Newsletter
I. The primary goal of the CHEF newsletter shall be to inform members of upcoming home school events and
activities and needs on the local and state levels. The newsletter should provide a monthly calendar of CHEF
activities. The newsletter should communicate encouragement to CHEF members.
II. The newsletter shall be published once a month, August through November and January through May. It shall be
mailed to all families on record each month who have paid the current dues. A copy of the newsletter may be
provided to other organizations or in the Home School Information packet upon approval of the President or Board
of Advisors.
III. Articles submitted for inclusion must be approved by the Secretary of CHEF. No articles that defame another CHEF
member or articles that refer to specific church doctrine shall be allowed in the newsletter. Announcements of
interest to at least some of the home school families in our group shall be published.
IV. The Secretary of CHEF has the primary responsibility to publish and edit the newsletter. Assistance in writing,
editing, and printing may be obtained from any CHEF member.
V. Specific policies about the dates of publication, deadlines for submitting articles, and features of the newsletter shall
be made by the Officers of CHEF and documented in the CHEF Policy Manual.
VI. The newsletter shall serve as an official source of notification of business meetings, elections, policy changes, and
amendments to the By-Laws.
VII. Advertisements may be placed in the newsletter upon approval of policies governing such advertisement. These
policies shall be made by the CHEF Officers and approved by the membership. Temporary newsletter policies may
be immediately implemented by the officers but must be ratified by a simple majority vote of those present from the
general membership in the next CHEF business meeting. All policies shall be included in the CHEF Policy
Manual.

Article VIII
Handling of Funds
I. CHEF shall maintain a checking account with a local bank. The purpose of this account shall be to deposit funds
from membership dues and other activities and to disburse funds for the functioning of CHEF events and activities.
II. The Treasurer shall have primary responsibility of maintaining the checking account. The account shall be
reconciled each month with the bank-supplied statement.
III. The account shall have a minimum of two authorizing signatures, consisting of the President and Treasurer of
Christian Home Educators Fellowship Page 7
CHEF. Up to two other Board members or Officers of CHEF may be authorized to sign upon approval of the Board
of Advisors.
IV. Checks in the amount of two hundred dollars or less may be signed by only one authorizing signature. Checks for
more than two hundred dollars must have prior approval by the Board of Advisors and be signed by two authorizing
signatures.
V. Reimbursement may be made out of the CHEF account for personal funds spent on behalf of CHEF with the prior
approval of the President or Treasurer of CHEF. Reimbursement request must be made in writing and accompanied
by a dated sales receipt for the goods or services procured. Reimbursements shall be subject to the same rules for
signature authority as other disbursements.
VI. Donations of CHEF funds to other organizations is specifically prohibited except by the approval of a simple
majority of the CHEF membership, or by approval of ¾ of the members of the Board of Advisors.
VII. The financial records of CHEF, including bank statements, canceled checks, files of receipts and disbursements, and
any other written documentation, will be maintained by the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall make a written report of
fund balances, revenue and expenses of the organization in such detail as is required to illustrate compliance with
this Article at each regular business meeting. The records of the organization shall be open for inspection by any
member within a reasonable length of time after request is made to the Treasurer. As new personnel assume the
responsibilities of Treasurer, the records will be transferred by the past office holder to the new office holder. All
financial records will be maintained by the office of Treasurer for the current year and seven (7) years prior. Records
older than seven years may be destroyed upon approval by the Board of Advisors.

Article IX
Code of Conduct
I. The CHEF Code of Conduct is the minimum standard of behavior of students, parents, and visitors at all CHEF
meetings, activities, and events. Any person not willing to conform to this standard may be expelled from the
activity by the Officers of CHEF or by a member of the Board of Advisors or their designate.
II. The CHEF Code of Conduct may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the general membership of CHEF.
Notification of amendments must meet the same requirements as specified in Article XI Paragraph II.

Article X
Meetings
I .CHEF support meetings shall be held approximately once a month during the school year. The primary focus of
these meetings shall be to inform, instruct, and generally support the member families in their effort to home educate
their children. Meetings shall be scheduled in such a manner as to accommodate the largest number of members.
II. Business meetings shall be called twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Election of officers for the
next year shall normally be held during the spring meeting.
III. Special meetings may be called by the President or the Board of Advisors or by request of one-fourth (1/4) of the
member families. If called by the membership, meetings shall be held within two weeks of the date that the request
is made to the President or Board of Advisors.
IV. Robert's Rules of Order in its most recent edition shall be used as a guideline to conduct all CHEF business
meetings.

Article XI
Referendums, Amendments and Adjudication of Grievances
I. These By-Laws shall become effective upon approval by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting at
a business meeting called for that purpose.
Christian Home Educators Fellowship Page 8
II. These By-Laws may be amended by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the members present and voting at a regular or
special CHEF business meeting provided written notice of the proposed changes and the meeting is mailed to all
members at least one week prior to the meeting.
III. Proposed By-Law changes may be submitted by the Board of Advisors or an officer of CHEF or by petition of one-
fourth (1/4) of the member families.
IV. Officers and Board members of CHEF may be dismissed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members
present and voting at a business meeting or by the unanimous vote of the other members of the Board of Advisors.
V. Any member of CHEF who is aggrieved by any decision or action by the Officers of CHEF may request, in writing,
a meeting before the Board of Advisors for a discussion and adjudication of the matter. The meeting shall be
convened within four (4) weeks of the date of the written request. A written decision by the Board regarding the
grievance matter will be provided to the aggrieved member within ten (10) days of the meeting. The decision of the
Board of Advisors shall be final.
VI. Any member of CHEF who is aggrieved by any decision or action by the Board of Advisors may request, in writing,
a meeting before the elected Officers for a discussion and adjudication of the matter. The meeting shall be convened
within four (4) weeks of the date of the written request. A written decision regarding the grievance matter will be
provided to the aggrieved member within ten (10) days of the meeting. The decision of the officers shall be final.
VII. The CHEF Policy Manual may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members present at a business meeting.
A policy change may be submitted by petition of one fourth (1/4) of the member families.
VIII. The CHEF Statement of Faith may be amended by a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of the members present at a
business meeting. A change may be submitted by petition of one forth of the member families.