​​THE HEADs and principalS ASSOCIATION:

 

A Collection of Expectations and Understandings Not All Incorporated in the Constitution 

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General Understandings:  All members who are honored with invitations to serve the Association, in whatever capacity, will accept those invitations and carry them out to the best of their ability.

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Membership Expectations:  Membership in the Association is limited to Heads of schools located in the fifty states of the United States.

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Members who serve as Head of School outside the fifty states of the United States move to Associate Membership but return to Active Membership if subsequently appointed Head of School in the United States.

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An Active Member who moves from heading a school to serving as Interim Head of School becomes an Associate Member but is granted Active Membership if subsequently appointed Head of School. 

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Principals who become superintendents of schools remain Active Members of the organization. Principals who leave their position to assume other central office assignments move to Associate status. Those superintendents of public schools who have previously served in the capacity of high school principal for at least one year may be elected to Active membership.

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A member who resigns his or her membership may not reactivate membership unless re-elected by the normal procedures.

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Elections of Members:  A candidate for election to Active Membership may be nominated in at most four consecutive years after which he or she must wait one year before being re-nominated.

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Members should only nominate individuals who have served as Head of School for at least one year and are in mid-career rather than near the end of their careers.

It is considered inappropriate to lobby other members for the election of any particular nominee.

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Election to Active Membership is contingent upon an ability to be present at the annual meeting at which new members are introduced. Those elected through the normal process who cannot attend do not actually become members but will be reconsidered by the Executive Committee in another year.

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Election of Officers:  The committee which presents to the membership candidates for the Executive Committee and the slate of Officers for election at the time of the annual meeting is composed of past presidents of the Association. 

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Attendance Expectations for Active Members: Members of the Association are expected to attend every annual meeting.  An unavoidable absence should be explained in a letter to the President or Executive Secretary of the Association. Only a death, personal crisis or emergency qualifies as a legitimate excuse for an absence. Members should schedule all professional appointments around the dates of the annual meeting, which are announced a year in advance.  Since participation is essential to membership an unexplained absence from two successive annual meetings shall result in the member being dropped from membership unless the Executive Committee sees cause to vote to continue the individual in membership. Any unexplained absence will be interpreted as a decision on the part of the member to resign from the Association and will be confirmed as such at the first meeting of the Executive Committee following the annual meeting.

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Refund Policy: Headmasters Association issues refunds for the annual conference only in extraordinary situations, which include death, serious illness, and other events deemed valid by the Executive Committee to which requests for refunds may be directed.

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Request for resignation: The Executive Committee will, by consent of a majority, ask for the resignation of members whose conduct is inconsistent with the professional standards of our profession.

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As ratified by the membership in 1995. As amended and ratified by the membership in 2016.