2023-24 CCCHG Member Handbook
2023-24 CCCHG Member Handbook
Table of Contents
Discipline Policy for Children
Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco Policy
Allergies and Medications Policy
Photography/Videography Policy
Stewardship and Damages to Property Policy
Disagreements, Disputes, and Conflict Resolution
Supporting Group Policies/Disagreements
Thank you for taking the time to read this manual. It should help you in understanding many aspects of Citrus County Christian Homeschool Group (CCCHG) membership. These are practical guidelines, rules, and requirements that help ensure the integrity of our group. In the rapidly changing times we live in, it has become necessary to define and spell out beliefs and behaviors that just a few years ago would probably not be found in a ministry's printed documents and handbooks. We apologize in advance if any of the included or referred-to text is offensive. Additionally, be advised that some texts that were included in or referred to by this document are unsuitable for young eyes.
This CCCHG Member Handbook is not a contract and should not be construed, considered, or otherwise implied as a contract. It is designed for informational purposes only and the provisions are not contractually binding. The CCCHG Board has the discretion in making revisions to the CCCHG Member Handbook to remain current and consistent with our current practices and retains the right to modify or discontinue any policies, programs or procedures described in this document.
The rules and guidelines within this handbook have been adopted by the Board of Directors to ensure the opportunities and assets of CCCHG are used fairly within the group and among members. Although we do not allow policies that unfairly allow some to benefit and not others in relation to group benefits, we do reserve the right to make rare exceptions when presented with a current situation that would make sense and would benefit or cause no adverse effect to the group. Our end goal is to always ask, "Is this okay for everyone to do?" and "what would happen if everyone got to do this?". If the issue would cause a problem, we probably have a rule against it.
· Citrus County Christian Homeschool Group is a not-for-profit organization with the purpose of providing encouragement, support, and guidance to Christian homeschoolers in our community.
· Our group was started in 2006 by Ms. Carol Jones. We have grown significantly since then and strive every year to continue to accommodate a growing and thriving group.
· We offer opportunities for field trips, social events, ceremonies, holiday parties, and group educational opportunities -- GRACE Co-op.
· The goal of GRACE Co-op is to provide a co-operative educational learning program for homeschooling families in our community and provide the opportunity for Christian-based academic and extra-curricular classes and activities. It meets every year for a Spring and Fall term.
· While you are required to be a member of CCCHG to participate in GRACE Co-op, participation in the co-op program is completely optional, but available to all CCCHG members who adhere to the requirements laid out in the GRACE Co-op Handbook.
· To Provide Encouragement, Support and Guidance for Christian-Based Homeschooling
· To Share Homeschool-Related Information on an Ongoing Basis
· To provide the Opportunity for Group Educational Activities that Promote a Christian Worldview, in a Christian Setting
· To Unite with Other Christian Homeschool Families
· To Provide Meetings, to Plan Activities, and To Meet the Homeschooling Needs of a Diverse Group of Homeschoolers United by Their Christian Faith (Deuteronomy 6:5-9; Psalm 127:5)
· We are an all-volunteer force. We have 5 board members, (we call them “Leaders”) and several more members serving as Support Staff, filling additional positions in our group.
· Each function of our group falls under the guidance and authority of one or more of our Leaders and may be subject to official board review at any time. You can view the current list of Leaders and Support Staff on the group website once logged in as a member.
· In addition, each member family helps a little, and in the end, we have a really fun, well-supported group, with a plethora of opportunities.
Membership Positions: There are many different roles you may find yourself in as a member of our group:
Parent – A biological parent or legal guardian of a homeschooled child. You must be able and willing to provide proof of guardianship, if requested.
· Primary Parent – The parent who is planning to participate most with the group in bringing their child(ren) to CCCHG functions. Parents must sign all required documents and fulfill all membership requirements including background screening.
o Only Primary Parents can bring children to GRACE Co-op during class times.
o As with all other school-type venues, we do not allow unassigned or unregistered children or adults to hang-out, wander, visit, or sit in classes, etc. This is for the safety of our members. See GRACE Co-op Handbook for all details related to attendance.
· Child – a homeschooled child, or the sibling of a homeschooled child. (The child must be homeschooled and not attending public or private school. The temporary closing of schools, and establishment of virtual classrooms, does not convert a student attending a public or private school into a homeschooler. They are just attending from home for a period of time.)
· Student – a child who is attending an official CCCHG class
· Volunteer – A member helping with a CCCHG function or event
· Teacher – An instructor or leader of a CCCHG class
· Classroom Helper – The backup adult in the room in a CCCHG class
· Staff/Administration – Volunteer Members who have been assigned leadership, administrative and/or recurring functions within CCCHG.
Membership Application:
Completed Membership Application with current contact Information is required. Creation of an online account with this information is mandatory for membership in CCCHG.
Membership Dues/Fees:
Membership requires annual dues; current membership fee amounts are listed under “Fees and Costs” on CCCHG Website.
• Payment for membership dues for each school year is due before being able to pre-register your family for co-op classes. Those that are new to the group must submit their membership application forms for approval and payment must be received within two weeks of trial membership approval.
Refunds:
· Refunds are not offered once membership has been approved and payment has been received, as our fees are for expenses/services purchased on your behalf and will be sent/applied to the appropriate expense when received.
· A refund will only be given if the membership application is declined and payment was made prior to the decision. Any part of the membership dues that covers background screening is non-refundable, no matter what the outcome of the screening is.
Approval: Membership is usually approved quickly, and denials can take a little longer. In extreme cases, membership approvals/denials could take up to 30 days from receipt of completed membership application.
Statement of Faith Acceptance and Acknowledgment: As part of the CCCHG requirements for membership, all prospective members must acknowledge that they have read and agree to be bound by the current CCCHG Statement of Faith. This is attached to your application and is signed electronically when joining/rejoining.
CCCHG Code of Christian Conduct Acceptance and Acknowledgment: As part of the CCCHG requirements for membership, any prospective members must acknowledge that they have read and agree to be bound by the current CCCHG Code of Conduct: This is attached to your member record and is signed electronically when joining/rejoining.
Affirmation of Good Moral Character: As part of the CCCHG requirements for membership, all prospective members must acknowledge that they have read and signed the appropriate response to the Affirmation of Good Moral Character. This is attached to your member record and is signed electronically when joining/rejoining.
Background Check Consent:
· Submission to annual background check of primary parent and spouse, and payment of the associated fee for each background check submission (which is included in the CCCHG Membership Fee) is required for membership.
· The primary parent is the parent who plans to or regularly hosts, teaches, or attends CCCHG events.
· The board of directors shall have sole discretion as to which, if any, membership applicants may have this requirement waived, and what qualifies a membership applicant to have this requirement waived.
Volunteer Requirement: "Many Hands Make Light Work".
· Our group is an all-volunteer force, and none of our positions are paid. The Primary Parent (1 per family) is expected to help with or plan 1 field trip or social event per year. If, after your trial membership has been approved, you decide to join our group, you will be required to sign up for your annual volunteer duty before being approved as a yearly member.
· You can find the link to sign up on the menu bar on the website under "Volunteer Signups".
· The dates are just suggestions and can be changed if necessary. There is an area on the web site with a list of possible events to get the wheels turning, and an Event Planning Worksheet online to help you plan your event.
· The group Social Coordinator can help you with any questions that may arise. If you are a new member, or unsure of what this all entails, perhaps sign up for something later in the year so you'll be able to see what other members are doing before your turn comes.
· You may also choose to pay the opt out fee for this requirement, please see "Fees and Costs" tab.
· If you do not fulfill this requirement, you may jeopardize your family's ability to participate in future CCCHG events. A minimum of 2 other members will verify who actually participated in the planning/helper tasks of each event, and if you are not verified to have helped with the event you signed up for, you will need to sign up and help with a later event to avoid being disqualified from participating in future events. Those who do not fulfill their volunteer requirement will be required to pay a $50 non-performance fee for the current year before being able to join the group the next year. (See "Fees and Costs").
· All events must be completed by May 31st of the current year.
Termination of Membership:
Membership may be revoked or denied at any time by majority vote of the CCCHG Board of Directors, after their prayerful and thoughtful consideration of any and all issues at hand.
· Posting on our website (ccchomeschool.com) will be the primary means of communication, and these posts will go out to members' email addresses as designated in each member's profile.
· Members are responsible for checking their email or checking the website on a regular basis to receive important and up-to-date news. If you do not have access to email, please let someone on the Leadership Team know.
Website Use Policy:
The purpose of our website is to help foster communication for CCCHG members. It is required to have an online account to be a member. For this reason, we do not allow members to subject other members to spam, advertising, unsolicited requests, etc.
We also want to make our site a place where parents can connect in ways that are helpful and desired by the member. Please read, understand, and follow the below guidelines regarding use of the website:
• When posting in the forum (message board): We do hope you'll post group-wide messages asking questions, informing members of community events, an invite to a meet-up, etc. Take a quick look at the different forum categories
• Be Kind – Think before you Post or Reply: Please review and make sure you are supporting the goals and spirit of our support group with any messages before hitting "post".
• In getting the word out about your business: We do have a business directory where you may advertise your business. You may also post a special notice about your business or business event in the “classified” category of the message board (forum). Please do not post solicitations for any sales or business anywhere except in the business directory, or the "classified" section of the forum. This includes "parties" for selling products or just to "inform" in hopes of gaining future customers. Never use contact information gained from our website for solicitation purposes.
• If you have something to sell: We have a “classifieds” section of our message board, and a “classifieds" section of the website which is a stand-alone tool. We welcome your listing of your for-sale items, but please ONLY post them in either of the “classifieds” areas.
Private Facebook Group:
If you are a paid CCCHG member, you have the option to be added to our private, members-only, Facebook group. Facebook does not allow different categories like our website does, so to keep with our commitment to not spam our members, please list all of your for sale and business-related information on our website under the appropriate categories. We want to reserve our Facebook group for the use of getting out important and up-to-date information to our members in a way that may be more convenient for them to check. If you post items or services for sale, it will be removed by admin and multiple offenses will result in removal from the group.
• Protection of Children: We believe that children are a heritage from the Lord and must be absolutely protected within CCCHG from any form of abuse or molestation. CCCHG has zero tolerance for any person, whether paid staff, volunteer, member, or visitor, who abuses or molests a child. (Ps. 127:3–5; Matt. 18:6; Matt. 19:14; Mark 10:14)
• At no time may you physically discipline a child that is not your own.
• To keep our families safe, and to ensure privacy, please do not publish, "pass along", or disclose ANY information from this site, including and ESPECIALLY events, to non-members. If you want to forward information for an event published on our site to a non-member, please check with the site admin first. The exception to this rule is any event posted on the PUBLIC side of our site, which means the page you see when you are NOT logged in. (This would be our open events – kickoff meeting, etc). If you are hosting an event that you want to invite other non-member homeschoolers or friends to, then it cannot go on the calendar as an official CCCHG event and will not count as your Volunteer Requirement. However, you are welcome to share it on our website under the appropriate category.
• We have a “Rule of 2” requirement at all CCCHG events which requires an adult to never be alone with minors who are not their children without another adult in the same room/area and with full visibility. At any time an adult is in the presence of a minor who is not their own child, and they are not in a public place, it is the responsibility of the adult to remove themselves (or the grouping if safety necessitates) from that situation, and either retrieve another adult to join your grouping, or move your grouping to an area with sufficient adults to meet our “Rule of 2” requirement. If this is not possible or reasonable, it is the adult's responsibility to put the grouping into the most visible, public setting possible, and continue to try to satisfy the 2-adults rule. At the earliest possibility, report the incident to our Safety Coordinator. Failure to follow these guidelines could result in loss of participation privileges, or termination of membership from CCCHG.
• At all non-Co-op-related CCCHG events and functions, the parent is responsible for the safety and supervision of their own child(ren) AT ALL TIMES. There is no exception to this rule. If you have multiple children and they would have to be separated to attend, you should get your spouse to attend and help you or leave others at home to come next time. If you do choose to bring more children than you can personally supervise, it is your choice to put your child in the care of another person if it is agreed-to by that other adult and is NOT a CCCHG requirement. CCCHG will not be responsible for the agreement between 2 consenting parents on one watching the other adult's child. Members of the leadership team and/or staff do not attend all events, and are not able to monitor and enforce the “rule of 2”, safety conditions, etc.
Discipline Policy for Children:
At some of our social events, it may be the case that another adult will in some way have some oversight responsibility of your child. For instance, if one of our members schedules a field trip to a local business and the group is walking around with that member while the child’s parent is at the back of the group tending to another child, that other adult member is acting as the authority figure for the entire group of children and the children will be expected to treat that adult with the same respect as they would their parent or a teacher. If a child is being uncooperative, disruptive, or disrespectful, the following procedures may be followed:
• The child will get a verbal warning from the Adult Member acting as “Supervisor” to the event.
• If unacceptable behavior continues, the child will be asked to sit out for a time.
• If the child still exhibits unacceptable behavior, the child will be brought to their parent for the remainder of the event and/or asked to leave.
• If the child repeats the unacceptable behavior at a future function, the parent will be required to stay next to the child at all times during that function and/or asked to leave.
• If the child repeats the unacceptable behavior on a third occasion, the child may no longer be welcomed at group social functions until a meeting takes place between them, their parent, and the leadership team to decide if future participation will be approved.
• Please keep in mind that these are guidelines, and depending on the severity or recurrence of situation(s), leadership can decide at any time that the child must leave immediately and is not eligible to attend future events.
• At no time may you physically discipline a child that is not your own. Please note that if a parent feels the need to discipline THEIR OWN CHILD, they should not do so in front of other children, but rather do this in private.
• For any and all incidents that you are involved in in any way regarding behavior or discipline, you must fill out an incident report which can be found on the group website. Fill out online, or print, fill out and turn in.
For the consideration and well-being, and protection of others, and so we can continue to provide the highest quality program for all children, please do not bring a child to any group function who is experiencing the following symptoms, or you may be asked to leave:
• Fever over 100 (within the last 24 hours)
• Colored mucus (yellow or green snotty nose)
• Diarrhea, vomiting or nausea
• Eye drainage or crusty eyelids
• Virus or infection known to be contagious
• Rashes or ring worm
• Head lice
· No weapons of any kind, flammables, or any other potentially dangerous materials, or animals shall be brought to any CCCHG function without explicit permission AHEAD OF TIME from the Leadership Team.
· Knives, lighters, matches, brass knuckles, martial art weapons, guns, fake guns, air guns, and b-b guns are prohibited. Please leave anything, even resembling a weapon at home.
· Violations of this policy will be addressed by the Board, which has discretion to determine the appropriate sanction, up-to and including expulsion from all future CCCHG functions, and/or termination of CCCHG Membership.
Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco Policy:
· No cigarettes or other tobacco products or smoke-less and/or tobacco-less alternatives are allowed at group functions at any time.
· No alcohol or illegal drugs are allowed at any group function at any time.
· Violations of this policy will be addressed by the Board, which has discretion to determine the appropriate sanction up to and including expulsion from all future CCCHG functions, and/or termination of CCCHG Membership.
Allergies and Medications Policy:
While CCCHG makes every attempt to decrease allergen exposure for participants, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the parents with a child who has allergies to bear the responsibility for their child's well-being and to make the allergies known to the Leadership Team via your online registration form and to any adult member who may take an authority or supervisory role with your child. No one should ever administer over-the-counter or prescription medications to any other persons, especially minors. A parent may administer to themselves or their child only. Please do not allow your child to carry medications with them, have an adult carry needed medications.