Student Council Constitution
Article 1. Name of the Organization for Which This Constitution Governs
This constitution is in place to outline and guide the Student Council of Lake Norman High School
Article 2. Purpose of the Lake Norman High School Student Council
Section 1. Our Mission Statement
“The Lake Norman High School Student Council exists to promote civic responsibility, leadership, scholarship, human relations, and school spirit within in the student body. Student Council serves two distinct functions: legislation and service.”
Section 2. The legislative purpose of the Student Council is as follows:
- To represent the interests of the entire student body
- To review and respond to feedback of the student body
- To act as liaison to the school administration and/or School Committee, when it becomes necessary for student issues to be addressed at this level
- To create bodies among its membership when necessary to achieve general and specific goals of the council
- To provide aid to the students, the school, and the community
- To host school functions which may include, but are not limited to, pep rallies, dances, and teacher appreciation
- To sponsor a number of community service activities, in a manner which brings the school and community closer together as a whole
- To create an atmosphere that promotes student involvement in both the council and other student organizations at LNHS
- The Principal may propose projects to the Student Council.
- These projects and responsibilities must adhere to the aforementioned purposes of Student Council.
- They may include school events and community opportunities.
- All proposals made by the principal are subject to vote by the general council, unless under an emergency time-crunch.
Lake Norman High School Student Council shall consist of:
- Fourteen (14) Executive Board members.
- Three (3) class officers from each class, in addition to the Student Body President and Vice President.
- Class President, Class Vice President, & Class Secretary (possible Class Executive Representative when specifically appointed by advisor.)
- Three (3) class officers from each class, in addition to the Student Body President and Vice President.
- Representatives from each class.
- No more than thirty percent (30%) of each class shall act as Class Representatives.
- One (1) PTSA Representative.
- One (1)School Board Representative (based on availability & interest).
- At least one (1) student representative to the faculty leadership team.
Section 1. All Student Council Members in “Good Standing” must:
- Have less than three (3) unexcused absences from consecutive meetings or a total of less than four (4) unexcused absences from meetings per semester.
- Participate in at least two (2) Events: acts of community service, volunteer work, and/or acts for school improvement per year,
- Contribute a total of at least 15 hours during the fall semester and 10 hours during the spring semester. *50% of hours not limited to Student Council Events.
- Serve on at least two (2) committees per year. (implementation for 2016-17)
- Fulfill all of their respective position requirements. (See Article 7)
- Any infraction of the above duties shall result in disciplinary action as stated in the disciplinary article of this constitution. (See Article 16)
- Executive Board members must:
- Elected officers compose the Executive Board (later referred to as the E-Board). Specifically, it shall consist of the following positions: Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, Student Body Secretary, Parliamentarian, Historian, Class Officers, & up to 4 elected representatives.
- Class officers: President, Vice President, Secretary
- The E-board shall meet once a week, prior to the general member meeting.
- The Agenda for the next general member meeting should be set during the E-board meeting, as well as discussing long-term goals (to be recorded in the minutes).
- Attend 90% of events hosted by Student Council.
- Not have more than two (2) unexcused absences from Executive Board meetings per year.
- Each Executive Board Member’s term shall last from the date of their election until the subsequent Executive Board members are voted in.
There are two distinct definitions of membership within the Student Council: Member in Good-Standing and Member At-Large.
- A member in Good -Standing shall be defined as:
- A person who has attended three (3) consecutive meetings and has paid the yearly club dues.
- A person who has been inducted into the council through the member at large induction process.
- A member At-Large shall be defined as:
- A member who has yet to meet the requirements of a member of good standing
- They do not have voting rights within the council
- A member at large may be inducted as a member of good standing when the following requirement has been met:
- Have attended three (3) consecutive meetings and a recent event from the current semester
- All members in good standing (Article 5), are given one vote each, except for the President, who shall have two votes (Article 7, Section 2.A).
- All persons holding elected positions within the council can be impeached (see Bylaws), and therefore lose their voting rights, if the Council has (1) the approval of the advisor and the principal and (2) a three-fourths vote of the council as a whole.
- In such an instance, a general election will be held at a full council meeting to occupy that position. Appropriate voting procedure (Article 10) will take place.
Section 1. Election Requirements for Officers
- Officers shall be elected each Spring. To run for office candidates must have served a minimum of one semester as a member in good standing.
- Candidates for the Office of Student Body President must be members of the incoming senior class who fulfill the above requirement, but who, in addition, have served as a member in good standing for the entirety of the year prior to the year to when he/she would take office.
- Candidates for Student Body President must meet/interview with Advisors & the current S.B.P. before he/she officially runs for the office.
- Candidates for Student Body President must have a glowing letter of recommendation from a non-student, non-advisor adult, and prepare and present a candidacy speech before the student body.
- The President shall:
- Be responsible for scheduling and running all meetings of both the full council and the Executive Board.
- Create an agenda for each meeting incorporating updates from the E-board and Advisors, making said agenda available online for member-viewing. *Shared GoogleDoc
- Carry out any ad-hoc duties designated by the Principal or Advisors.
- Use correct parliamentary procedure (generally).
- Acknowledge persons wishing to speak at meetings.
- When necessary, initiate voting on council matters.
- Report to the general assembly the results of official meetings with Administration &/or Advisors.
- Represent the student body of Lake Norman High school to all school officials.
- Provide training to the President-elect of the following year.
- Lead Executive Board meetings.
- Oversee class presidents, insuring their duties are being fulfilled.
- Maintain close contact with Student Council Advisors and the Vice President.
- Address the Student Body at assemblies and other school sponsored events upon request.
- Write the Student Body President’s message in the Student Handbook. *implementation 2015-16
- Hold the power to vote when there is a tie.
- The Vice President shall:
- Upon the absence of the President, assume presidential duties.
- Be responsible for proofreading full board agendas to ensure each are upholding the Council’s Constitution and Bylaws.
- During general meetings, the Vice President will be responsible for taking down the minutes and insuring the meeting is running smoothly.
- Oversee the recruitment of new students to participate in Student Council.
- Carry out any ad hoc duties designated by the President.
- Oversee class vice-presidents and secretaries, maintaining regular communication and providing aid when needed.
- Upon resignation or removal of the President, assume presidential duties.
- The Vice President will assume the duties of the President until elections can take place.
- Upon the absence of the President and the Vice President, general Student Council meetings will be postponed until their return.
- The Student Body Secretary shall:
- Be responsible for taking accurate attendance of Officers for E-Board & general member meetings.
- Submit attendance numbers for E-Board & general member meetings to Advisors.
- Remind class members to check online folder for the previous week’s minutes, so the minutes may be approved for online posting.
- Check in with class secretaries at each StuCo sponsored event to keep an accurate track of class member attendance at Student Council Events
- Take the final count for any and all E-board/general member votes.
- Maintain a copy of Student Council Records online in a secure un-editable state:
- Meeting Agendas
- Meeting Minutes
- Class Secretary Attendance Records
- Record numeric attendance at each meeting, both full board and E-Board. *Yes, this is the second person to do this; this is purposeful.
- Present a short tutorial on the basics of Parliamentary Procedure at the end of the school year to the rising Student Council officers.
- Present a short tutorial on the basics of Parliamentary Procedure at the beginning of the school year to the rising Student Council members.
- Remind officers and members of parliamentary procedure, as needed.
- During meetings,
- Keep order at all Student Council meetings
- Record member names for those who are disruptive at full board &/or E-board meetings to report to Advisors
- Keep track of time on all limited discussions
- Keep behavioral records for all members
- Be available for member complaints based on behavior
- Share past-month behavioral documents with E-board & Advisors regularly
- Each fall, take part in a committee to review the constitution from the previous year and help implement any changes made by the committee.
- Head a committee to create a student-friendly version of the most currently ratified Student Council Constitution each year.
- Have a student-friendly version approved by majority vote at the first E-board meeting of the year.
- Distribute the student-friendly version at the first full board meeting of the year.
- Maintain an organized binder for submission to the National Association of Student Councils.
- Obtain copies of meeting agendas & minutes
- Take or obtain photos, videos, other documentation of year-to-date StuCo events
- Serve as the webmaster for a Student Council web site, insuring that it is kept up to date. *A Google Webpage
- Be responsible for maintaining financial records from the previous years, as well as the current year.
- Advise the council on any matters potentially involving fundraising or the use of council funds.
- Have the power to Veto based on available finances and projected profits.
- Four (4) Class Officer Titles & Responsibilities:
- Class President -
- Responsible for scheduling and running all class meetings.
- reporting out class-specific information from E-board meetings
- delegating responsibilities with the class representatives
- gathering information from representatives to present to the E-board later
- Create an agenda for class-specific meetings.
- Handout/Take up any printed material used at general member meetings.
- If necessary, initiate voting on class-specific issues at general member meetings or class-specific meetings.
- Responsible for scheduling and running all class meetings.
- Class Vice President -
- Upon the absence of the President, assume presidential duties.
- Be responsible for upholding the Council’s Constitution and Bylaws.
- During class meetings, the Class Vice President will be responsible for
- taking general notes
- insuring the meeting is running smoothly, and effectively
- keeping all present members sufficiently engaged.
- Class Secretary -
- Submit general member meeting attendance to Advisors.
- List the names of each member at the first meetings of the semester; create a Google Spreadsheet with columns for each meeting date and event (with date)
- Highlight members that they are in danger of losing their good standing.
- Record Official Minutes for Class meetings.
- Report on the previous Class meeting’s minutes at each meeting before submitting them as official record.
- Report progress made in any Class goals, activities, or events.
- Send relevant documents to persons or organizations upon request and/or as directed by your Class or the Student Council.
- Submit general member meeting attendance to Advisors.
- Class Representatives
- Responsibilities:
- Represent their respective class at Student Council general member meetings.
- Represent their respective class at Student Council events.
- Vote on decisions that affect the Student Body.
- At the beginning of each school year, the incoming School Board Representative shall have the opportunity to join Student Council.
- If the School Board Representative denies that opportunity, then the position becomes void until interest is expressed.
- The School Board Representative is encouraged to:
- Attend Executive Board meetings
- Submit a monthly report to the Executive Board
- The School Board Representative must give a report to the Student Council concerning any School Board business that directly affects the Student Body.
Section 1. Executive Board
- Nominations for each Executive Board position will be open for three (3) consecutive Student Council meetings.
- A voting Student Council member will nominate/sponsor each potential candidate.
- The candidate may accept or decline the nomination.
- Upon the third consecutive Student Council meeting, nominations shall close and each candidate shall present a speech to the Student Council.
- In the case that a candidate cannot be present, he/she shall submit a written speech to be read in his/her absence by an executive board member.
- The student body will be invited to hear the speeches on the posted date.
- Student Council voting members shall then take a ballot vote.
- Each potential candidate must submit the following to the Executive Board:
- An application detailing basic information, leadership experience, & grades.
- A paragraph explaining their goals for their respective position.
- Three (3) LNHS Staff contacts for character recommendations.
- The Student Body Vice President shall compile the respective ballots to be presented to each class.
- Voting for the sophomore, junior, and senior class officers shall take place no later than the last day of April.
- The incoming freshman class officers shall be elected no later than the last day of September.
- The Student Body Vice President shall make nomination forms available to the student body at least two weeks prior to voting.
- Potential class representatives must be present at four consecutive meetings in order to be a voting member.
- The President is responsible for planning out a flexible calendar at the beginning of each school year.
- The frequency of meetings is to be determined by the E-Board as necessary based upon upcoming events, elections, or issues.
- Each Council member will be given a monthly schedule and is expected to follow it
- There should be at least one general council meeting per month. Additional council meetings will be determined by the E-Board
- It is expected that all members of the E-Board meet on a weekly basis to discuss council happenings and plan for upcoming general meetings
- They also must insure, that the Student Council, at a minimum, takes on one project or objective per month
- Asking for a vote on an issue:
- Obtain the floor (the right to speak) by being the first to stand when the person speaking has finished
- State, “Mr./Madam President”
- Raising your hand means nothing, and standing while another has the floor is out of order
- Must be recognized by the President/Chair before speaking
- State your question or motion.
- Debate cannot begin until the President/Chair has restated the question/motion
- If no one rises to continue the debate or to suggest modifications, the chair calls for a vote.
- Members vote by raising placards when in agreement.
- Special Rules:
- No member can speak twice to the same issue until everyone else wishing to speak has spoken to it once
- All remarks must be directed to the President/Chair
- Remarks must be courteous in language and manners
- Avoid all personalities, never allude to others by name or to motives
- Counting of votes:
- If the question is on the adoption of a resolution, unless it has been read very recently, it should be read again, the question being put in a way similar to this:
- Student Body President Announces the issue being voted on clearly, so all can hear.
- The Student Body President calls for the vote, offering option one:
- Placards are raised if in agreement.
- Student Body Vice President and Student Body Secretary simultaneously count the raised placards.
- Student Body Vice President and Student Body Secretary compared sums.
- The Student Body President calls for the vote, offering option two:
- Placards are raised if in agreement.
- Student Body Vice President and Student Body Secretary simultaneously count the raised placards.
- Student Body Vice President and Student Body Secretary compared sums.
- The Student Body President announces the winning option.
- If the question is on the adoption of a resolution, unless it has been read very recently, it should be read again, the question being put in a way similar to this:
- Results
- The assembly is assumed not to know the result of the vote until announced by the Student Body President (or Chair), and the vote does not go into effect until announced.
- As soon as the result of the vote is announced the Student Body President/Chair should state the next business in order.
- The chair should never neglect to state what is the business next in order after every vote is announced, nor to state the exact question before the assembly whenever a motion is made. Much confusion is avoided thereby.
Section 1. The Club Correspondents shall:
- Be an advisory board member from their club or organization.
- Encourage their respective organizations to take an active part in our school’s activities.
- Answer all questions and submit documents requested by the Student Council.
- Speak on behalf of their organization at Student Council meetings upon request.
Section 1. A Committee Chair shall:
- Coordinate and organize the activity assigned to them.
- Report to and contact his/her Executive Board Committee Facilitator at least monthly.
- Report to the Student Council regarding committee members and progress of the Committee upon request.
- Conduct their respective committee meetings.
- Attend the first executive board meeting of each month.
- Take attendance at each committee meeting and submit to the Point Master at least monthly.
- Facilitate the planning of at least five (5) events or activities each year, unless an exception is granted by the executive board.
- In order for this Constitution to be ratified, a meeting must be held among all Council officers and members in good standing.
- Prior to being voted on, the Constitution must have received unanimous approval from the officers, advisor, and principal.
- A vote will be held to ratify it and a three-fourths approval of the Council is required.
- If these requirements are met then the Constitution will be considered ratified and will take effect immediately.
- If the Council believes that the Student Council Constitution needs to be amended, then the following procedure must be followed:
- A meeting of the entire council must be held where the problem must be addressed and a solution suggested.
- Any proposed changes must be approved by the Advisor(s) and Principal as appropriate.
- The council will discuss the change and vote on amending at the meeting following approval by the Principal and Advisor(s).
- Three-fourths vote of the whole council is required (following correct voting Procedure from Article 3) to make the change.
- The Secretary is responsible for making changes to the official copy of the Constitution, once amendments have been accepted by the Council.
Section 1. In the best interests of the Student Body, the principal shall have the power to modify or override any Student Council decision.
- Any and all modifications and/or overrides must be presented to the Student Council by Administration.
Section 1. Probation and Dismissal for Participation
- Members failing to meet position and/or membership requirements monthly and/or missing two (2) consecutive meetings shall be reported to the Advisor(s) and
- Advisors will contact reported member and place him/her on probation.
- Members shall receive a letter of dismissal given by the Advisor for
- failing to meet position and/or membership requirements for two (2) consecutive months, &/or
- missing four (4) consecutive meetings, &/or
- lacking required service hours at the semester change.
- An appeal to these disciplinary actions may be made to the Executive Board in written form to regain membership.
- All student council members are subject to all state and federal laws, ISS school board policy, and NASC regulations at all times. Failure to do so shall result in disciplinary action.
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Two-year goals:
Introduce Committees: Social Media, Fundraisers, Volunteer Opportunities, Inter-Organizational Communication (VP Chairs?),
Historian
Public Relations Officer
Social Events (Pep rallies, dances, etc.)
Spring Spirit Week
*A retreat will be held in the fall of each school year to:
a. Promote team building
b. Review parliamentary procedure
c. Provide training for committee chair positions
d. Review and/or revise the constitution
e. Set goals for the upcoming year
BY-LAWS [*to be implemented in the future 2016-17]
1. All General Student Council Meetings shall attempt to follow Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. Any individuals wishing to have an issue put on the agenda shall submit it to the Student Council Secretary at the Executive Board meeting prior to the General Student Council Meeting when the issue will be presented and/or voted upon.
3. Closed Executive Board meetings may be held when deemed necessary but no official business shall be conducted.
5. All Student Council meetings shall comply with the following:
a. General Student Council meetings will be held at least twice a month.
b. No official business shall be conducted without a majority of Student Council members present.
i. A “majority” constituted by 60% of the members in good standing.
6. An administrator, at least one Student Council advisor and at least three members of the Executive Board are collectively granted the authority to recommend fundraising activities.
7. The Student Council shall develop and maintain a calendar of student council activities and shall be responsible for maintaining a record of traditions for future years.
8. Student Council shall annually provide funding for the following, dependent on financial status:
a. Current Student Council president and one advisor to the NASC conference.
b. No more than four (4) LTC (leadership training camp) scholarships held in the summer.
9. All off-campus trips made by the Student Council shall comply with the rules outlined in the Activities Handbook and shall be in accordance with all state and federal laws, ISS school board policy, and ASAA regulations at all times.