CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

DISTRICT III OF THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT COUNCILS

FOR 

JUNIOR HIGHS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS

ARTICLE I

Name

The name of this organization shall be District Three of the Texas Association of Student Councils for Junior High and Middle Schools.

ARTICLE II

Objectives

To promote active democratic participation.

To foster and support the principles of good citizenship.

To develop a closer bond of friendship and good will among schools in the district.

To encourage and give assistance to the organization of new student councils.

ARTICLE III

Section 1

Charter members of this organization are John Adams JH, Grand Prairie; P.C. Anderson MS, Dallas; Azle JH, Azle; Bedford JH, Bedford; Bussey JH, Garland; Congress JH, Denton; Dillingham MS, Sherman; Euless JH, Euless; Ferguson JH, Arlington; Gainesville JH, Gainesville; Grapevine MS, Grapevine; Highland Park MS, Highland Park; Sam Houston JH, Garland; Hurst JH, Hurst; Hutcheson JH, Arlington, Jackson JH, Grand Prairie; Lake Highlands JH, Richardson; McDaniel JH, Dennison; Northwood JH, Richardson; Piner JH, Sherman; Rather JH, Bonham; Richardson JH, Richardson; Richardson West JH, Richardson; H.F. Stevens MS, Crowley; Boude Storey JH, Dallas; Vanston JH, Mesquite; and Wayside MS, Saginaw.

These schools attended the Spring Convention-March 22, 1971.

Section 2

Membership shall consist of any junior high or middle school located in the designated area of District III, provided it attends at least on meeting a year and pays yearly dues.  Said dues are to be paid prior to attendance at the district meeting and will be sent along with the state dues to the Texas Association of Student Councils, hereby referred to as the TASC in Austin.

ARTICLE IV

Officer Schools

Schools, not individuals, shall be elected to offices.  The offices of this organization shall be a president, a vice-president, a recording secretary, a corresponding secretary, a treasurer, a parliamentarian, and a chaplain.  No school, other than treasurer, may hold the sam office two terms in succession.  Upon election, each officer school shall designate an individual to perform the duties of the office.

ARTICLE V

Elections

Section 1

The officer schools shall be elected at the business meeting of the spring convention to serve for the following school year, except treasurer school, which shall serve a two-year term.

Section 2

Nominations may be made from the floor provided the school nominated has filed with the credentials committee permission from its principal, preferably in the form of a letter.  A nominating speech, not to exceed three minutes, shall be made for each candidate school.  No officer school may make a nominating speech.  No seconding or acceptance speeches will be made.

Section 3

To be eligible for offices, a candidate school shall have attended at least two conventions, specifically the Fall Retreat and the TASC State Convention, immediately preceding the time of election.  Each candidate school must also have a sponsor representative able to attend both a fall and spring Executive Board meeting.

Section 4

Voting shall be by roll call from the treasurer’s list.  Each member school shall have the same number of votes as official delegates present.  All shall stand, and one delegate shall report the vote.  Each voting delegate from a member school must be in attendance at the business section in order to vote.  No proxy votes will be accepted.

ARTICLE VI

Ratification

This Constitution shall be considered in effect upon the favorable vote of two –thirds of the members present.

ARTICLE VII

Amendments and Revisions

Section 1

An amendment may be proposed by any member of the association, by the executive committee, or advisors of member schools and ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at the time of voting.  Each school in attendance shall have one vote.

Section 2

Written copies of all proposed changes shall be sent to all member schools by the secretary school at least thirty days prior to convention time.  

Section 3

Proposed changes shall be sent to the President and presented at the opening session and voted on at the last business meeting.

S

BY LAWS

SECTION 1

Duties of the Officer Schools

1. Duties of the President School

1. To preside at all meetings of the organization

2. To appoint all committees

3. To call all meetings, including executive meetings

4. To work closely with host schools in planning the convention program

5. To call an executive meeting of all officer schools at least one month prior to each convention for the purpose of convention planning

6. The President School advisor must attend TASC Leadership Retreat in June.

7. The President School advisor must attend the advisor’s meeting in September.

2. Duties of the Vice-President School

1. To execute the duties of the president in the absence of the president

2. To act as chairman of the credentials committee

3. To bring to the attention of the convention information of importance concerning district, state, national, and other student council organization affairs

4. To promote recruitment of new member schools

3. Duties of the Recording Secretary School

1. To call roll at each meeting

2. To keep an accurated record of the convention

3. To provide an agenda for all business meetings

4. To arrange for a proclamation of thanks to the host school

5. To keep accurate record of the executive board meeting

6. To send copies of the minutes of the convention to all member schools no later than one month subsequent to a convention

7. To send to the incoming secretary school a completed record, including a permanent cumulative membership list and record of the minutes

8. To attend credentials committee meetings to verify eligibility of candidate schools

4. Duties of the Corresponding Secretary School

1. To execute the duties of the recording secretary in the absence of the recording secretary

2. To compile, publish, and distribute a district newsletter within 30 days of the Fall and Spring Conventions

3. To publish any other necessary correspondence, such as the District Executive Committee Reports

4. To provide District Co-Advisors with a current membership list to district schools

5. To send to the student council advisor of each district school information concerning the district convention at least four weeks prior to the meeting date

5. Duties of the Treasurer School

1. To receive yearly dues of member schools

2. To disperse district funds as necessary, requisitions are to be accompanied by the signature of the advisor or principal and the checks for the disbursement of funds are to be signed by both the advisor and student do designated by the treasurer school

3. To keep accurate records of collections and disbursements of district funds

4. To report on district finances at the Spring Convention

5. To sit at each convention with the registration committee to check membership

6. To purchase all plaques and awards distributed during the Spring Convention

7. To deposit all monies in the designation District bank by the treasurer school, unless a change is deemed advisable by the Executive Committee

6. Duties of the Parliamentarian School

1. To interpret parliamentary procedure according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

2. To open and close business meetings

7. Duties of the Chaplain School

The Chaplain school shall provide an invocation and a benediction, where such prayers are offered at the opening and closing of meetings and other events

            Section 2

Duties of the Host School

1. To work with the President school in planning the convention

2. To decide on the convention date and the amount of the registration fee

Section 3

Duties of the Executive Board

1. The Executive Board shall direct the general management of the organization and shall transact all business during the time between general meetings of the organization.

2. The Executive Board shall have the power to fill any vacancy occurring on the Executive Board, excepting the office of the President, and the school chosen shall serve only to the end of the unexpired term.

3. The Executive Board shall have mandatory attendance at the Executive Board meetings, Fall Convention, and Spring Convention.

4. The Executive Board shall encourage schools to become host schools and to run for district office.

Section 4

Standing Committees

There shall be a credentials committee composed of five members, four appointed by the President, with the Vice-President school as chairman.  This committee shall certify the eligibility of candidate schools verified by the President, Vice-President, and Recording Secretary.

Section 5

Order of Business

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Minutes

4. Treasurer’s Report

5. Standing Committees’ Report

6. Special Committees’ Report

7. Old Business

8. New Business

9. Adjournment

Section 7

Amendment of the By Laws

By laws may be amended by a simple majority vote of members present at the time of the meeting.

AMENDMENTS

AMENDMENT ONE

Article V, Section 3

District III Student Council Junior High and Middle School shall pay one night registration and room fees for the State Student Council Convention for (a) District III President school advisor, (b) District III Vice-President school advisor, (c) District III Treasurer school advisor, (d) District III Recording Secretary school advisor,(e) District III Corresponding Secretary school advisor, (F) District III Parliamentarian school advisor, (g) District III Chaplain school advisor.