STOUGHTON
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL CONSTITUTION
Article 1
The name of this association is the Stoughton High School Student Council.
Article 2
The purpose of this organization is to be the united voice of the student
body and to act as a liason between students, faculty, administration,
and the school committee.
Article 3 - Membership
The Stoughton High School Student Council shall consist of 15 elected
representatives from each class. The five members of the Student Advisory
Board and the Regional Advisory Board Representatives automatically become
voting members of the Student Council. The advisor may appoint up to two
additional members from each class, and the principal up to two at large
members from the student body in that year. All students seeking membership
on Student Council should be in good academic standing and should maintain
that during their term in office. They must also be willing to accept
and fulfill all responsibilities of the council in general and the committees
in specific.
Article 4 - Executive Board
The Executive Board of this organization shall be as follows:
President
Vice President
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Secretary
Treasurer
Historian
Webmaster
Publicity Coordinator
Executive Representative
To be elected onto the Executive Board, the member must have been on the
council at least one year. Officers of the council cannot be officers
of the National Honors Society, SADD, Class officer, or of other large
clubs or organizations.
Article 5 - Duties of the Officers
A. President- shall conduct meeting; shall be allowed to call meetings;
has the power to appoint all necessary committees with the consultation
of the advisor and executive board. The president MUST be a senior.
B. Vice President- shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of
the president in case of absence; shall also assist the president with
any assigned duties. The vice president shall conduct ALL school wide
elections. The vice president may be a junior or a senior.
C. Recording Secretary- shall keep all minutes and rules of Student Council
meetings, and it responsible for attendance records. He/she shall have
all minutes typed or written legibly in a notebook. Minutes shall be kept
along with an agenda, record of all the dates and topics of meeting. He/she
is also responsible for submitting minutes of each meeting and a "list"
of all "passed" motions to the principal. He/she shall also
keep track of all points and issue warning notices monthly when members
fail to have 75% of the available points.
D. Corresponding Secretary- is responsibly for notifying groups, classes,
or organizations about any matters that are discussed at the meeting that
directly concern them. He/she is also responsible for all letters and
correspondence. He/she should regularly submit articles to the school
newspaper regarding Student Council activities.
E. Treasurer- shall be responsible for financial matters of the council.
He/she is responsible paying all bills upon approval of Student Council,
and is responsible for giving up-to-date financial reports at all meetings.
He/she is appointed chairperson of the fundraising committee, and is responsible
for handling fundraisers.
F. Historian- He/she shall produce a Student Council yearbook at the end
of the year. He/she shall also take pictures at all Student Council events.
G. Webmaster- He/she shall maintain and update the council’s website
bimonthly and work with the executive board to maintain the bulletin board.
He/she shall also take on all duties delegated to him/her.
H. Publicity Coordinator- He/she is responsible for public relations.
They will be appointed chairperson of the publicity committee. He/she
shall update the bulletin board with the rest of the executive board bimonthly,
and notify members of upcoming events. He/she shall work closely with
the vice president in running elections with the middle school.
I. Executive Representative- the additional leadership position, appointed
by the advisor. He/she along with the rest of the executive board will
help determine the direction of the council.
Article 6 - Meetings
Meetings shall be called at the discretion of the president or advisor
when deemed necessary. A general meeting of the council will be held at
least once a month, typically on the first Monday.
Article 7 - Committees
Committees will be developed on the basis of need for the student body
and council along with the usual committees.
Article 8 - Committee Chairpersons
One or two chairpersons will be chosen by the executive board of the council
and/or the advisor on the basis of interest or voluntary desire to be
chairperson or chairpersons in the event that no chairperson is chosen.
Duties- The chairperson shall preside over the committee, schedule meetings,
and enforce all decisions made by the committee.
Article 9 - Amendments
This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those present
at a meeting, which has the required number of members for a quorum. All
amendments must be posted for the viewing of the Student body before they
are voted on.
Article 10 - Election to Student Council Office
The Executive Board of the council for each succeeding year will be elected
at the end of the previous year. Seniors and members of the present council
along with new members for the following year have the right to vote.
Those wishing to run for office must be in good standing and must present
the membership with reasons why they should be elected at the open meeting
after the school-wide elections.
Article 11
- Absences and Attendance
Attendance at Student Council meetings is mandatory. Students who miss
meetings will e marked absent. To remain in good standing a student must
have accumulated at least 75% of the possible points available through
attendance and work on committees and activities.
Four points for each student council meeting attended. ( two additional
points will be given for respect/participation, with one additional point
for dressing as themed.) One or three points for each function/activity.One
or three points for committee work.
Article 12 - Removal from Office
Periodically the Student Council will review point records and classify
each member in one of the following categories:
Good Standing
Probation
Possible removal/ removal from the council.
A student will be removed from the council for not performing his/her
duties by a two-thirds vote of the council. In the event that this is
a member of the executive board, the student council will elect a replacement
from its membership. Any vacancies will be publicized for a minimum of
3 school days and interested persons will submit their names to the advisor
or president. Those who have signed up will be required to make a brief
speech at the next Student Council meeting. If two or more persons are
running for one position, the Student Council will elect a new member
to fill the vacant position by a majority of the quorum present. The Corresponding
Secretary should send out letters notifying the candidate of the Council’s
decision. The new candidate is expected to begin his/her term at the next
meeting.
Article 13 - General Election for Membership
The Student Council conducts all its elections by secret ballot. Student
Council members not running for an office to be filled as a result of
the election distribute and collect all ballots, unless town voting machines
are used. Votes are counted by Student Council members not running for
an office to be filled as a result of the election; recounts must be requested
within two days of the announced results. Voting results can be given
to the candidates upon request.
Nomination papers for all elections must be filled and turned in by a
date prior to the primary week regardless of whether or not a primary
is held. The vice president will set this date at least one week prior
to the deadline. Papers must be signed by the teachers the student currently
has in each period, by the student’s parents or guardian, and by
twenty of the student’s classmates. Students running for office,
both class office, Student Council representative and Student Advisory
representative must present the students in their class with reasons why
they should be elected, at the class assemblies prior to the general election.
After the general election for Student Council representatives, an election
will be held to elect the executive board at a general meeting. Seniors
and members of the present council, along with new members for the following
year have the right to vote. Those wishing to run for an office must present
the membership with reasons why they should be elected at an open meeting.
The reasons must be presented in the form of speeches before the council
stating the reasons why they feel they should be elected, including their
membership on committees, participation in activities, and attendance
at meetings. Posters, handouts, etc. may also be presented as support.
In the event that there are more than three people running for any one
office, a primary election will be held. The three people that receive
the most votes will be eligible for the final election. No one person
may serve as on officer on student council and as a class officer.
Elections will be held as follows:
March (or as issued by the state) Regional Advisory Board
Week after April Vacation Elections for Class Officers/Student Council
Reps.
1st Week in May Student Council Executive Board Elections
June Freshman Class Officers & Student Council Representatives (Held
at Middle School)
Article 14 - Duration of Term
All Student Council and Student Advisory Council positions for a given
school year will terminate when the seniors finish school (sometime at
the end of May).
Article 15 - Standing Committees
The Student Advisory Council shall not be considered as a committee of
the Student Council. Although the members may be the same, it is a separate
organization. The Student Advisory Board will take care of all communications
with the administration and the School Committee.
The president of Student Council shall also be the president of Student
Advisory Council. Committees may be composed of any member of he student
body as well as the Student Council.
Article 16 - Agenda
Agenda for each meeting should be announced on the morning announcement
prior to the meeting. The results of key issues should be published.
Approval: The Stoughton High School Student Council was approved by the
2002-2003 Student Council on November 4th 2002 by a unanimous vote.
President Signature_____________________________________
Vice President Signature_________________________________
Advisor Signature______________________________________ |