VERO BEACH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION ArTicle Name The name of This organizaTion will be The STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion (SGA) of Vero Beach High School ArTicle Purpose The purposes of This organizaTion are To: 1. PromoTe sTudenT leadership, 2. Serve as The official sTudenT organizaTion responsible for communicaTion among The sTudenT body, faculTy, and adminisTraTion, 3. RepresenT The sTudenT body so ThaT Their voice is heard by The faculTy and adminisTraTion, PromoTe a democraTic socieTy in and ouT of The school environmenT, PromoTe sTudenT acTiviTies by assisTing The sTudenTs, organizaTions, and foculTy when help is requesTed, 6. UniTe communiTy and school Through service?orienTed acTiviTies, 7. SuggesT and recommend i mprovemenTs for our school, 8. PromoTe school spiriT. 91:5" ArTicle Membership SecTion I The STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion will be composed of sTudenTs in grades 9-12. A member is a sTudenT ThaT is a parT of The STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion. SecTion II The STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion will composed of five (5) officers and eighT (8) represenTaTives from freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes in addiTion To The ExecuTive CabineT. SecTion The STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion will be comprised of The ExecuTive CabineT, class officers, class represenTaTives, and volunTeers. VolunTeers will be non-voTing members of The AssociaTion who aTTend meeTings and 56A evenTs. SecTion IV- Class Officers The 5 elecTed officers will be: PresidenT, Vice?President SecreTary, Treasurer, and ParliamenTarian. There will also be (8) represenTaTives for each class. ArTicle V- The STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion ExecuTive CabineT The six (6) elecTed officers will be: PresidenT, Vice?President SecreTary, Treasurer, ParliamenTarian, and HisTorian, in addiTion To The FaculTy Adviser. ArTicle DuTies of The Class Officers and RepresenTaTives SecTion I- The duTies of The PresidenT will be: wewmr To preside aT all meeTings, To acT as an exnofficio delegaTe aT all funcTions, To call special meeTings when necessary, To develop a group consensus when deciding on issues, To perform all oTher necessary funcTions, as deTermined by The 56A and/or faculTy adviser. SecTion II The duTies of The Vice-Presideni? will be: @?wwr To perform The duTies of The PresidenT in his/ her absence, To serve as liaison To all campus clubs and organizaTions (ICC), To serve as represenTaTive To SAC, To fill The office of PresidenT if iT should become vacanT, To perform all oTher necessary funcTions, as deTermined by The 56A and/or faculTy adviser. SecTion The d'uTies of The SecreTary will be: 1. To Take roll aTall meeTings and To mainTain aTTendance records, 2. To compose and make available, by The nexT meeTing, The mi nuTes of The previous meeTing, 3. To perform all oTher necessary funcTions, as deTermined by The 56A and/or faculTy adviser. SecTi on IV The duTies of The Treasurer will be: 1. To keep an accuraTe wriTTen record of all funds and expendiTures Through use of receipT book, or sign a waiver To besTow This duTy unTo anoTher 56A member, 2. To give a financial reporT, 3. To perform all oTher necessary funcTions, as deTermined by The 56A and/or faculTy adviser. SecTion The duTies of The ParliamenTarian will be: 1. To mainTain The preper business aTmosphere during meeTings, 2. To advise The PresidenT on parliamenTary procedures, 3. To perform all oTher necessary funcTions, as deTermined by The 56A and/or faculTy adviser. SecTion VI The duTies of The HisTorian will be: 1. To mainTain all files and records, 2. To make available upon requesT pasT records, 3. To perform all oTher necessary funcTions, as deTermined by The 56A and/or faculTy adviser. SecTion VII The duTies of The represenTaTives will be: 1. To aTTend all meeTings, 2. To porTicipaTe fully in all 56A acTiviTies, 3. To perform all oTher necessary funcTions, as deTermined by The 56A and/or faculTy adviser. ArTicle VII- Powers of The AssociaTion: 1. The 56A has The righT To expel any member when necessary and proper, or as a resulT of a violaTion of The rules as sTaTed in The 56A ConsTiTuTion and By-Iaws. A 2/ 3 majorify voTe by officers and represenTaTives, will expel a member. Expelled members would no longer Serve as for The remainder of The year. The expelled member would only be eligible To reTurn as a volunTeer The nexT year. 2. Any vacancy will be handled wiThi The respecTive class. ArTicle Requirements for Membership: 1. MusT noT have violaTed school aTTendance policy. 2. MusT adhere To The school disTricT's Code of ConducT. 3. MusT mainTain a GPA of 2.5, weighTed. 4. MusT noT have received discipline referrals resulTing in ouT-of?school suspension or expulsion. MusT fulfill duTies required by The 56A ConsTiTuTion. All elecTed members musT aTTend all scheduled meeTings. A lack of aTTendance may resulT in an elecTed member being expelled from 56A. 7. MusT noT cause embarrassmenf To VBHS or 56A. 8. MusT noT have resigned from 56A in The previous year. 9?9? ArTicle Elecfions SecTion I 1. Elecfions for STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion officers and represenTaTives will be held in April or May of The year preceding The Term of office. 2. ElecTions for incoming freshman class STudenT GovernmenT Officers will be held in AugusT or SepTember of Their freshman year. SecTion II RequiremenTs To seek office: 1. MusT noT have received an in The previous semesTer. 2. MusT mainTain a GPA of 2.5 weighTed. 3. MusT noT have received discipline referrals resulTing in ouT-of-school suspension or expulsion (noT applicable To income Freshman). MusT noT have been expelled from 56A in The previous year. MusT noT have resigned from 56A in The previous year. SecTion VoTing will be done by moniTored voTing machines, wiTh The excepTion of elecTions which may conflicT wiTh counTy-wide elecTions; such elecTions will be conducTed using ScanTrons. SecTion 1. In case of resignaTion or removal from office of The PresidenT, The Vice-PresidenT will fill The vacancy. 2. If any oTher vacancy occurs in any oTher' office, The new officer will be chOSen by nominaTions from The floor and will be elecTed by a majoriTy of The members aT ThaT meeTing. 3. If less Than eighT (8) class represenTaTives are elecTed in The spring of The preceding year, a volunTeer may be voTed inTo 56A as a RepresenTaTive for his/ her class. The voTe will be handled by The respecTive class. RaTified on (daTe) ParliamenTarian PresidenT Vice?President SecreTary Treasurer Advisor Section II 1. 2. Officers' speeches must focus on realistic and pertinent issues. Each candidate must focus on a particular student?related or school-related topic. If during a speech a speaker's language, behavior, or apparel is determined to be inappropriate or is disruptive to the school, the student who exhibits such aforementioned language, behavior, or apparel will be subject to disqualification and/or disciplinary action. During speechess candidates may not be assisted in any way by another student/ person. This includes assistance with props. Props will be limited to those which require no clean up. No food of any kind may be used. Campaign expenses cannot exceed the amount of $50.00 per individual, per position. Receipts must be kept in case of campaign challenges, which may be presented only by a candidate for the same position no later than the end of the final day of voting. Non?monetary donations by non?family members and/ or businesses may be accepted. Any such donations must be verified by original documentation submitted by donor to candidate. Money or products cannot be donated by family members. A candidate may have no more than 10 posters for each position for which he/she campaigns . Any pictures used must depict the candidate in clothing which follows the school dress code. SGA advisor and/or VBHS activities assistant principal retain the right to disqualify any student(s) not following the election rule. 5 Section 1. 2. If an office does not have a candidate on the ballot. The vacancy will be voted on by the respective class at the beginning of the next year at a grade level meeting. If there is not a_ candidate on the ballot for an Executive Cabinet office, the Faculty Advisor will submit a nominee(s) and the current membership will vote at the next meeting with a simple majority required to fill the vacancy. Article Requirements for Office Section I 1. All candidates must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 weighted, and must not have received an in any class the previous semester (the fall semester). All candidates must have good conduct and must not have received discipline referrals resulting in either out?of-school?suspension or expulsion. SecTion II To campaign for an The ExecuTive CabineT posiTion of SGA PresidenT or Vice PresidenT, The candidaTe musT have previously been a member of The Vero Beach High School 56A for 2 years, (unless There are exTenuaTing circumsTances) be a rising senior, and musT submiT, by The sTaTed deadline, a p-eTiTion signed by 200 sTudenTs, all VBHS Teachers on his/ her schedule, and 2 adminisTraTors. I - SecTion - To campaign for The office of The ExecuTive CabineT SecreTary, Treasurer, ParliamenTarian, or HisTorian, The candidaTe musT submiT, by The sTaTed deadline, a peTiTion signed by 150 sTudenTs, 5 of The candidaTe?s Teachers, and 2 adminisTraTors. He/she musT also have been a member of The Vero Beach High School 56A or aT leasT 1 year. SecTion IV To campaign for any class officer, a candidaTe musT have a peTiTion signed by 100 sTUdenTs, 5 of The candidaTe?s Teachers, and 2 adminisTraTors. AddiTionally class PresidenT's musT have been a member of The Vero Beach High School 56A for 1year (does no-T apply To The incoming freshman). IF a sTudenT has The requiremenTs To run for class officer, Then The appeal will be forwarded To The SGA members for Their approval/ disapproval, following RoberTs's rule of order. I - To campaign for RepresenTaTive, a candidaTe musT have a peTiTion signed by 75 sTudenTs, 5 of The candidaTe's Teachers, and 2 adminisTraTors. SecTion VI CandidaTes for The STudenT GovernmenT AssociaTion ExecuTive CabineT offices or Class officers musT submiT a leTTer of recommendaTion from a VBHS faculTy member or adminisTraTor along wiTh The oTher required paperwork. ArTicle VI- Amendmenfs SecTion I AmendmenTs To The By?Laws and ConsTiTuTion may be made by: 1. SubmiTTing The proposed amendmenT To The for approval. 2. Once approved by The ExecuTive CabineT, The proposed amendmenT will be broughT To The SGA membership for Their consideraTion. Following RoberT's Rules of Order, The amendmenT will be considered and voTed on by The membership and requires a 2/3 majoriTy voTe in favor of The amendmenT To make iT law. Raiified on (Daie) Presiden?r Vice P'r'esideni' Secretary Treasurer Parliamentarian Adviser BY- LAWS ArTicle I- Quorum In order for business To be considered legal, There musT be a quorum if 50% plus one member in aTTendance. ArTicle Special CommiTTees Special commiTTees will be appoi-nTed by The ExecuTive CabineT, as The need arises. Article Conduct of Officers/Members SecTion I 56A officers and members will conducT Themselves according To The School DisTricT?s Code of ConducT during school hours, School evenTs, 56A meeTings and funcTions. SecTion II 56A officers and members have been enTrusTed wiTh leadership posiTions and should acT as role models aT all Times, boTh on and off campus. - ArTicle ElecTion Rules SecTion I - - 1. Provided There are no conflicTs, elecTions will be held in April or May, of The discreTion of The FaculTy Advisor. 2. PeTiTions for elecTion To an office musT be submiTTed aT a Time and place designaTed by The FaculTy Advisor. 3. All peTiTioners musT Sign The CommiTmenT ConTracT "prior To The elecTion. If elecTed and The conTracT is violaTed, The member will be subjecT To probaTion or removal.