Student Council Constitution

Preamble

We, the students of Loveland High School, in order to promote a democratic relationship with the student body, faculty, clubs, and special interest groups, do hereby establish this constitution.  The Constitution of the Loveland High School Student Council will govern the activities and duties, define policy, and address the concerns of the student body.

Article I - Name

Section 1.     The name of the organization shall be Loveland High School Student Council.

Article II - General Purposes

The mission of the Loveland High School Student Council as a representative form of government is to develop leadership skills in order to enrich the lives of  the LHS community and encourage positive change. The ways to achieve this are as follows:

Section 1.   Voice and elicit student opinion and to work for the well-being of the members of the Loveland High School community.  

Section 2.   Create opportunities for interaction within the LHS community.

Section 3.   Promote leadership within the student body.

Section 4.   Sponsor and organize activities involving the members of Loveland High School in order to promote a more enjoyable atmosphere.

Article III - Powers Invested in the Organization

The powers of the Loveland High School Student Council, being allowed by the administration, faculty, and the student body are as follows:  

Section 1.     Student Council may initiate an all-school or class assembly, activity, or sport if asked by a class and/or club.

Section 2.     Student Council will take all appropriate measures needed to voice a student’s concern.

Article IV - Membership

Section 1. 

Section 2.   

Section 3. 

Article V - Elections

Section 1. 

Clause 3.   There are five nominees of each gender from the freshmen, sophomore, and junior classes.  There are six nominees of each gender from the senior class. 

Clause 4.   Each class votes for its respective class only in the preliminary voting, and then for their own class and the senior class in the final voting round. 

Clause 5.   Candidates cannot be on court two consecutive years, unless the two consecutive years are between the Junior and Senior years. 

Clause 6.   Candidates will be announced the Friday before Homecoming week after school.  Winners for the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes will be announced at that coronation assembly, and the senior winners will be announced during half time of the homecoming game.

Clause 7.   In the event of a tie during nominations, both candidates will be allowed on the court. In the event of a tie in the final vote, there will be a run-off election between the tying candidates among only the class that the tie is within. 

Clause 8.   Each nominee is able to refuse their nomination for court, and the nominee who holds the next highest amount of votes will take that nominee’s place.

Section 2.  

Clause 1.  Elections for student council representatives will take place the Thursday before Spring Break and will be conducted by the officers of the upcoming year.  The voting will take place during either second or sixth period, depending upon which day that the Thursday falls on.  The results will be announced as soon as possible.

 Clause 2.  All candidates must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and must have completed the student council candidate application packet, abiding by its rules.  Any candidate who does not have the appropriate GPA at the time of the election may still be eligible for a position should they agree to a contract made by the advisor that obliges them to gain a GPA of at least 2.5 by the end of the current calendar school year.  Should the said candidate fail to uphold the contract, the position will be given to the candidate with the next most votes in the same class.

Clause 3.   Campaign Rules:

                -Candidates may spend up to $50.00 for an   election campaign.

                -Candidates may distribute as many  stickers/fliers (under 3” X 5”) as they wish. 

                -Candidates may display no more than three  election posters of normal poster size (24” by 36“).  All posters must be hung in designated areas specified by the administration.             

                  -No offensive and/or obscene language will be allowed as determined by the adviser.

                   -PA endorsement announcements, KLHS advertising, and usage of the school newspaper will not be allowed.

 Clause 4.   In the event of a tie:

                  -The candidate in the tie with the higher GPA 

Be awarded the position.  The other candidate will automatically be considered by the officersfor appointment.

Clause 5.   The adviser will be present during all counting of the ballots.

Clause 6.   Students will only vote for their respective classes.

Clause 7.    Class officers will be determined based on the number of votes that each receive. The candidate with the most votes will have priority in selecting which position s/he desires. The candidate with the next highest amount of votes  will receive the second choice for an officer or representative position. This process willcontinue throughout the four officer positions (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and the five representative positions. 

Section 3.  Officer Elections

Clause 1.  Officer elections will take place at least 2 weeks before the student council representative elections for the upcoming year. 

 Clause 2.  Only seniors of the following school year who have had at least one full year of student council experience are eligible for the position of president. 

 Clause 3. Only upcoming juniors or seniors with one full semester of student council experience will be eligible for the position of vice president. 

 Clause 4.   The positions of Secretary and Treasurer are available to upcoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have had one full semester ofstudent council experience. 

 Clause 5.    Upcoming sophomores and juniors are eligible  for the position of historian.

 Clause 6.    Officer Election Procedure:

                 -The procedure will continue as follows for each of the respective positions:

                  -Nominees have the option to either decline or  accept their nomination. 

                  -Nominations for positions must be put forth by voting members of the student council. 

                  -Candidates will then exit the room and the rest of the council will be given three minutes to  support whomever they wish to in a positivemanner.  Negative comments about candidates, will not be tolerated. 

                 -The candidates will be given one topic to address in an impromptu statement regarding                  their qualifications for their position to the voting members of the council.  The topic will                         be decided upon by the current seniors in the council and will be different for each position.

                -The candidates will then re-enter the room and give their statements within the time limit of two minutes for all three prompts. 

               -A preliminary vote will be held if there are more than 2 candidates running. The voting members will vote for two of the candidates, and final vote will be held between the top two candidates following a question and answer period of two minutes per candidate. 

                 -This process will repeat for each position in the  following order: President Election, Vice Presidential, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian.

                  -The adviser is not to participate in any voting,even in the event of a tie.  However, s/he is required to be present during all discussions and ballot counting for input and validation of  the procedures. 

               -In the event of a tie:  The current executive  board at the time of the officer election will have a separate discussion and vote to break the tie. In the event of a tie within the executive board, the officer board will have a separate discussion and vote to break the tie (this procedure is applicable in all other majority votes of the executive board when an alternate  is not explicitly provided.  Furthermore, in the event of any majority vote by the officer board, all board members must be present).  Should a  current officer or member of the executive board be running for a position and be one of the candidates to tie, they will not be allowed to participate in the executive or officer board tie- breaking vote.

 Clause 7.   Voting members in officer elections are defined as all current members of student council who meet the following criteria:

                -They must be present during the voting process (i.e. all discussion and statements) to                         vote upon that position. 

                -They must have a beating heart during all proceedings in a given position’s voting process. 

 Clause 8. If a candidate eligible for an officer position isunable to attend the election process due to a school related event, or another complication as approved by the officer board, that candidate may still run for the position if a written and signed affirmation of their nomination acceptance is provided.  This  candidate will, however, waive their rights to the  verbal statement session and question and answer period.

Section 4.  General Election Procedure

Clause 1.   General Elections will take place during class  meetings held per the assembly schedule during 2nd or 6th period.  The class meeting will allow all members of that class to vote at one  designated time.  

 Clause 2.  All students who are unable to vote due to an  open second or sixth period, may obtain a   ballot in the cafeteria.  This does not apply to student council officer elections.

 Clause 3.  All ballots will be kept for six months following  each election, along with interview sheets,   candidates names, and official final results. 

 Clause 4. A candidate in any election may see the official  results and final ranking of their election thirty  days after the actual election date, except those  votes pertaining to officer elections.

 Clause 5.  A recount will be done only if asked for by a   petition signed by 50% of the voters in that   election. This petition will only be honored if  submitted within one calendar school week of  the election in question.  There will be no recount unless this condition is met.

 Clause 6.   There will be no revote unless a recount shows sufficient evidence of tampering with votes.

 Clause 7.  Any student desiring an absentee ballot needs to make a written request to the Vice-President of the council 3 days prior to the election day  absence.  The absence of the student will be validated and the student will be allowed to vote prior to the regularly scheduled election.  This does not pertain to officer elections.

 Clause 8. Results of the election will be posted by the end of school the following school day. 

Article VI - Frequency of Meetings

Section 1. Regular meetings will be held every Wednesday of Student Council or as scheduled  by the President or Advisor.

Section 3.  All regular meetings will be run by Parliamentary Procedure as  manifested in  Robert’s Rule of Order.

Section 4. All motions in conjunction with points to be   passed must be past two calendar weeks prior  to the date of the event, activity, or any other  requirement.  This does not apply to extra   credit opportunities.

Article VII - Member Duties and Responsibilities 

Section 1. A student council member is defined as any  student attending Loveland High School who  has been elected or appointed into Student  Council.

Section 2.

 Clause 1.  All members will be graded upon the following:

 -Be present at all required functions.

 -Help organize yearly student activities as  approved by the Student Council.

 -Contribute positively to the welfare and  betterment of one’s committee and the student  council as a whole.  The President and Vice  President must also contribute to the  betterment of the council, but are not required  to participate in any specific committee. 

 -Student council members are exempt from  paying at any Student council endorsed,  required function.

 -All members must maintain a 2.5 GPA at  semester’s end  to maintain their position.  ****

 -Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian may be in  a committee or be a committee head at the  discretion of the adviser.

 Clause 2.  Members that are unable to attend Student Council required events or functions reserve the right to excuse their absence with no penalty against them only if the conflict that they cite is school related.  If this is the case, the council member must obtain the signatures of the Adviser and one officer confirming the excuse of the absence.  This is to be done at least three calendar days prior to the event that they are being excused from.  Extenuating circumstances may be reviewed and excused by a discussion of the officer board and a majority vote.  The party concerned in this instance must make their conflict known to the officer board at any time before the event or function that the conflict concerns, or no longer than one calendar week after the stated event  or function occurs.  The party concerned must provide proof of their excuse upon request, the credibility of this to be decided upon by the  officer board. 

Section 3. Standing Committee responsibilities are as follows:

 -Plan and carry out specified activities and  projects.

 -Communicate with the faculty, community,  other clubs, organizations, and schools, to  promote positive public relations.

 -Organize each event appropriately and keep  accurate evaluations and event folders for the  following years.

Section 4. The executive board is made up of the student  council officer board and all current committee  heads. 

 Clause 1.    The officer board, voting members including  the current President, Vice President,  Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian, with verbal  input from the advisor will decide and make  emergency decisions for the Student Council,  and determine disciplinary actions.

 Clause 2.   Officer duties are defined as follows and are  subject to change and revision at any time by a  2/3 majority vote by voting members of the  student council (all current student council  members present at the time of discussion and  voting procedure):

 -Create and head ad hoc committees.

 -Correspond with faculty, community, other  -clubs, organizations, and schools.

 -Run all elections that are Council sponsored  with the Advisor.

 -Become a temporary committee as needed to  plan events such as but not limited to  the selection of freshman for council. 

 -Fulfill all stated duties and responsibilities as  given to each position, or be subject to  impeachment by a two thirds majority vote by  student council voting members. 

 Clause 3. The PRESIDENT runs regular and executive  board meetings, monitors officers, arranges  student exchanges, trains all members on the  appropriated use of supplies and materials, and  has the power to veto over any item  passed by  the Council.  This veto may be overridden by a  2/3 vote by the council at the meeting where the  veto occurred  and/or at the next regular  meeting.

Clause 4. The VICE-PRESIDENT serves as parliamentarian during all regular meetings,  serves in the place of the President in his or her  absence, orders and maintains all supplies, and  heads the LHS Inter Club Council.  The Vice- President succeeds the President in the case of  a vacancy or fatality even if the Vice- President  is a junior at the time of vacancy.

Clause 5.  The SECRETARY takes daily attendance, writes the agendas, assists the Advisor with quarter grades, keeps the official files organized, types the minutes, assists in organizing all retreats, and handles the official  paperwork of the Council.

Clause 6.  The TREASURER corresponds with the bookkeeper’s office, keeps all of the Council’s running account balances, keeps all financial records, co-signs purchase orders, oversees all fund raisers, teaches all members of the council all of the appropriate handling and  mailing of all financial documents, and is  financial advisor to the entire Student Council.

Clause 7.  The HISTORIAN maintains records of all events in the form of photographic imagery and audio/visual media.  The historian is also responsible for the senior recognition media  (senior movie and slide slow).  S/he is also responsible for the senior scrapbook. 

Section 4.  The Advisor’s duties must include but are not limited to the following:

 -S/he cannot vote but can interject opinion and advise the Council during any meeting. 

 -May nominate members from the student body for appointment.

 -Act as a messenger between administration, faculty, and the student council.

 -Act as a consultant to the council.

Article VIII - Rules of Conduct

Section 1.  A student’s behavior in all classes must reflect  leadership, including but not limited to  attendance, appropriate behavior in and out of  school, taking the CSAP, and supporting  Loveland High Schooll.  Any report from a  faculty member or breach of  leadership like  behavior will result in a hearing with the  officer board and consequences will depend on  the severity of the act and can range from a  behavioral/conduct warning to a vote for  removal from  council.  Subsequent reports of  bad behavior will be  discussed by the officer  board and a penalty will be decided upon by a  majority vote within the officer board. 

Section 2.   Any member who is proven to be using drugs  and/or alcohol at any time will be immediately  removed from any Student Council position for  the duration of their current term in council, but  will be allowed to run for future terms.  This will  apply at all times, not just during the calendar  school year.

Section 3.  Any member who violates any city, state, or  national law, excluding transportation violations,  will be subject to penalization as determined by  the officer board with a discussion and majority vote.

Section 4.  All members can be brought before the Council at any time  and removed from a position with a  2/3 majority vote or by a unanimous vote of the executive board voting members if they are not  fulfilling their duties and responsibilities as a member.

Article IX - Position Vacancies

Section 1. The position of Vice-President, Secretary,  Treasurer and Historian will be filled by an in- Council vote if the runner-up in the election  itself does not want, or is unfit for the position  as decided by a 2/3 vote of the executive  board.

Section 2.  Representative vacancies may only be filled if  the vacancy in that class causes the number of  positions in that class to drop below the  required level of nine members in the Senior,  Junior, and Sophomore grades and six in the  Freshman grade.  The officer board with  nominations put forth by the adviser will fill  these vacancies by students falling into the  following specifications:

     -By the alternate in the election itself if he or  she is fit for the position as determined by a  majority vote of the officer board. 

     -By a member of the student body worthy of the  position as determined by the officer board. 

Section 3.   All vacancies must be filled by members of the  class in which the vacancy occurs. 

Article X - Lettering

Section 1. In order to letter in Student Council, members  must meet four of the following five  requirements:

   -Must be enrolled in Student Council for the full  year.

   -Must have an average grade of “B” or better in  each semester of involvement.

   -Must have attended at least 80% of all Student  Council sponsored events during their  involvement.

   -Must have no more than two unexcused  absences per semester in Student Council.

   -Must have no outstanding monetary fees due  to the council including but not limited to retreat  fees and gift fees. 

Article XI- Ratification

Section 1.   The constitution, once initially passed, is a permanent establishment within the current and  future councils. 

 Clause 1.  The advisor is responsible for the protection of the constitution, and must pass the constitution down into the hands of future councils and/or advisors.

Section 2.   The method of ratification for the constitution will be as follows:

Upon a 2/3 majority vote by the Student Council Voting Members, the constitution will become  effective immediately and will remain in effect  indefinitely.

Article XII - Amending the Constitution

Section 1.This Constitution may be amended at any meeting provided the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing at the last meeting and members of Student Council have  discussed the amendment.  A 2/3 majority vote is required to adopt the amendment.  The Secretary is responsible for the drafting of and official changing of the amendment on the Constitution.

 Amendments

Amendment I:  Student Council Representative Elections will take place on Thursday of the second complete calendar week of March.  If this week is the week of Spring Break than the election will take place on Thursday of the first complete calendar week of March.

Amendment II: Points that are not related to attendance of an event (e.g. Advertising, and Cafeteria Sign-ups) do not need to be passed two weeks before the task is to be done, as long as the points are passed two weeks before the events that they are related to. 

Amendment III:  All members must maintain a 2.5 GPA at semester’s end to maintain their position for the  remainder of the year.