Bylaws of The Student Council

                    Adopted in 1999

Amended in 2010

Amended in 2021

Amended in 2022

Amended in 2023

Preamble 

In order to conduct the business of the Council in an orderly, efficient and consistent manner, and in a manner that ensures the greatest opportunity for participation by every student in the business of the Council, the Council adopts the following bylaws. 

I. Adoption and Amendment 

These bylaws must be adopted by a majority vote of the Council and may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Council. 

II. General Procedures 

1. Presiding Officer 

The President of the Student Council is the presiding officer of the Council. If they are unable to preside at any meeting, they may appoint either Vice Presidents or, in the case that both Vice Presidents are unavailable, the Secretary-Treasurer to serve as presiding officer for that meeting. 

2. Frequency 

Meetings will be held once a week while school is in session with the exception of holidays deemed as such by the officers.

3.Call to Order 

At the beginning of each Council meeting, the presiding officer will call the meeting to order. 

4. Changes to the Minutes 

After the call to order, the presiding officer will ask if any member wishes to make changes in the minutes of the previous meeting. As each change is suggested, the presiding officer will ask if there is any objection. If there is none, they will order the change. If there is objection, the President will ask the conflicting parties to meet with the Secretary-Treasurer at the conclusion of the meeting, and at that time the Secretary-Treasurer will have the power to change the minutes if, in their opinion, a change is necessary. When there are no further changes suggested for the minutes, the presiding officer will order the minutes accepted as posted, or as posted and changed. 

5.  Point of Order 

Any member may be recognized at any time on a point of order. When recognized, they may address the presiding officer with their question regarding the procedure of business. The presiding officer is empowered to rule upon all procedural questions, and this power is subject only to the limits placed upon said office by the removal clause of the Council Constitution. 

6. Point of Information 

Any member may be recognized at any time on a point of information. When recognized, they may address the presiding officer with their question regarding information they need for further participation in the business at hand. The presiding officer is empowered to provide such information, but may designate another person to provide such information if they feel it appropriate. They may also rule such a question out of order if they deem such a ruling appropriate. 

7. Adjournment 

Any member may at any time move to adjourn the meeting. If such a motion is seconded, the presiding officer will immediately ask for a vote without discussion. Upon a majority vote the meeting will be adjourned. However, if the presiding officer feels it is necessary 

and proper for the meeting to continue, they may rule the adjournment motion out-of-order before asking for a vote, provided they state their reasons for such a ruling. If the presiding officer is of the opinion that it is not necessary for the Council to conduct business any longer, they may motion to adjourn. 

8. Recess 

The presiding officer may, from time to time, declare the meeting recessed temporarily and will have the power to call the meeting back to order when they deem it appropriate. 

9. Absence

The officers will keep a record of those Representatives in attendance each meeting and record in the minutes those who are absent. A representative must contact the officers by at least 3:45 pm the day of the scheduled meeting if he or she will miss the meeting that night. If a representative misses a meeting and has not notified the officers or has not been given appropriate approval, they will receive an unexcused absence. Any Representative who is deemed absent unexcused three or more times throughout the course of the year shall be subject to conversation with the officers regarding their future participation.

10. Quorum At every meeting a quorum shall be deemed present. Any Representative can at any moment challenge the presence of a quorum, and if this challenge is seconded, the Secretary-Treasurer will inform the presiding officer whether or not a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present, the presiding officer will immediately adjourn the meeting until such time as a quorum may be filled. 

11. Committee of the Whole 

Any member may at any time move that the Council moves into the Committee of the Whole. If such a motion, which is not subject to debate, is seconded and approved by a majority, the presiding officer will order that the Council move into committee, in which no motion may be made, and discussion on any topic is in order. The presiding officer may also, at their discretion, move the Council into committee. The Committee of the Whole can conduct discussion without a quorum. The presiding officer may at any time move the Council out of committee and resume business. They may also rule out of order a motion to move into committee if they deem such a ruling appropriate. 

12. Reports to the Council 

The President may, from time to time, ask a person or persons to make statements or reports to the Council. At the conclusion of such report the presiding officer will rule the statement or report entered into the minutes and allow business to continue. 

13. Reports to the Classes 

The presiding officer may, from time to time, ask Representatives to make statements or reports to their respective classes concerning the business of the Council. Representatives may also make additional reports to their classes at other times. 

13. Disciplinary Action 

In the event that a Student Council Representative or a student appointed or elected by the Council to represent the student body on certain school committees is placed on Level II, the Student Council will convene to review their position on the Council or the relevant committee. The Council can either retain or remove this person from their seat on the Council or the relevant committee. 

III. Representative Election 

1. All representatives will be elected by an open election amongst their constituency that will

be conducted through a secret ballot, and tabulated by Point System Ranked Choice Voting. 

2. Representative replacement following impeachment will be conducted within a month through an open election with secret ballots, and Point System Rank Choice Voting. 

IV. Representative Responsibility 

1. The responsibility of a representative is to attend the meetings of the council, regularly send minutes to the members of their constituency, uphold the integrity of the institution, and complete all tasks delegated to them by the presiding officers. 

1. Minutes must include information about who in each constituency is present at the meeting. 

1. Representatives have the freedom to choose how they wish to display this information

2. Each grade should copy (CC) one of the vice-presidents on their minutes.

3. The officers will track if constituencies are consistently sending minutes.

V. Proposals 

1. Submission 

Any Representative can submit a proposal. In order to be valid, a proposal must be submitted in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer. The person submitting the proposal is deemed the sponsor of the proposal. More than one Representative may co-sponsor a proposal. 

2. Introduction and Discussion 

The President shall decide when to introduce a proposal to the floor of the Student Council. When the floor is opened to discussion on a proposal, the presiding officer shall determine the amount of time allotted for the discussion, and may extend this amount at their discretion. They may also determine the amount of time and the number of times each Representative can speak during discussion. 

3. Amendments 

a) A proposal once submitted and introduced may be amended, should a Representative move an amendment and another second the amendment. 

b) If the sponsor of the proposal accepts the seconded amendment, the amendment is considered “friendly,” and is added to the proposal without discussion. The presiding officer may reject a friendly amendment if they deem that such amendment alters the original intent of the proposal. If rejected by the presiding officer, the friendly amendment may still be discussed and, if approved by a majority of the Council, added to the proposal. 

c) If the sponsor of the proposal does not accept the seconded amendment, the presiding officer will open discussion on the amendment. The amendment will be adopted and added to the original proposal with approval by a majority of the Council. 

4. Other Motions 

a) A Representative may move to table a proposal. If the motion is seconded, the presiding officer will immediately ask for a vote. The proposal will be tabled if the motion is approved by a majority of the Representatives present. Business on a tabled motion is postponed indefinitely until a Representative moves to take the proposal from the table and a majority of the Representatives present vote to adopt the motion. 

b) A Representative may move to send a proposal to a committee for further study. The procedure for this motion is similar to that for the motion to table. The motion to send to committee may also contain specific direction on the manner in which the relevant committee should conduct its study. 

5. Call the Question 

At any time during the discussion of a proposal, a Representative may move to call the question. If seconded, the presiding officer will call for a vote without debate. If three fifths of the Representatives present vote in the affirmative, the Secretary-Treasurer will read the proposal as amended (if amended) and the presiding officer will ask for a vote. All proposals, except those designated especially in these bylaws or in the Constitution of the Student Council will pass by a vote of a majority of the members present. A Representative may also move to call the question on an amendment to a proposal. 

VI. Voting Procedure 

1. Hand Vote 

The normal method of voting in Council meetings will be by show of hands. The presiding officer shall, in order, ask for the votes in favor, in opposition, and abstentions, and the Secretary-Treasurer shall record the number of each after all votes have been called. Votes on policy and proposals will be conducted through a blind vote 

2. Unanimous Consent 

The presiding officer can ask for unanimous consent on a motion or proposal. If there is no objection, the motion or proposal is deemed passed. 

3. Recorded Vote 

After the question is called and before the vote is taken, any member may move to have the Secretary-Treasurer record the vote of each Representative. If such a motion, not subject to debate, is seconded and approved by one-third of the members present, the presiding officer will order the Secretary-Treasurer to record the votes of the Representatives in the most efficient and orderly manner possible. 

4. Ties 

In the case of a tie, should the President vote “aye,” the motion or proposal is decided in the affirmative, and should the President vote “no,” the motion or proposal is decided in the negative. If the President does not vote, the motion or proposal is decided in the negative.

VII. Committees 

1. Internal Committees 

The President may establish internal committees to consider various issues or proposals brought to the Council. The membership, procedures, responsibility, and leadership of these committees shall be determined by the President. 

2. External Committees 

The Student Council shall elect junior or senior students to represent the student body on various school committees. These external committees include, but are not limited to, the two Rules Committees, the Curriculum Committee, the Information Technology Committee, and the Calendar Committee. 

3. External Committee Elections 

a) Every May, after the new officers of the Council have entered into office, the Council shall meet to elect the student Representatives on the external committees. The time and date of this meeting shall be made public at least two weeks before the meeting. 

b) Nominations shall be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer in a manner determined by the President. A nomination submission must state clearly which committee or committees the candidate wishes to be nominated for. 

c) Each candidate shall speak briefly before the Council at the designated meeting for external committee elections. 

d) The Council shall, after the speeches, hold a question and answer session and proceed to voting. The discussion and vote is closed from the public. 

e) For each committee, the presiding officers will select the final candidate(s) guided by the election results from the full council.

4. Election to the Disciplinary Committee

To run for Disciplinary Committee, interested students have two paths to nomination following a form becoming available during the Spring term. In both cases, nominated students will provide a faculty and peer reference. Elections will be held in April.

1. A student can self-nominate themselves to the Disciplinary Committee. 

2. Any student can nominate another student anonymously for consideration to the Disciplinary Committee. 

Officers will screen the initial pool of candidates and invite viable candidates to an interview Committee. Four Student Council representatives, two sophomore representatives and two junior representatives, will join the officers. These Student Council Representatives on the Committee will serve a two-year term (their sophomore and junior years). In the Spring, the Council will hold elections for the two new sophomore representatives to serve for their sophomore and junior years. 

The Committee will decide on a pool of candidates to be passed on to administration. 

VIII. Agenda 

1. General Provision 

The officers of the Student Council shall determine the agenda of each Council meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer will be responsible for distributing the tentative agenda to the Representatives at least two days prior to a Council meeting. 

2. Emergency Items 

Emergency items may be added to the agenda before a meeting if, in the opinion of the President or of one-third of the Representatives, such measures take priority over the scheduled agenda items. The reason for an emergency item must always be expressly stated.