PROVIDENCE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I. NAME. The student governing body of Providence High School shall be called the STUDENT COUNCIL ASSOCIATION or SCA.
ARTICLE II.PURPOSE.The purpose of the Student Council Association shall be to represent the entire student body, to organize and orchestrate student activities, and to maintain communications between the students and the faculty, administration, and community. The powers of the SCA shall be derived from the administration of Providence High School.
ARTICLE III.ORGANIZATION.
Section 1. Membership: The Student Council Association shall be made up of an elected nine-member Student Council Association Executive Board, Class Councils, any national, state, district, or division officers of the National Association of Student Councils/North Carolina Association of Student Councils, plus students appointed, selected or adopted by the Student Council Association’s advisor and Student Council Executive Board.
Section 2. Duties: It shall be the duty of all members to support the constitution, to actively support decisions made by the Student Council Association, and to do all in their power to foster goals and objectives as determined by majority vote.
ARTICLE IV. Appointments. Elections shall be held for the election of the nine-member Student Council Executive Board, the three officers for each of the Class Councils and the student body representatives/senators.
Section 1.Times of Elections. The Student Council Executive Board shall be selected during the month of March prior to the year to be served. The Class Council officers shall be elected during April before the year to be served except any incoming class from a lower school system such as students entering from middle schools. Such classes will elect their three class council officers in September of the year being served.
Section 2.Procedures of Elections. The Student Council Association Executive Board shall be elected by the Student Body.In order to be eligible to run for any position, the student must have attended an approved leadership workshop (i.e. Officer Prep, NCASC conference, etc.), be in good standing with the school, and have applied for the Leadership class. The nine-members of the elected board shall be made up of the top five senior vote getters and the resulting four positions filled by rising sophomores, juniors or seniors receiving the next highest number of votes recorded.The Class Council officers (3) shall be elected by their respective class.Newly elected Executive Board members are still eligible to run for their respective Class Council. The top vote-getter shall be named President of the class, with the two remaining officers listed as First Officer and Second Officer (as determined by the vote count). The Class Council officers can decide among themselves with the advice of their class advisers, whether they need to delegate the First and Second Officer with specific duties.
Section 3.Adoptions.Once a student has run in the Executive Board elections and is not elected by the student body, he/she has the opportunity to be adopted onto the Executive Board. The student will have to submit a written application by the specified date, and the criteria and the number of adoptees is left to the discretion of the SCA advisor and the newly elected members of Executive Board. These adoptees will also have the opportunity to be officers of the Executive Board.
Section 4.Officer Elections. Elected or adopted members of the Executive Board who were on Executive Board or in the Leadership class the previous year who are in good standing are eligible to become officers.Those wishing to run for President or Vice President must first be nominated by a 2/3 vote of the Leadership Class. Nominated candidates will then run in a school-wide election to determine the new President and Vice President. There will then be an application process within the SCA for Secretary and Treasurer.
ARTICLE V. OFFICERS.
Section 1.
A. Names. The officers of the Student Council Association shall be: President, Inter-Club Council President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Inter-Club Council President shall serve in the position of Vice-President for the Student Council Executive Board.
B. Eligibility. The office of the President and Inter-Club Council President shall be filled by a rising senior. The office of Secretary and Treasurer shall be filled by either a junior or senior. All Student Council Association Executive Board officers must have a two point five GPA and be in good standing with the administration of Providence Senior High School by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg behavioral and absentee guidelines. Officers of the Student Council Association Executive Board shall not be eligible for major positions of other organizations. All students elected to the Student Council Executive Board and Class Councils shall be required to take the Providence Leadership Class.
C. Duties.
President. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the SCA and of the SCA Executive Board and to insure that parliamentary procedure is followed. The President shall act as the official host/hostess for the school and represent the Student Body as an official student spokesperson/representative.
Inter-Club Council/SCA Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the Inter-Club Council/SCA Vice-President to do all the duties of the President in the absence or disability of that officer, to serve as Inter-Club President, and to help the President with his/her duties.
Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to check the roll at all meetings of the SCA to keep an accurate record of all proceedings, and to publish these records for the viewing of the Providence staff, administration, and Student Body. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to serve as co-chairperson of the Scrapbook Committee and to keep current materials needed for this task.
Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to keep an accurate account of receipts and disbursements, to sign all financial request forms, and to give an up-to-date Treasurer’s Reportas needed to the Student Council Association.
Section 2. Standing Committees
A. Purpose. The purpose of the SCA Standing Committees shall be to carry out the activities and business of the SCA and Student Body.
B. Membership. The SCA Standing Committees shall be composed of the SCA Executive Board, Class Councils, and Leadership Class members. Additional members of each Standing Committee who are not members of the SCA may be appointed from the Student Body by Committee Chairpersons with the approval of the SCA Executive Board and advisor.
C. Class Officers. Class Council officers and advisors shall have the power to select, appoint, or elect Class Council Boards in a manner specific to the constitution or traditions of the respected class. The process of the selection of said board members must be on file with the SCA and the principal.
D. Chairpersons of Standing Committees. All chair positions shall be filled by the Student Council Executive Board members with each member holding one chair position except the President and Vice-President. The SCA Vice-President shall serve as the Inter-Club Council chairperson and the President shall serve as the official chairperson for the Student Council Executive board. Class Council Presidents will serve as chairpersons for the Class Council Committees.
Section 3.
A. Rules, Regulations, and Plans. The SCA shall have the power to make rules and regulations and to plan activities for the Student Body, subject to the approval of the Principal.
B. Probation and/or Impeachment. Any member of the SCA failing to comply with the eligibility requirements, duty requirements, and meeting requirements shall be subject to probation. The length of probation shall be determined by the Executive Board President and Vice President and the SCA advisor. If the probation is not cleared within the given range of time, the SCA shall call for impeachment. The SCA shall have the power to bring charges of impeachment against any member of the SCA by a simple majority vote. Such impeachment proceedings shall be placed in writing and submitted to the Principal. SCA’s impeachment proceedings shall act as an official recommendation by the SCA to the Principal. The principal will then make the final decision as to whether or not to impeach the member.
If a member is in violation of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg disciplinary guideline that results in out-of-school suspension and/or expulsion, the member will automatically be removed from his/her student government position. Notification of such removal will automatically accompany the administration’s disciplinary procedure.
Section 4.Meetings. The SCA shall meet monthly outside of class. All Executive Board meetings are open to the entire SCA.
Section 5.Advisor. The SCA shall work in committee and make recommendations to the Principal as to the selection/appointment of an adviser. The actual naming of the advisor is within the powers of the principal. This person shall also serve the position as Leadership Class instructor if such a class is offered in the school curriculum.
ARTICLE VI. THE INTER-CLUB COUNCIL
Section 1.Name. The branch of the SCA responsible for clubs shall be called the Inter-Club Council.
Section 2.Purpose. The purpose shall be to coordinate club activities.
Section 3.Membership. The council shall be composed of a representative of all chartered organizations.
Section 4.Officers.
A. Names. The Vice President of the Executive Board shall be responsible for leading the ICC.
B. Powers. The powers of the Inter-Club Council shall be delegated by the SCA Executive Board and executed by the SCA Vice-President. These powers shall include chartering clubs, organizing and supervising Club Membership Week, and officiating the selection of annual club awards. An ICC constitution shall be designed as a supplement to the SCA Constitution and shall be maintained and adhered to be the ICC organization.
C. Charters. The SCA, alone, shall have the power to issue and revoke the charter of any school organization. The SCA shall grant the power to the Inter-Club President to represent its powers in this area. It shall be the duty of the Inter-Club President to bring forth an official committee report meaning administrators, teachers and ten Executive Board members on the Inter-Club Council at each SCA meeting. The process through which to attain a club charter is the following: present a signed petition to the ICC advisor, write a club constitution, and be present at a meeting at which the club’s teacher/advisor, an administrator, and ten Executive Board members will vote on whether or not to charter the club.
D. Constitutions. The SCA shall have the power to accept, to reject, and to approve changes in the constitution of any school organization. After being chartered, all school organizations shall submit a constitution to the SCA for approval. No changes may be made in such constitution without the approval of the SCA.
ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS
A proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be discussed in at least two consecutive meetings of the SCA. It has to be passed by a two-thirds majority within the SCA. A majority vote of the participating Student Body shall be necessary to enact the amendment.
ARTICLE VIII. RATIFICATION
Section 1. A majority vote of the participating Student Body shall be necessary to ratify this Constitution of the Student Body.
Revised 2016