STUDENT BODY
ULYSSES S. GRANT HIGH SCHOOL
CONSTITUTION
Preamble
We, the students of Ulysses S. Grant High School, in order to foster school spirit of unity, cooperation, and understanding among faculty, administration and students; provide enjoyable and interesting activities; encourage participation in student government; promote good relations by representing the will of the majority while protection the rights of the minority and insuring the voice of the individual; encourage high citizenship, scholastic and moral standards, do ordain and establish this constitution.
Article I
Student Government
The name of this organization which governs on behalf of the student body at Ulysses S. Grant High School shall be known as “Grant High School Student Body,” or “Student Body,” or “Student Leadership,” or “Student Council.” Student Government makes decisions based on all student activities, which will be approved by the school administration.
Article II
Membership
The membership of Grant High School Student Body shall consist of those students who are regularly enrolled in Ulysses S. Grant High School, and have met the extracurricular requirements set forth in the Grant High School Student Body By-Laws.
Article III
Grant High School Student Body
Section 1: Student Body shall be composed of the duly elected Student Body Officers as defined by the By-Laws, elected commissioners as defined by the By-Laws, up to eight representatives (2 from each grade), and SLC senators (up to 2 for each Small Learning Community) as defined by the By-Laws.
Section 2: Students not belonging to any of the categories specified in Section 1 may be appointed into Student Body with the approval of a committee made up of the President of the Student Body, an administrator of the school, and the Coordinator of Student Activities (Student Body Advisor). The Student Body will be a scheduled class that all members must be enrolled in during the 4th period of the day, or the period which usually falls just before lunch on a majority of school days. The class enrollment shall not exceed 35 members, unless specific permission from said committee.
Section 3: It shall be the purpose of the Student Body to attend to all business directly concerned with the students, to foster school spirit, to provide for the worthwhile activities, to carry out and execute all measures acted upon in Student Body, and to consider all recommendations made by the House of Representatives.
Section 4: All members of Student Body enrolled in the regular class period shall receive five semester graduation elective credits.
Section 5: All meetings shall be governed by some form of parliamentary procedure (i.e. Robert’s Rules of Order) with at least one official meeting per week for every full week of school. Minutes must be taken by the Recording Secretary or upon absence of the Recording Secretary a Presidential designee, which denotes by brief summary the old business, the new business, voting outcomes and any officer reports given during the meeting. Roll for the meeting will be kept by the Advisor of Student Body, and denoted in the official minutes.
Section 6: A Parliamentarian shall be appointed by the Advisor of Student Body from the enrolled members of the Student Body class. He or she may not be an officer or commissioner, but may be a Representative or Senator.
Section 7: In order for an official meeting of the Student Body to be held, a faculty advisor (Advisor of Student Body) appointed by the Principal, must be present at the meeting. A qualified substitute may take the place of the Advisor of Student Body, and all official meetings must take place on the Grant High School campus. For official votes to take place there must be Quorum and a member of the leadership succession must be present (see Article IV).
Article IV
Quorum
Section 1: No official vote can be made without Quorum present. Quorum is defined as 2/3 of the active membership of Student Body, and someone presiding over the vote. Those who may preside over an official vote are listing in order of succession of the Student Body: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and Parliamentarian.
Article V
Officers, Commissioners, Class Representatives, and Senators
Section 1: The following officers, positions, and representatives will be elected by a majority of the voters of the Student Body each year: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Commissioner of Clubs, Commissioner of Noon and Social, Commissioner of Athletics, Commissioner of Human Relations, Commissioner of Campus Beautification, Commissioner of Elections, Commissioner of Publicity, Commissioner of Small Learning Communities, Commissioner of Student Advisory General, 12th Grade Representative(s), 11th Grade Representative(s), 10th Grade Representative(s), and 9th Grade Representative(s). SLC Senators shall also be elected or appointed as necessary.
Section 2: Election procedures for positions in Section 1, and any class election positions are detailed in the By-Laws. Each class is entitled to have an election for class officers and other positions if they wish, and these elections will be held at the same time as Student Body elections, or otherwise designated by the sponsor of that class.
Section 3: No person may be elected or chosen for the same office in Student Body for more than two one year terms (four semesters). No person can hold the same office position in any class position if they hold that same position in Student Body. If a student runs for a class office and a Student Body office that have the same title (i.e. Student Body President and 12th Grade President), the student will be forced to choose which one of the two offices they will have and concede the other if they win the election for both.
Section 4: Vacancy of office will be decided by either an election, appointment, or Student Body vote. A committee made up of the Student Body President, the Advisor of Student Body, and the Principal, or Vice Principal shall make the decision of which option will be used. If the Student Body President office is vacated then succession defined in Article IV, Section 1 (Quorum) will determine who completes the committee.
Section 5: Duties and qualifications for members of Student Body may be found in the By-Laws, members who do not follow their duties or keep their qualifications may be subject to loss of position, adverse grade changes, and/or removal from office and/or the Student Body class.
Article VI
Nickname, Colors, Mascot, and Motto
Section 1: The nickname of Ulysses S. Grant High School is “The Lancers,” as was selected by the Student Body.
Section 2: The official colors of Ulysses S. Grant High School are Seal Brown and Orange as selected by the Student Body. White and Black may be used as highlight colors, or border colors.
Section 3: The mascot is the lancer known as “Leo the Lancer.”
Section 4: The school motto is: “What We Are to Be, We Are Now Becoming.”
Article VII
School Clubs
Section 1: All organizations and clubs, in order to obtain official recognition, must submit to Student Body for approval, a request for a charter and a constitution stating the club’s purpose and aims. The club constitution must include that it is made up of membership of students from the school and that it does not discriminate membership based on race, creed, sex, or any other reason.
Section 2: The club or organization must be chartered by Student Body through the Commissioner of Clubs. Student Body may revoke the charter at any time.
Section 3: All clubs and organizations must be sponsored by an authorized member of the school faculty. This sponsor, or an authorized substitute, must give his/her approval on all activities undertaken by the organization.
Section 4: All meetings must be held on the Ulysses S. Grant High School campus unless special permission is granted by the principal.
Section 5: All student teams and other Grant High School organizations not officially recognized as a club or student organization may function autonomously, however they are subject to Student Body review, and must follow all rules and policies relating to other clubs and organizations.
Article VII
House of Representatives
Section 1: The House of Representatives shall be composed of one member from each class period that Student Council meets (6th period), and one member of each chartered club on campus. A Representative can be both the representative from a classroom and of one club. A member of different clubs can also serve as the representative member.
Section 2: It shall be the purpose of the House of Representatives to act as a body which communicates between Student Body and the entire campus population. The House of Representatives shall reserve the right to veto a majority vote of Student Body. Measures passed by the House of Representatives that are not voted on by Student Body within 10 school days, shall go into effect without Student Body approval. Student Body may veto any action of the House of Representatives with a 2/3 vote of Quorum of the Student Body.
Section 3: The Vice President of Student Body shall preside over House of Representative meetings. If the Vice President is unable to perform their duties presiding over the House of Representatives, the succession of presiding officer shall follow from Vice President to the other Student Body Officers listed in Article IV, Section 1 (Quorum).
Section 4: The House of Representatives shall meet once per month, or a total of 9 times throughout the school year, unless otherwise approved by the Principal.
Section 5: All meetings of the House of Representatives shall be conducted in an orderly fashion and governed by Student Body meeting procedures, including minutes being taken by the Recording Secretary of Student Body. For meeting details please see the By-Laws of Student Council.
Section 6: The duration of the term for delegates to the House of Representatives shall be one semester. Students may serve as delegates to the House in succeeding semesters as many times as they are officially elected by the class period in which the Student Council meets (6th Period).
Section 7: Duties and qualifications for delegates to the House of Representatives may be determined by the classroom teacher or club sponsor and the Vice President of Student Council. Appointment of a House of Representative member and their alternate may be done by the Vice President, the Student Council Advisor, and with the approval of the Principal or Principal’s designee Vice Principal if a member has not been elected or selected in a timely fashion from a particular class/club.
Section 8: With the exception of the Vice President or his/her successor, no member may hold office in the House of Representatives. The Student Council Vice President presides over House of Reps, but has no vote in the House of Representatives. Only House of Representative members have a voice and a vote in the House of Representatives.
Section 9: Removal of a member from the House of Representatives can occur after the Advisor, Vice President of Student Council, and the classroom/sponsor teacher of the representative have met regarding the removal. Then a vote in Student Council must occur requiring quorum and a 2/3 vote in favor of removal of the individual. Only the Vice President can motion the removal of a representative and the Principal, or Principal’s designee Vice Principal can confirm the removal (or suspend the process and make that determination from the onset).
Article VIII
Source of Power
Section 1: As the Principal is responsible to the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education of the state of California for the welfare and safety of the school’s population, it is expressly understood that the Principal acknowledges and encourages student activities, and that all student powers herein set forth are delegated by the Principal, and any of these powers or all may be revoked by him/her at any time for any reason.
Article IX
Amendments
Section 1: This Constitution may be amended at any time during the course of regular school year. The following steps for amendment must be followed:
1. The amendment must be introduced either in the Student Body or in the House of Representatives by an active member of either of the respective groups.
2. The amendment must pass by a two-thirds majority of those present in the House of Representatives.
3. The amendment must pass by a two-thirds of Quorum of the Student Body.
4. The amendment must be approved by the Principal of Ulysses S. Grant High School, by having her sign the amendment.
Section 2: An amendment introduced and passed in the House of Representatives must be voted on in a period of no more than fifteen school days from its introduction by the Student Body.
Section 3: An amendment introduced and passed in the Student Body must be introduced and voted on by the House of Representatives within two meetings of the House of Representatives from when it was passed in the Student Body.
Section 4: Once an amendment has been passed by both the Student Body and the House of Representatives it must be signed by the Principal of Ulysses S. Grant High School within a period of no more than fifteen school days.
Section 5: Deviation from the amendment process shall result in the nullification of the amendment for a period of one calendar month from whatever period it was nullified. At that time the amendment may be introduced again, and fulfillment of each step is required. Each of the steps must be followed in Article IX Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 for an amendment to be ratified into the constitution.