Brunswick High School
Student Government Constitution
Article I:
A.
B.
C.
Article II:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Name and Purpose
the name of this organization is the Brunswick High School Student Government
the purpose of the BHS Student Government includes but is not limited to:
1.
serving as representatives of the BHS student body
2.
involving students in the decision-making process
3.
discussing and recommending action in areas of concern to BHS students
4.
making changes and improvements at BHS
5.
serving as a liaison between students, faculty, and administration
6.
overseeing student activities and fostering BHS school spirit among students
protecting and expanding students’ rights
1.
Student Government shall have weekly morning meetings at the discretion of the
President and Student Government Advisor
2.
any member of the BHS Student Body may attend Student Government meetings
Elections and Membership
all Brunswick High School students are eligible for membership in the Student
Government
students are considered Student Government members if they are:
1.
elected Class Officers
2.
Representatives-At-Large
a.
non-elected members who join at the beginning of the school year
b.
BHS students who attend five (5) meetings and are then approved for full
membership by majority vote of the current Student Government
members
elections shall be held for four (4) Class Officers from each class
1.
there shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer from each
class
2.
elections for Class Officers from the Senior, Junior, and Sophomore classes shall
be held at the end of the of the school year prior to which they shall serve
3.
elections for the Freshman class shall be held in the fall of the school year in
which they shall serve
any student wishing to run for Class Office shall:
1.
submit an official Student Government petition with the signatures of twenty (20)
students from his/her class within the mandated period
2.
be elected to office by a simple majority vote of his/her class
a.
a tie shall result in a run-off election held within two (2) weeks
b.
if a seat is vacated by an officer an election of a new member shall be
held within the following three (3) weeks
Student Government Officers
1.
there shall be four (4) Student Government officers:
a.
President
b.
Vice-President
c.
Secretary
d.
Treasurer
2.
a Student Government Officer may be either a class officer or a representative-atlarge
3.
the President and Vice-President of Student Government shall have served on
Student Government for at least one (1) year prior to the start of his/her term
4.
the election of Student Government Officers shall take place within two weeks
after the elections for the Freshman class
5.
F.
Article III:
A.
B.
C.
D.
D.
Article IV:
Student Government Officers shall be elected by a simple majority vote of
Student Government members
although an official member of Student Government, the Student Government Advisor
shall only vote on measures in the event of a tie vote of student members
Responsibilities
all Student Government members, including approved and potential Representatives,
shall have the following general responsibilities:
1.
acting as a positive role model of BHS
2.
fairly representing their class and/or the general student body
3.
attending all weekly meetings
a.
more than three (3) consecutive absences or five (5) non-consecutive
absences within one academic semester shall result in procedures stated
in Article VI
4.
working on committees, special projects, or fundraising events as needed
Student Government Officers shall have additional responsibilities:
1.
the President(s) shall:
a.
coordinate all activities of the Student Government and work with the
Advisor and school administration
b.
preside at all Student Government meetings
c.
set the agenda for each meeting
d.
reassign the duties of other officers in the event of absences
c.
appoint and advise chairpersons of committees (see Article IV)
2.
the Vice-President shall:
a.
help the President set the agenda for meetings
b.
aid the President as needed
c.
assume the duties of the President in his/her absence
3.
the Secretary shall:
a.
take attendance at each meeting
b.
record the minutes of each meeting
4.
the Treasurer shall:
a.
with guidance from the Student Government Advisor, handle all
financial matters
b.
maintain records of all financial transactions
c.
periodically report the level of Student Government treasury
Class Officers
1.
Class Officers are responsible for organizing activities related to their specific
class, including but not limited to:
a.
class fundraising projects
b.
class outings/trips
c.
class community projects
voting privileges
1.
the Student Government Officers and elected Class Officers shall have voting
privileges
2.
Representatives-At-Large shall not have voting privileges until voted in as full
members (see Article II Section B-2-b).
all Student Government Members shall follow school policies and procedures
1.
any Student Government Member failing to uphold the responsibilities of his or
her position shall face consequences (as outlined in Article V)
Committees
A.
B.
Article V:
A.
B.
the Student Government may establish committees to deal with issues outside of regular
Student Government meetings
committees are defined as a group consisting of at least three (3) Student Government
members who meet to discuss an issue outside of regular meetings
Removal of Representatives
a member of Student Government may be removed if he/she:
1.
is no longer academically eligible
2.
fails to meet his/her responsibilities as outlined in Article III
the procedure to remove a representative is as follows:
1.
the Student Government President and Advisor shall issue a verbal and written
warning to the member of possible removal
2.
no more than two weeks after the warning has been issued, the member shall
have the opportunity to address Student Government relative to the warning of
possible removal
3.
Student Government shall have the opportunity to discuss the removal of the
member without the presence of the member under discussion
4.
Student Government shall vote by secret ballot whether or not to remove the
member
a.
a 2/3rds majority of voting Student Government members in favor of
removal must be met in order for the removal to take place
5.
if the removed member is a Class Officer, an election shall be held to replace
his/her as outlined in Article II Section D-2-b
6.
a removed member shall be ineligible to participate as a Student Government
Member until the following school year
Article VI:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Amendments
an amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by any Student Government member
proposals shall be presented to Student Government in verbal and written form
a vote on a proposed amendment must be held within two weeks of proposal
a 2/3rds majority of voting Student Government members in favor of the amendment
must be met in order for the amendment to be adopted
Article VII:
A.
Enactment
a vote for adoption of this 2015-16 Constitution draft shall take place within two weeks
of submission of draft
a 2/3rds majority of voting Student Government members in favor of the adopting the
Constitution must be met in order for the Constitution to go into effect
B.
Constitution Edited and Revised by: Pam Wagner, Student Government Advisor, October 5, 2015;
ratified September 16, 2015.