Ed W. Clark High School
Speech & Debate Constitution 2015-2016
Article I:
Name
Section 1:
Article II:
The name of the organization shall be Clark High School Speech & Debate.
Objectives and Activities
Section 1:
The objectives of this organization shall be:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Section 2:
Article III:
Article IV:
To help students to grow as public speakers and debaters.
To help students develop critical thinking and analysis skills.
To provide a platform for developing and practicing principles of leadership.
To succeed in competitive speech and debate tournaments.
The activities of this organization shall be aligned with its objectives.
Membership
Section 1:
Membership is open to all students enrolled in Speech & Debate I, Speech &
Debate II, and/or Speech & Debate III/IV.
Section 2:
Membership is open to students who have completed the Speech and Debate I and
II courses, have received coach(es)’ approval, and maintain membership through
the extracurricular Speech & Debate Club.
Section 3:
If a student violates any Clark High School rule or policy and/or any Clark
County School District rule or policy, the coach(es) may suspend membership in
Speech & Debate.
Election of Officers
Section 1:
Students file for candidacy in writing by filling out the appropriate candidacy
form supplied by the speech and debate teacher/coach(es).
Section 2:
Students running for officer positions must have a minimum unweighted GPA of
3.0, no “U”s in citizenship, and be in good standing with the speech and debate coach(es).
Section 3.
Students may run for only one officer position in the election. The election is for
the offices of president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.
Section 4:
In the election, if there is not a candidate with a majority victory (51%), there will
be a run-off election the next day between the top two vote-getters.
Section 5:
The position of event captain is appointed by the speech and debate coach(es).
A. Positions:
Captain of Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Captain of Public Forum Debate, Captain of
Platform Events, Captain of Interp Events, and Extemporaneous Captain.
B. Qualification of Events Captains:
Captains are chosen based on experience, leadership abilities, performance in Golden
Desert District tournaments, and character. Students must demonstrate an ability to
conduct themselves with maturity and collegiality when instructing other students on
the team. There are no exceptions to this. These students must be in good standing
with the speech and debate coach(es) beyond the speech and debate minimum GPA
and citizenship grade. “Good standing” is defined as:
a. being thoroughly knowledgeable in their respective events,
b. a willingness to share his/her expertise,
c. conducting themselves with maturity and collegiality when instructing
other students on the team,
d. leading labs that take place outside of the scheduled class time,
e. maintaining and being responsible for extemporaneous materials and
disseminating information for current events(extemp. capt. only),
f. helping and guiding students with any aspect of their respective events
when necessary,
g. demonstrating and maintaining the highest standards of character,
integrity, and leadership.
C. Captains may be removed at the discretion of the speech and debate coach(es).
D. Officers and captains must be in grades 10 through 12.
E. Appointed captains may be students who ran for an officer position and were not
elected.
F. Only the speech and debate teacher/coach(es) may determine the total number of
officers and captains, depending on the size of the team and the quality of the candidates.
Article IV:
Section 1:
Section 2:
Voting
Only students enrolled in Speech and Debate may vote. Before voting, students must sign-in so
there is a register of voters in case there needs to be a run-off.
If there is a run-off election, only those who voted the previous day may vote.
Section 3:
It is the speech and debate teacher/coach(es)’ discretion whether or not seniors may vote. The
speech and debate coach(es) needs to announce his/her decision regarding eligibility of seniors
prior to students filing for candidacy.
Article V:
Section 1:
Campaigning
Candidates may make campaign speeches for their desired positions. The length of speeches
will be determined by the speech and debate coach(es).
There will be no posters, buttons, or any other campaign materials.
There may be a question/answer session for candidates and the voters. The speech and debate
teacher will make that decision.
Section 2:
Section 3:
Article VI:
Officer Positions
Section 1:
Officer positions for this organization shall include: captain, co-captain, secretary, and treasurer.
These officers shall serve for one year, or until their successors are elected.
Section 2:
Duties of the officers will be as follows:
A. Captain
a. Serves as the leader of the team in all venues.
b. Facilities team activities such as meetings/practices/events.
c. Sees that all members meet and maintain membership requirements.
d. Serves as the connection between advisor/coach(es) and team members.
e. Assists team in practices, tournaments, and general team requirements.
f. Prepares typed agendas for all meetings.
g. Serves as student liason between the team and Clark administration.
h. Accepts team trophies.
i. Organizes Charger Speaker of the Month.
j. Photograph/record Speech and Debate activities throughout the year.
B. Co-captain
a. Assists the captain in his/her duties.
b. Takes over captain’s duties in the event the captain is unable to fulfill his/her
duties.
c. Finalizes all transportation to and from meets/activities.
d. Organizes team dinners.
e. Sees that all members meet and maintain membership requirements.
f. Serves as the connection between advisor/coach(es) and team members.
g. Assists team in practices, tournaments, and general team requirements.
C. Treasurer:
a. Keeps track of all incoming and outgoing monies.
b. Insures all payments/fees for tournaments are received on time.
c. Organizes and runs fundraising efforts.
d. Assists any other members or officers as needed.
D. Secretary:
a. Records meeting minutes
b. Posts meeting minutes and announcements to team Facebook page no later
than one day following each meeting.
c. Assists the captain and co-captain in their duties, especially tallying and
recording NFL points.
Section 3:
Officers must maintain a 2.0 GPA in order to be considered in good standing.
Section 4:
If any officer fails to maintain his/her good standing, the advisor/coach(es) may begin
impeachment procedures.
A. Step I for impeachment: Warning from advisor and one week suspension from any
team activities.
B. Step II for impeachment: Parent conference and two week suspension from team
activities.
C. Step III for impeachment: Removal from office or team.
D. If any team member’s behavior (such as drinking, drug use, etc.) puts the Clark
Speech & Debate Team in an unfavorable position, the coach(es) may remove the
offending member with help from administrators without following the steps for
impeachment.
Article VII: Terms of Office
Section 1:
Elected officers who leave school or who transfer off the team before fulfilling their term
may be replaced through appointment by the speech and debate coach(es).
Section 2:
All terms are for one school year, beginning in August and ending with the spring
election of the same school year.
Article VIII: Tournaments
Section 1:
Tournament Participation
A. Participation at scheduled in-district tournaments is expected.
B. For team members in their second, third, or fourth year of competition,
participation in two events per tournament is a requirement of membership.
Section 2:
Tournament Eligibility
A. Students must maintain averages in their academic courses no lower than
70.0% in order to be eligible for competition.
B. Students dropped from a tournament due to lack of eligibility are responsible
for payment of drop fees.
C. Students must attend school on the day of the tournament until the time
indicated on the excuse form.
D. Any student who does not attend school on the day of the tournament will be
dropped from the tournament and must pay applicable drop fees.
E. If absent due to illness, the student will not be assessed a drop fee provided
the coach(es) is notified by a parent prior to 10 a.m. on the day (Friday) of a
tournament.
F. Members must have fees paid prior to the tournament.
G. Members must attend practices and be in good standing.
H. Members must procure adequate judges for each tournament.
Section 2:
Tournament Rules
A. Skipping any rounds of competition at the tournament is not permitted.
Skipping competition rounds will result in consequences.
B. Students are expected to attend the entire competitive event.
C. All students are expected to attend the awards assembly unless participating in
a conflicting elimination round.
A. Other teams, coaches, judges, and competitors are to be treated with respect at
all times (including the awards ceremony!)
B. ALL school rules are in effect at all times, including no smoking, no drinking,
no using drugs, no engaging in promiscuous behavior, and no insubordination.
C. Failing to be at the designated meeting place on time/early may result in
students being left behind.
Section 3:
Tournament Dress
A. During tournaments, students are to wear appropriate business attire.
a. This includes: knee-length (or longer) skirts, nice slacks, blouses,
suits, closed-toed shoes, collared button-down shirts, ties, or suits.
B. Prohibited attire includes, but is not limited to: denim, sneakers, flip-flops,
sweatshirts, mini-skirts, hoodies, midriff showing, underwear showing.
Article VI:
Graduation Cords
Section 1:
In order to earn Speech & Debate graduation cords, members must:
A. Maintain their status as members in good standing for at least three years.
B. Have competed at at least six tournaments per year for each of the three years
in which they were active team members.
C. Have displayed qualities of leadership and cooperation.
D. Have no outstanding fees or course requirements.
Article VII:
Amendments
Section 1:
Amendments to this constitution shall be adopted by two-thirds vote of the
members present at a regular meeting.
Section 2:
Amendments must be submitted in writing.