Student Senate Information
Summary
Every year an election is held to choose three students from each grade level to represent their grade in student senate. Each candidate writes an essay about why they would make a good student senate representative for their grade and presents it to their grade. Their classmates then vote for who they think should be student senate. The student senates have meetings and work on making positive changes for their grade and school.
Constitution of the
Student Senate
of
Bluffton Middle School
Article I: Name
The name of this organization will be the Student Senate of Bluffton Middle School.
Article II: Purpose
The purpose of this organization will be:
1. To represent student feelings, opinions, and interests.
2. To encourage students to participate in school activities.
3. To emphasize citizenship and democracy and to help students understand their role in school government.
4. To develop a general feeling of friendliness in the school.
5. To promote school loyalty and spirit.
6. To create positive relationships between faculty and students.
7. To coordinate school activities.
8. To conduct and regulate all school campaigns, elections, and officer installations.
9. To participate in and promote school service projects.
10. To promote scholarship.
Article III: Source of Power
1. The Bluffton Exempted Village Schools Board of Education and the school administration are the source of power for this Student Senate.
2. The principal will have veto power over all Student Senate actions.
Article IV: Membership
Section 1: Anyone may run for a Senate seat if s/he is currently enrolled as a full time student at Bluffton Middle School.
Section 2: Membership will consist of nine representatives, three each from grades six through eight.
Section 3: No person will serve on Senate unless s/he maintains a minimum grade point average of 1.25 for any given grading period.
Article V: Election Procedures
Section 1: Student Senate elections are to be held within three weeks of the beginning of the school year.
Section 2: Anyone running for a position on the Senate must secure a petition, to be signed by four Bluffton Middle School teachers and/or Bluffton Elementary School fifth grade teachers.
Section 3: Anyone running for a position on the Senate must submit a parent permission form.
Section 4: Candidates will prepare and present to their respective classes an essay outlining their qualifications to serve on the Student Senate.
Section 5: Voting will take place immediately after the presentation of essays. Student body will cast three votes each.
Section 6: Counting of the ballots will take place immediately after the voting. The counting is to be at the discretion of the advisor or principal.
Section 7: The three students in each class receiving the most votes will serve on the Student Senate.
Article VI: Meetings
Regular meetings of the Senate will be held at least once a month. Special meetings may be called with the approval of the president and the advisor.
Article VII: Officers and Duties
Section 1: There will be four officers of the Student Senate: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2: All officers must be representatives from the seventh or eighth grade classes.
Section 3: The duties of these officers will be:
A. President
1. To prepare an agenda for each meeting.
2. To preside at all meetings.
3. To call special meetings.
4. To coordinate standing committees.
B. Vice-President
1. To preside in the absence of the president.
2. To coordinate special committees.
3. To coordinate maintenance of the Student Senate web page.
C. Secretary
1. To take minutes of all meetings and keep them in good form.
2. To make the minutes public to the student body within three days of the approval of the minutes by the advisor and/or principal.
3. To take roll and keep records of attendance at all meetings and activities.
4. To send and record all correspondence.
D. Treasurer
1. To give reports of the Senate’s financial situation.
2. To co-sign with the advisor all requisitions for all Student Senate expenditures.
3. To have the funds audited before turning the books over to the new Treasurer.
4. To prepare a complete report of income and expenditures to be filed for next year’s Student Senate.
Section 4: All other members will vote and participate in all meetings and activities.
Article VIII: Ratification
Immediately upon the approval of the principal and the two-thirds vote of the student body, this constitution goes into effect.
Article IX: Amendments
An amendment may be proposed in writing at any regular or special meeting by a member of the Student Senate. Upon approval of the Senate and after a lapse of one week, the proposed amendment may be voted upon. A favorable vote will consist of two/thirds of the student body and the consent of the principal.
Two-thirds of all members of the Senate (6) will constitute a quorum for any votes to be binding. No business may be transacted without this number of members present.
All representatives must attend regular meetings and all activities of the Senate unless a prior excuse has been presented to the president or the advisor. Legitimate excuses include any school-related activity occurring during the Senate activity or any excuse so determined by the president and advisor.
The agenda for all regular Senate meetings will be as follows:
1. Call to order
2. Check of attendance
3. Officers’ reports
4. Committee reports
5. Old business
6. New business
7. Announcements
8. Adjournment
Section I: The executive committee will be composed of the officers of the Senate.
Section 2: The duties of the committee will be:
A. To carry out all the activities and resolutions voted on by the Senate.
B. To work with the various committees to initiate and evaluate the activities sponsored by the Senate.
C. To take an active role in the removal of an officer or member.
Section I: There will be two types of committees other than the executive committee:
A. Standing or permanent committees will be established by the Student Senate shortly after the election of the new Senate.
B. Temporary or special committees may be formed as needed and will meet until their duties are met.
Section II: The following will be the standing committees: Public Relations, Social, Service.
Section III: Public Relations
A. This committee will communicate with the public.
B. This committee will let the student body and community know of Senate activities, outstanding students, and events at Bluffton Middle School.
Section IV: Service
A. This committee will organize service activities, including those of local, national, and/or global concerns.
B. This committee may plan assemblies that improve school spirit or morale, and that teach or entertain the students.
Section V: Social
This committee will sponsor “fun” activities for the student body.
Article V: Removal from Office or Senate
Section 1: Any member may be removed at the discretion of the principal, whose decision will be final.
Section 2: An officer or representative may be removed from Senate for the following reasons:
A. Attendance
Unexcused absences from two meetings and/or two unexcused absences from two Senate activities
B. Prolonged disciplinary action from the faculty or administration
C. Failure to discharge duties
D. Failure to meet the 1.25 grade average requirement.
Section 3: Removal Procedures
A. The advisor will notify the Senate member when his/her status is in question.
B. The advisor will also notify the executive committee of this action.
C. If the member’s status still remains in question because of further negligence, the advisor will notify the member of the intent to remove him/her from the Senate.
D. The member in question may appear before the executive committee to challenge the reason for removal, to produce witnesses, or to otherwise explain his/her actions.
E. If the member is to be removed from the Senate, the executive committee will then take the issue to the rest of the Senate where two thirds of the members must vote in favor of the removal. The executive committee will then notify the member in question in writing as to the date of the action of his/her removal with the date being no more than two weeks preceding removal.
F. The advisor will write a letter to the parents within 24 hours of the executive committee’s decision, stating the action taken by the Senate and reasons for its action.
G. The student and/or his/her parents have the right to appeal the removal from the Senate to the principal within a one week time period after notification.