Mansfield High School Student Council Constitution

Article 1 Name of the Organization for Which This Constitution Governs

This Constitution is in place to outline and guide the Student Council of
Mansfield High School.
Article 2 Purpose of the Mansfield High School Student Council
The Mansfield High School Student Council exists to promote civic
responsibility, leadership, scholarship, and human relations within in the
student body. Student Council serves two distinct functions: legislation and
service.
The legislative purpose of the Student Council is as follows:
To represent the interests of the entire student body
To review and respond to feedback of the student body
To act as liaison to the school administration and/or School Committee,
when it becomes necessary for student issues to be
addressed at this level
To create bodies amongst its membership when necessary to achieve
general and specific goals of the council
The service purpose of the student council is as follows:
To provide aid to the students, the school and the community
To host school functions which may include, but are not limited to,
pep rallies, dances and teacher appreciation
To sponsor a number of as community service activities, in a manner
which brings the school and community closer together as a whole
To create an atmosphere that promotes student involvement in both the
council and other student organizations at MHS
Article 3 Voting Rights of Student Council Members
All members in good standing (Article 4), are given one vote each,
except for the President, who shall have two votes (Article 5). All persons
holding elected positions within the Council can be impeached (see Bylaws),
and
therefore lose their voting rights, if the Council has (1) the approval of the
advisor and the principal and (2) a three-fourths vote of the council as a whole.
In such
an instance, a general election will be held at a full council meeting to
occupy that position. Appropriate voting procedure (Article 5) will take place
Article 4 Election of Members and Definitions of Membership
It is the responsibility of each class, in the last term of each school year, to

appoint 5 (five) students from that class to serve as members on the Student
Council for the upcoming year. Class officers may not be used to fill any of these
5 appointments; however, the class president must serve as a member Student
Council for the year of their administration. The class president may, if they
choose, pass on this duty to another elected officer of his/her class. In such a
case, that officer would become a member of Student Council in lieu of the
class president. (See Amendments [Feb 2010])
There are two distinct definitions of membership within the Student
Council: Member in Good Standing and Member at Large.
A member in good standing shall be defined as:
A person who has been appointed to the council through the
aforementioned process (Article 4)
A person who has been inducted into the council through the member
at large induction process.
A member at large shall be defined as:
A member who has yet to meet the requirements of a member of good
standing
They do not have voting rights within the council

A member at large may be inducted as a member of good standing when the

following requirement has been met:
Have attended 80% of the required meetings and events from the
previous semester
A person who has fulfilled this requirement shall be made a member at one of the
biannual induction ceremonies, where their induction shall be announced to the
entire council.
Article 5 Election of Officers and Definition of Officer Positions
The Executive Board (later referred to as the E-Board) shall consist of
the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,
Parliamentarian, and Historian.
E-Board Officers shall be elected each Spring. To run for office candidates
must have served a minimum of one semester as a member in good standing.
No class officer may hold both a position as a class officer and as an E-board
member.
Candidates for the Office of President must be members of the incoming
senior class who fulfill the above requirement, but who, in addition, have served
as a member in good standing for the entirety of the year prior to the year to
when he/she would take office.

The President shall:

Serve as the head of the E-Board
Be responsible for scheduling and running all meetings of the both the
full council and the E-Board
Oversee all other E-Board members, to insure their duties are being
fulfilled
When necessary, initiate voting on council matters
The Vice President shall:
Be responsible for upholding the Councils Constitution and Bylaws
Evaluate all Student Council proceedings, events, and activities, to
ensure they are in-line with these above mentioned documents
During general meetings, the Vice President will be responsible for
taking general notes on the board and insuring the meeting is running
smoothly, and effectively, and that all present members are sufficiently
engaged
Oversee the recruitment of new students to participate in Student
Council
The Secretary shall:
Be responsible for writing and distributing an agenda for each
meeting.
Record official minutes for both general and E-Board Meetings
Report on the previous meetings minutes at each meeting before
submitting them as official record
Report progress made in any council goals, activities, or events
The Treasurer shall:
Be responsible for reporting at each general meeting as well as each EBoard meeting the status of the council budget. This information shall
include profits, expenditures, and available revenue.
Advise the council on any matters potentially involving fundraising or
the use of council funds.
The Parliamentarian shall:
Record attendance at each meeting, both general and E-Board.
Keep attendance records for all members
Inform both individual members and the E-Board when attendance
requirements are not being fulfilled
Enforce the attendance policy by informing members if they are in
danger of losing their good standing
The Historian shall:

Maintain an organized binder for submission to the National

Association of Student Councils
Serve as the webmaster for the Student Council web site, insuring that
it is kept up to date

Article 6 Frequency of Student Council Meetings and E-Board General Meetings

The President is responsible for planning out a flexible calendar at the
beginning of each month. The frequency of meetings is to be determined by
the E-Board as necessary based upon upcoming events, elections, or issues.
Each Council member will be given a monthly schedule and expected to follow
it. There should be at least one general council meeting per month. Additional
council meetings will be determined by the E-Board.
It is expected that all members of the E-Board meet on a weekly basis to
discuss council happenings and plan for upcoming general meetings. They also
must insure, that the Student Council, at a minimum, takes on one project or
objective per month.
Article 7 Duties of Student Council as Delegated By the Principal or Executive
Board
The Principal may propose projects to the Student Council. These
projects and responsibilities must adhere to the purposes of Student Council as
defined in the Constitution. They may include school events and community
opportunities. All proposals made by the principal are subject to a vote by the
general council.
It is the Presidents duty to make individual assignments to the E-Board
and other Council members in order to achieve any goals the council has voted
to pursue.
Article 8 Process for Ratification of the Student Council Constitution
In order for this Constitution to be ratified, a meeting must be held
among all Council officers and members in good standing. Prior to being voted
on, the Constitution must have received unanimous approval from the officers,
advisor, and principal. A vote will be held to ratify it and a three-fourths approval
of the Council is required. If these requirements are met then the Constitution
will be considered ratified and will take effect immediately.
Article 9 Provisions for Amending the Student Council Constitution
If the Council believes that the Student Council Constitution needs to
be amended, then the following procedure must be followed:
1. A meeting of the entire council must be held where the
problem must be addressed and a solution suggested
2. Any proposed changes must be approved by the Advisor and
Principal as appropriate

3. The council will discuss the change and vote on amending at

the meeting following approval by the Principal and Advisor.
4. Three-fourths vote is required (following correct voting
Procedure from Article 3) to make the change.
5. The Secretary is responsible making for changes to the official
copy of the Constitution, once amendments have been accepted
by the Council.
Constitutional Amendments:
First Amendment:

( Article-4) Class officers may be used to fill the 5 appointed members

at large. All class officers are obligated to attend every general Student
Council meeting. Class officers attendance is mandatory. Those whose
attendance is not in good standing will be reprimanded by their individual
class advisor. (Amended Feb, 2010)