By-Laws, finalized June 2020

Harvard SEPAC

By-Laws

June 2020

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Harvard Special Education Parent Advisory Council, abbreviated Harvard SEPAC. 

Article II: Mission Statement                                                                         

The mission of the Harvard SEPAC is to create an inclusive community of students, parents, educators and district employees that fosters support and respect for children with special needs. Our practice involves partnering with the school committee and district leaders to plan, develop and evaluate special education programs and support families by creating a network that provides education, connection and communication. 

Our main priorities are strengthening our community through inclusion, and promoting an open, positive, collaborative relationship between special education district employees and parents. Additionally we strive to work with Harvard Public Schools to ensure that students’ needs under Massachusetts Special Education regulations and other applicable laws are being met. 

Article III: Purpose and Function

Working in partnership with the school committee and district leaders to plan, develop, evaluate and provide feedback on special education programs.

 Serving as a liaison between families receiving special education services and district leaders.

 Creating a support network for families in the special education community to allow for communication, connection and shared resources.

 Promoting a community culture of awareness, understanding, acceptance and inclusion of children and families with unique needs through educational programs, community events and maintenance of an open-dialogue with our school district.

Article IV: Membership

  1. General Membership: General membership shall be open to any party interested in the education of children with special needs in the Harvard school district, and who is a resident of Harvard or attending schools in Harvard. Additionally, membership is open to educators and school committee members within the Harvard school district. 

  2. General members who are present at meetings are voting members.  

  3. Children aged 14 and older may vote when present at meetings. 

  4. All information received by members of the SEPAC and discussed at SEPAC meetings will not include anything to identify a student. 

Article V: Board members, elections and duties

  1. The board of the SEPAC shall be Chair and the Secretary. Additionally, there may be a Co-Chair, Events Chair, Communications Chair, Treasurer, Technology Chair and in addition there may be a board member at large. If no one is nominated for the additional chairs, their duties may be absorbed by another member at the direction of the chair. 

  2. Nominations of candidates for officers for the next year will be requested by April of each year. 

    1. In the May meeting nominations from the floor may be requested; a person may nominate themselves

    2. Elections will be held at the annual meeting in June by a majority of votes cast by all members present at the time of the vote. 

    3. The term for officer positions will run from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. 

    4. To avoid conflict of interest, no officers will be paid employees of the Harvard Public School District. 

    5. A person may hold more than one office. 

  3. A Board Member may resign by giving written notice to the chair, and then an election will be promptly held to fill the empty position, unless the date is within two months of an upcoming election. In this case, election for this position will be postponed. 

  4. Position descriptions:

    1. Chair/ Co-Chair : 

      1. Attend all meetings for the SEPAC

      2. Draft agendas for each meeting 

      3. Schedule meetings in accessible facilities

      4. Support and facilitate the activities of other Officers

      5. Delegate tasks to other members as needed 

      6. Be aware of compliance with By-Laws and DESE regulations

      7. Coordinate the efforts to advise the district on matters the SEPAC gathers from its members

      8. Draft and distribute an annual survey to all parents/ guardians of children receiving SPED services in the district, and may distribute the survey to all households with students 

      9. Act as a liaison between parents / caregivers of students with known or suspected disabilities and Special Education Administrators by meeting on a regular basis

      10. Pass on knowledge about SEPAC several weeks prior to leaving position. 

    2. Secretary 

      1. Take meeting minutes

      2. Draft, distribute and post minutes 

      3. Take a log of attendees for each meeting

      4. Count and record votes

    3. Events Chair

      1. Suggest and plan events

      2. Coordinate event planning subcommittees

      3. Coordinate event logistics, including refreshments, book location, communicate with speakers, and the date and time of the event

      4. Communicate event planning updates to the SEPAC

      5. Work with technology and communications chairs to publicize events through all possible avenues- school newsletters, Facebook, Nextdoor, encouraging staff and administrators to spread the word

      6. Create promotional visuals to be distributed such as infographics, posters, advertisements, descriptions

    4. Technology Chair

      1. Maintain and improve online tools created by the SEPAC, such as the website, google calendar, and a facebook page

    5. Communications Chair

      1. Lead efforts to encourage parents, school staff, and caregivers to be more involved in the SEPAC

      2. Communicate with members of the SEPAC, schools and general public

        1. Upcoming events

        2. Relevant information from school staff and administrators

        3. Relevant changes in DESE regulations

    6. Treasurer

      1. Create an annual budget and review with the School Administrators and School Committee

      2. Receive and organize receipts, credit card statements, and descriptions of payments made by and received by the SEPAC in a spreadsheet

    7. Board Member at Large

      1. Board members at large may support the purpose of the Harvard SEPAC. 

Article VI: Voting Procedures

  1. Voting may only take place at a Board meeting where a quorum of Board Members are present

  2. A majority of the votes cast by General Members shall decide any question

  3. SEPAC business matter voting shall be open to all members present at SEPAC meetings, excluding district SPED staff or administrators, who may have a conflict of interest, unless they have a child who receives special education, a 504 plan, or is in need of such services

  4. The vote to elect Board Members is open to all SEPAC members, with the exception of district SPED staff and administrators

Article VII: Meetings

  1. The SEPAC will meet monthly on a regular night of the month decided upon at the beginning of a new school fiscal year at the July meeting

  2. Workshops, speakers, and other SEPAC events are separate from the monthly SEPAC business meeting

  3. Additional meetings may be held on an as-needed basis

  4. All meetings are publicly posted and advertised according to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 39, Section 23B “Open Meeting Law.” 

  5. A meeting schedule with school administrators and school committee can be determined by the chairs and other parties at the beginning of the school year

  6. Minutes of all meetings shall be taken and distributed by the Secretary

Article VIII: Grants, Donations and Fundraising

  1. The SEPAC may accept donations, write grants, or engage in fundraising, though the primary source of funds should come from the budget agreed upon with the school administration and approved by the school committee

  2. Any monies accepted by the SEPAC must be deposited in a separate account held by the town Treasurer

  3. Any Board Member using SEPAC funds to purchase materials needed, pay for workshops, items for events, or any other SEPAC-related matter, must do so within the established budget, if seeking reimbursement

  4. Reimbursement may be submitted to the assistant to the School Administration in the form of receipts with credit card statements

  5. Reimbursements made cannot include tax 

  6. Alternatively, a board member may ask the Special Education Director or Superintendent to directly purchase a specific budget-approved item

  7. All funds spent should be tracked on the SEPAC budget, and receipts / credit card statements held

Article IX:  Parliamentary Authority

  1. These by-laws may be altered, repealed, or amended at any SEPAC meeting as long as the request is submitted in writing to all Board members at least 14 calendar days before the meeting when the vote will take place. 

  2. The proposed changes to the By-laws may be adopted by a quorum of Board members at a meeting. 


 
 

Our members think…

“I wouldn’t change you for the world, but I would change the world for you."

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