PA and SLT By-Laws

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVES

Section 2.01 To promote the education, interests, health, and welfare of the students at The Bronx High School of Science (the School);
Section 2.02 To foster and encourage parental participation in the school;
Section 2.03 To develop a cooperative working relationship between parents and staff of the school;
Section 2.04 To do all things necessary, suitable and proper, in furtherance of and for the accomplishment of these objectives. Section 2.05 To provide support and resources to the school for the benefit and educational growth of the students.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 3.1 Eligibility.
Membership in the association shall be limited to parents, foster parents, guardians, and persons in parental relations legally appointed to students currently attending the Bronx High School of Science. (Refer to Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 for the definition of ‘Parent’) In the beginning of each school year, a welcoming letter from the association shall inform parents of their membership status, voting rights and encourage their participation. A parent may not designate another individual to serve in his/her place as a member of the PA.

Section 3.2 Dues.
There shall be no requirement that a member of the PA make a donation or a payment in order to be a member, to vote or to run for office.

Section 3.3 Voting Privileges.
Each parent, step-parent, foster parent, legally appointed guardian and person in parental relation to a child /children currently enrolled in Bronx High School of Science shall be entitled to one vote, regardless of the number of children enrolled in the school. Voting may be in person or on a Virtually Remote Platform (VRP) in the event that a virtual meeting is convened. Voting by proxy, absentee ballot, email, or conference call is not permitted.

Section 3.4 Conflict of Interest.
PA members must be careful to avoid acting in circumstances in which their personal interests conflict with their interests as PA members. PA members and officers may not vote on matters where there is a conflict of interest. “Conflict of interest” shall include, but not be limited to, situations where (a) a PA member or Officer has any direct or indirect interest in a business dealing with the School, the community school district, or the Department Board of Education, including a contract or personnel appointment; or (b) a Community District Educational Council member or any other school employee or Officer who is also a PA member and who is likely to hear the same subject on appeal, whether or not the Board member has an interest in the subject. Officers may, however, vote for themselves or their spouses in elections for officers. In extraordinary circumstances, waivers may be granted by the DOE Ethics Officer. PA members who have a conflict of interest as defined above may not run for an officer position unless and until they obtain a waiver. PA officers who have a conflict of interest as defined above are subject to removal from office if they fail to obtain a waiver

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS

Section 4.1 Titles:
The Officers of the PA shall be a President or up to three Co-Presidents; Two Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer; Recording Secretary or Co-Recording Secretaries; Corresponding Secretary.

Section 4.2 Term of Office:
The term of office of all Officers shall be one year beginning from July 1 through June 30 of the following year, except for those elected in the Fall, whose term of office shall be from the date of the regularly scheduled October meeting (when they are elected) through June 30 of the following year and those elected at expedited elections whose term of office shall be from their date of election through June 30 of the following year. Elections of mandatory officers (president, treasurer, and recording secretary) must be held before the last day of school, to ensure there will be a PA in place during the summer and for the opening of school in the fall. It is suggested that the election be held at the PA General meeting in May. Officers may serve no more than two (2) terms in the same position. There are no limits on the number of terms a person may be elected to serve in differing officer positions for the association. Officers shall serve without compensation. Eligibility for office is limited to parents, legally appointed guardians, step-parents, foster parents or persons in parental relation to children currently attending the school and who are not employed by the school. For the purpose of having an effective PA body, it is recommended that candidates for President or Co-Presidents and Treasurer(s), serve on the Executive Board for one year prior to running for one of the mandatory PA positions. Co-officers must run together as a slate in order to serve together.

Section 4.3 Duties of Officers:
PA officers, and particularly the three mandatory officers (president, treasurer, and recording secretary) are responsible for running the day-to-day affairs of the PA; communicating with members to inform them and hear their concerns; representing parents on their school’s School Leadership Team; attending meetings of the appropriate Presidents’ Council; and voting for members of the Community or Citywide Education Councils.

4.3.1 President or up to three Co-Presidents: The President or up to three Co-Presidents or designated representative shall preside at all membership meetings of the association; shall be ex-officio members of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President or Co=Presidents shall provide leadership for its members, shall co-sign all checks; shall appoint all chairs of committees subject to the approval of the Executive Board; shall carry out the decisions of the membership; and shall perform all other duties incident to the office. In the event that the PA elects co-presidents, only one will serve as the core member of the SLT and the co-presidents will determine which one will serve on the SLT. The co-presidents will determine the coverage to the District President’s Council. The President or Co-Presidents or designated representative shall attend FACE (Office of Family and Community Empowerment) professional development seminars relating to Association leadership. The President or CoPresidents shall assist in the June Transfer of PA records to the incoming Executive Board. The Bronx High School of Science PA strongly prefers Co-Presidents instead of a single President for the association.

4.3.2 Vice-Presidents: The Vice-Presidents shall assist the President and/or Co-Presidents; shall assume the President’s or Co-Presidents’ duties in their temporary absence or at their request and take on other duties as requested by the President and/or Co-Presidents.

4.3.3 Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial affairs and funds of the association; shall maintain all deposit slips with appropriate identification of funds; shall maintain an updated record of all income and expenditures; shall co-sign all checks; shall provide a financial report at all general membership meetings; shall ensure that all tax documentation is completed and submitted on time, and shall perform all other duties incident to the office. The Treasurer shall prepare and provide the January 31 Interim and June 30 Annual PA Financial Reports. The Treasurer shall be chair of the Budget Committee and shall assist the Vice-Presidents and shall assume their duties in their temporary absence or at their request

4.3.4 Assistant-Treasurer: The Assistant-Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer in keeping the financial records of the PA and in the Treasurer’s other duties. The Assistant-Treasurer shall be responsible for deposits of all PA monies to the PA bank account, will maintain an updated record of all donations. The Assistant-Treasurer will be responsible for the paperwork for corporate matching funds. The Assistant-Treasurer shall assume the Treasurer’s duties in the temporary absence or incapacity of the Treasurer or at the request of the Treasurer, President or one of the Co-Presidents. The Assistant- Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and shall assume their duties in their temporary absence or at their request.

4.3.5 Recording Secretary or Co-Recording Secretaries: The Recording Secretary or CoRecording Secretaries shall record the proceedings and actions of all association meetings in the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the PA and of the Executive Board and shall distribute copies of the minutes via email prior to the next scheduled meeting for review and approval by the general membership and the Executive Board, unless another Executive Board member takes on this responsibility; The Recording Secretary or Co-Recording Secretaries shall maintain custody of the Association records on school premises in the PA room and on the PA website, unless another Executive Board member takes on this responsibility. Approved meeting minutes from the General meetings shall be posted on the PA website in draft form prior to the next PA meeting and distributed to the general membership via email. The approved General meeting minutes will be posted on the PA website promptly after approval. Copies of all approved meeting minutes from Executive Board meetings, General meetings and special meetings will be kept on file in an online format and be available to any PA member who requests to see them. The attendance sign in sheets for General meetings and special meetings will also be kept on file in an online format and be available to any PA member who requests to see them. The meeting minutes of the Executive Board will include the names of all who attended or did not attend. The Secretary or Co-Recording Secretaries shall incorporate all amendments into the by-laws and shall ensure that signed copies of the bylaws with the latest amendments are on file with the Principal’s office and shall perform all other duties incident to the office. They shall assist the Assistant Treasurer and shall assume their duties in their temporary absence or at their request. The secretary shall assist the treasurer with the June transfer of all PA records to the incoming executive board. The responsibilities shall include notices, agendas, sign-in sheets and material distributed.

4.3.6 Corresponding Secretary: The Corresponding Secretary’s responsibilities shall include assisting the Recording Secretary and shall assuming their duties in their temporary absence or at their request. They are responsible for all the communications related to volunteers for events and setting up Signup Genius for recruiting the volunteers. Other responsibilities may be added as needed.

Section 4.4 June Transfer of records.
The outgoing PA Executive Board, together with the Treasurer, Secretary/Co-secretary, shall arrange for the orderly transfer of records and information of the PA, which shall include an overview of all PA transactions for the school year to the incoming Executive Board. At least one meeting will be scheduled during the month of June for this purpose. Any member of the Executive Board may request the assistance of the President or co-Presidents during this process.

Section 4.5 Surrender of Records
All Officers shall, at the expiration of their terms, surrender to the PA office all vouchers, books, records, keys, electronic-files and all other property of the PA in their possession or control. In addition, they shall no longer use PA related email addresses for any types of communications.

Section 4.6 Election of Officers
The election for the July 1 to June 30 term will be held at the General PA meeting in May.

4.6.1 Election of Nominating Committee
(i) The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least, three to five members to be elected by the membership at the February meeting. Notice of the February meeting shall inform the membership that the Nominating Committee will be elected and that all interested in serving on the Nominating Committee should submit their names to the Recording Secretary or one of the Co-Recording Secretaries. No person employed in the School shall be eligible to serve on the Nominating Committee.
(ii) Members of the Nominating Committee are not eligible to run for office.
(iii) The Nominating Committee shall select a chair or co-chairs from its members. The PA President or a Co-Presidents shall call a meeting of the Nominating Committee within two weeks of its election.
(iv) The Nominating Committee shall seek out the membership in writing, in English and other languages as appropriate, for recommendations of candidates for all positions. The Nominating Committee will also be responsible for conducting the election process, explained in section 4.6.4). This includes the following:

•Preparing and distributing all notices regarding this process in the applicable languages, where possible (i.e., meeting notices, agendas, reminder notices, tearoff applications, etc.)
•Canvassing the membership for all eligible candidates.
• Determining and verifying the eligibility of all interested candidates.
• Reporting the names to date of those candidates during the April meeting.
• Ensuring that an opportunity is provided to all members allowing for nominations (this includes self-nomination) to be taken from the floor during the April meeting.
• Officially closing the nominations process at the end of the April meeting.
• Reporting the names of all eligible candidates and the positions they are seeking, to the membership at least two (2) weeks prior to the May election.
• Ensuring that only eligible members receive a ballot for voting.
• Conducting the May election either in person or through a Virtually Remote Platform.

4.6.2 Nomination Process.
(i) The Nominating Committee shall distribute a notice to the membership no later than one week after its first meeting, listing and describing the duties of each Executive Board position and soliciting candidates. This notice shall identify the members of the Nominating Committee. Anyone interested in serving on the Executive Board or SLT or who would like to suggest someone else as a candidate shall submit the names to the Nominating Committee, together with whatever additional information the Nominating Committee reasonably may request. This and all Nominating Committee notices shall be prepared and distributed in all applicable languages, where possible.
(ii) The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates and present it at the April general membership meeting.
(iii) Candidates shall be nominated for each of the Officer positions and up to five member- at large positions. At least one, and up to four, additional member-at-large position shall be left vacant to be filled by a freshmen or incoming parent to be elected at the October general membership meeting.(iv)Additional Nominations. The nominating committee may also utilize tear-off applications to reach additional eligible candidates. Tear-off applications must include a cut-off date not less than ten (10) days from the date of distribution. Nominations shall be taken from the floor at the April general membership meeting. Nominations from the floor must be seconded at the April meeting in person or by petition.
(v) Nominations shall be closed following the April meeting and no later than eleven (11) days prior to the May general meeting and shall not be taken from the floor at the May meeting unless there is no candidate running for the position.
(vi) Notices. The meeting notice and agenda for the May general membership election meeting shall be distributed not less than ten (10) calendar days prior to the date. All meeting notices and agendas shall be available in the applicable languages, where possible. The distribution date shall appear on all notices. It shall list all candidates in alphabetical order under the office for which they were nominated. The nominating committee shall also inform the Principal of the date and time of the election on or before March 1.

4.6.3 Qualifications of Candidates.
There shall be no qualifications for any office in the PA other than being a parent of a child at the school. It is recommended that the Co-Presidents and Treasurer have served as a member of the Executive Board for one year prior. No member of a community school board or of the Community District Education Council from the district encompassing the School is eligible to serve as an Officer of the PA, nor is any employee of the School, including a parent coordinator, eligible to serve on the Nominating Committee, as an Officer of the PA, as an Executive Board member, or as a parent member of the School Leadership Team.

4.6.4 Election Procedure
(i) The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for conducting the election, which shall be held no later than the May General Meeting. The election must only be conducted at a General Meeting in-person or on a Virtually Remote Platform. Conducting elections in a hybrid meeting is not permitted.
(ii) If there is only one candidate for each office, by motion and vote of the membership, the Recording Secretary or one of the Co-Recording Secretaries shall be instructed to cast one vote for the entire slate and that shall be included in the minutes.
(iii) Contested elections and Use of Ballots: In the event of a contested election, voting shall be by written ballot or via a ballot on a Virtually Remote Platform. Names of candidates shall appear on the ballot in alphabetical order under the title of the position for which they were nominated.
(iv) Ballots shall be printed or posted online with instructions in English and other languages, as appropriate, where possible. Voting by proxy or absentee ballots is not permitted.
(v) Determining Voter Eligibility: All members of the PA at the time of the election are eligible to vote. Individuals who will begin their membership the following school year may not vote (i.e., parents of incoming students). The principal or her/his designee must verify each individual’s eligibility to vote by confirming that the individual qualifies as a member of the PA. This verification must occur prior to the distribution of ballots.
(vi) The Recording Secretary or one of the Co-Recording Secretaries and a representative of the Nominating Committee shall count ballots. If the Recording Secretary or a Co-Recording Secretary is a candidate, another member of the Executive Board who is not a candidate shall count the ballots instead.
(vii) Ballots shall be retained for six months in the PA office or stored in an electronic or online format. (viii) The principal or his/her designee (the parent coordinator cannot be the principal’s designee) shall certify that the nominations and election process were conducted in accordance with CR A-660. The Nominating Committee shall promptly provide the Principal with the information to complete the PA election Certification (Attachment 10 to CR A-660). Within five (5) calendar days the Nominating Committee shall report the certified election results to the Deputy Borough Director of High Schools.
(ix) The notice to the membership shall be sent before the latter of the date of the regular notice of the June meeting or within two weeks of the election and shall include a list of the elected incoming Officer and Executive Board members.
(x) Installation and introduction of incoming Officers and Executive Board members shall take place at the June general membership meeting following the election.
(xi) For the member-at-large position left vacant for incoming parents and/or for any unfilled positions at the spring election (other than President, Secretary and Treasurer), there will be notification of availability in September prior to the general membership meeting. A slate of candidates shall be finalized one week following at the September general membership meeting and distributed to the membership at least ten (10) day prior to the October General membership meeting. The vote will be taken by the October General membership meeting. The election procedures set forth in this Section shall be followed as applicable.
(xii) The PA must elect required Officers (President, Secretary, and Treasurer) to be a functioning PA. The PA ceases to function if it has not held elections or fails to elect at least one mandatory officer (president, recording secretary or treasurer) by the last day of school. For vacancies that exist at the opening of the school year, a PA ceases to function if an expedited election has not taken place by October 15. If a PA has ceased to function for failure to conduct a valid election or for failure to fill vacancies in the positions of President, Secretary or Treasurer in accordance with the terms of the PA’s bylaws, the Principal shall be responsible for activating the PA by October 15th of the following school year as per Chancellor’s Regulation A660.

Section 4.7 Vacancies
A vacancy occurring on the board shall be filled by the rest of Executive Board members for the remainder of the term, until a duly elected member joins to serve the position.
4.7.1 In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Board, the Executive Board must notify the membership in writing of any vacancy within 5 calendar days and specify in the notification whether the vacancy will be filled by succession or expedited election.
4.7.2 All Officer vacancies must be filled by succession of the next highest-ranking Officer. For example, a vacancy in the position of president will be filled by the vice-president or next highest-ranking Officer. Upon resignation of a co-Officer, the PA members must vote to determine if the remaining co-Officer may fill the unexpired term on her/his own or whether an expedited election must be conducted.
4.7.3 In the event that an office cannot be filled through succession, an expedited election must be held to fill the vacancy. The ranking of Officers for succession purposes shall be: President, Vice Presidents, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary.
4.7.4 Officers who wish to resign their positions must do so in writing to the Recording Secretary or Co-Recording Secretaries and shall turn over all records to the Recording Secretary or Co-Recording Secretaries. In the event of the resignation of the Recording Secretary, he or she must submit the resignation and turn over records to the President or one of the CoPresidents. In the event of the resignation of one of the Co-Recording Secretaries, he or she must submit the resignation to the Co- Recording Secretary.

Section 4.8 Education Council Selectors:
Citywide Council on High School members are elected by the PA president, recording secretary, and treasurer. In the case of co-presidents and/or co-recording secretaries they will decide between themselves who will cast the vote. The vote will be discussed and receive approval from the PA Board prior to the vote.

Section 4.9 Removal
(a) Any Officer or Executive Board Member who fails to attend three Executive Board meetings in a school year without good cause following written notice from the Executive Board, shall be removed from office by recommendation of the Executive Board or motion from a member and two-thirds vote of the membership present and voting. If the removal is conducted through a vote of the membership, then the PA’s notice of meeting and agenda must cite that a vote will be taken by the membership as a disciplinary action against an Executive Board member.
(b) Any Officer or Executive Board Member may be removed from office with or without cause by a vote of at least 75% of the membership present and voting at a meeting called for that purpose or at a regularly scheduled general meeting, provided that notice has been given at least 10 days before such meeting. Any Officer who is the subject of a motion for removal from office must be given an opportunity to address the membership before any vote is taken.
(c) Officers or Executive Board members accused of misconduct or neglect of duty may be removed for cause only after a vote of the general membership to appoint a review committee; an investigation by the review committee which must include an opportunity for the Officer or Executive Board member to respond to charges; and a report by the review committee to the general membership. Findings must be presented in writing at a general membership meeting within 30 calendar days of the date the motion was presented. The association’s notice and agenda must indicate that a vote will be taken by the general membership regarding the removal of an Officer or Executive Board member.
(d) The result of the motion must be submitted in writing to the principal and to the Office of Family and Community Empowerment.

Section 4.10 List of Officers
(a) A list of PA Officers shall be posted with appropriate contact information on the PA website.
(b) A copy of the list shall be provided to a parent upon request.

ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 5.1 Composition
The Executive Board shall be composed of the elected Officers, at least six members-at-large and the chairs of the standing committees. The term of office shall be from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

Section 5.2 Members-at-Large
Members-at-large shall attend all Executive Board meetings and shall serve on committees, special committees or projects at the request of the President or Co-Presidents and shall attend PA functions. Their term of office shall be from July 1 (or the date of their election) through June 30 of the following year.

Section 5.3 Responsibilities
The Executive Board shall plan and direct the work necessary to carry out the purposes of the PA. The Executive Board may act on behalf of the membership between general membership meetings. The President or Co-Presidents shall report the activities of the Executive Board to the general membership at each general meeting. All elected Board Officers shall be expected to attend all executive board meetings.

Section 5.4 Meetings
Regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Board shall be held monthly September through June, on at least 10 days notice. Executive Board meetings are open to the membership, who may observe but whose participation shall be at the pleasure of the President or presiding Officer.

Section 5.5 Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called with at least three days and no more than eight days notice (by telephone or e-mail or in such form as the Executive Board shall determine), by the President or both Co-Presidents or by written petition of at least five members of the Executive Board delivered to the President or all Co-Presidents. Notice of the special meeting shall include the agenda and proposed business to be transacted. Actions to be taken at the special meeting shall be limited to items included in the agenda. These meetings may be conducted by conference call if a quorum is present and the conversation is documented by a recording secretary.

Section 5.6 Quorum and Voting
Each member of the Executive Board shall be entitled to one vote. Actions of the Board shall be by vote of a majority of the members of the Board present and voting. Eight (8) members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum, allowing for official business to be transacted. Electronic voting via email or on a Virtually Remote Platform is allowed on matters that cannot await a regularly scheduled Executive Board meeting.

Section 5.7. Integrity of the Executive Board
5.7.1 High Standards. The PA requires Executive Board members and volunteers to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. As representatives of the PA, members must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
5.7.2 Reporting Responsibility. This Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage and enable anyone to raise serious concerns internally so that the PA can address and correct inappropriate conduct and actions. It is the responsibility of all Executive Board members and volunteers to report concerns about violations of the PA’s code of ethics or suspected violations of law or regulations that govern the PA’s operations.
5.7.3 No Retaliation. It is contrary to the values of the PA for anyone to retaliate against any Executive Board member or volunteer who in good faith reports an ethics violation, or a suspected violation of law, such as a complaint of discrimination, or suspected fraud, or suspected violation of any regulation governing the operations of the PA. A representative who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of office.

ARTICLE VI – MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

Section 6.1 General membership meetings.
6.1.1 General membership meetings of the PA shall be held on the second Wednesday of each month during the school year or as otherwise scheduled with at least 10 days notice to the membership. The dates of the scheduled meetings shall be published in the Weekly PA Emails and on the PA website.
6.1.2 Executive board as well as general membership meetings may be held in the school or on a Virtually Remote Platform or hybrid. Committee meetings may take place in a location convenient to members of the committee
6.1.3 All members may attend and participate during general membership meetings. The President, Co-Presidents or their designee shall preside over the General Membership meetings.
6.1.4 Invited observers may speak and otherwise participate, if acknowledged by the chair.
6.1.5 Order of Business: the order of business at meetings of the Association, unless changed by the Executive Board shall be:

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes of the previous meeting
• Treasurer’s Report
• Principal’s Report
• School Leadership Team Report
• Committee Reports
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjournment

Section 6.2 Quorum
A quorum of fifteen (15) members of the PA, including at least two members of the Executive Board and at least ten members of the general membership, shall be required to conduct official business. Each member present of the PA shall be entitled to one vote. Voting by proxy or absentee ballot is strictly prohibited.

Section 6.3 Minutes.
Minutes of the previous general or special membership meeting shall be distributed via the Weekly PA email to members and be posted on the PA website. They are available in written form upon request by any member. The approved minutes will be posted on the PA website and available upon request to any member.

Section 6.4 Special Membership Meetings.
6.4.1 A special membership meeting shall be called to deal with a matter of importance that cannot be postponed until the next general membership meeting. The President or all CoPresidents may, or by request of at least five (5) Executive Board members shall, call a special membership meeting on at least 48 hours written notice to parents stating precisely what the topic of the meeting shall be. Notice of the special meeting shall include the agenda and proposed business to be transacted. Actions to be taken at the special meeting shall be limited to items included in the agenda
6.4.2 Upon receipt of a written request from thirty (30) members of the PA, the President or Co- Presidents must call a special membership meeting within five (5) calendar days of the request, on at least 48 hours written notice to the membership, stating precisely the topic of the meeting. However, if a regularly scheduled PTA General Meeting is scheduled to occur within seven (7) school days of the request for a special membership meeting, then the special membership meeting may be scheduled to occur immediately before or after the General Meeting.

Section 6.5 Procedural Rules
All procedural questions not covered by these Bylaws shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order, latest revision, provided they are not inconsistent with law, policy, regulation and these Bylaws.

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES

Section 7.1 Standing Committees
7.1.1 The President or Co-Presidents shall appoint standing committee chairs with the approval of the Executive Board. The President or Co-Presidents shall appoint members of the committees but may delegate appointment of members to the chair of the committee. Chairs of the standing committees shall be members of the Executive Board and shall be entitled to vote. There shall be no more than one chair of a standing committee, unless the Executive Board authorizes the appointment of no more than two co- chairs of a committee.
7.1.2 The Standing Committees shall be:
(i) The Hospitality Committee shall order and serve refreshments at meetings and functions.
(ii) The Budget Committee shall be responsible for (1) drafting a proposed budget each spring and a written review of the prior year’s budget, both of which shall be presented for vote at the June general membership meeting and (2) presenting the budget process. The Treasurer shall be the chair of the Budget Committee. Among the members of the Budget Committee shall be the President or Co- Presidents and (after the election) the incoming President or Co-Presidents and Treasurer. See Section 8.03.
(iii) The Fundraising Committee shall be in charge of fundraising activities including but not limited to the annual appeal and/or Giving Tuesday Campaign.
(iv)The Auction/Spring Fundraiser Committee shall be in charge of the annual event.
(v) The Safety Committee shall be responsible for the safety of students and others at the School, and shall serve as the parents’ representative on school safety issues and be responsible for communicating safety issues to the PA.
(vi) The Communications Committee shall be responsible for the PA Weekly Emails, the PA website and for fostering digital communications among the PA and parents, the School and others. This committee is expected to have the language capacity to be able to have clear communication to all general members.

Section 7.2 Ad Hoc Committees
Ad hoc committees may be established with Executive Board approval. The President or CoPresidents shall appoint chairs of ad hoc committees, with the approval of the membership. President or Co- Presidents shall appoint members of the committees but may delegate appointment of members to the chair of the committee. Chairs of the ad hoc committees are not voting members of the Executive Board, although they shall be invited to attend and participate in meetings of the Executive Board. When the need for an Ad Hoc committee no longer exists, then upon the majority vote of the Executive Board, the Committee shall be dissolved.

Section 7.3 Committee Actions.
Committee chairs shall report on their activities at the meetings of the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall have the right to approve, modify, amend or disapprove the activities of the committees. Committees are not authorized to expend funds of the PA or enter into binding agreements on behalf of the PA unless expressly authorized by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII – FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Section 8.1 Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the PA shall run from July 1 through June 30, of the following year.

Section 8.2 Signatories.
All checks require two signatures. All checks must be signed by a Co-President or the President and the Treasurer. All checks shall require at least two signatories who are not related by blood or marriage. No checks may be written payable to “petty cash” or “cash”.

Section 8.3 Budget
8.3.1 The Treasurer in consultation with the Budget Committee shall prepare a proposed budget for review at the May general membership meeting and adoption by the membership at the June general membership meeting. The proposed budget shall be reviewed by the Executive Board before it is presented to the membership.
8.3.2 The Budget Committee shall assist the Treasurer in preparing monthly financial reports to the Executive Board and the membership, the Interim PA Financial Report and the Final PA Financial Report.
8.3.3 The budget may be amended by vote of the general membership at any membership meeting. Any budget amendment must be prepared by the Treasurer and reviewed and approved by the Executive Board before being presented to the general membership.
8.3.4 All expenditures not included in the budget at the time of its adoption must be approved by resolution of the membership. The budget committee shall receive and review all requests for emergency expenditures or expenditures which are not included in the budget and shall make a recommendation to the next meeting of the Executive Board. Requests for expenditures not included in the budget must be reviewed by the Budget Committee and approved by the Executive Board prior to being considered by the general membership.
8.3.5 The incoming Executive Board must review the proposed budget in September for presentation and discussion during the September general membership meeting. Budget amendments may be proposed at this time.
8.3.6 Any donations to the PA and fundraisers organized by the PA will go to the General Fund. Targeted spending must be approved by a majority of the PA Executive Committee.
8.3.7 The Executive Board is authorized to make an emergency expenditure not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1000.00) with a two/thirds (2/3) approval by the Executive Board. These expenditures shall be reported to the general membership at the next association meeting in writing by the Treasurer. The minutes of the meeting must reflect a vote taken by the Association to accept this action.

Section 8.4 Financial Accounting
8.4.1 The Treasurer and Budget Committee shall prepare and provide copies of the interim PA financial report by January 31 and the annual PA financial report by the June meeting, including all income and expenditures, to be presented and reviewed by the general membership. Copies of these reports shall be provided to the Principal of the School.
8.4.2 The Treasurer shall be responsible for all monies of the PA and shall keep accurate records in a form consistent with these bylaws. All records of the PA, including checkbooks, ledgers, cancelled checks, invoices, receipts, etc., shall be maintained and secured on school premises for a period of 6 years.
8.4.3 All proceeds including checks and cash received by the PA from fundraising activity should be deposited into the checking accounting within one business day, but no longer than three business days.
8.4.4 No parent or staff member shall collect fundraising proceeds from any student without the written approval from the Principal. Any requests from teachers or departments must go through the Assistant Principal who will submit written responses to such requests.
8.4.5 To ensure uninterrupted use of funds, the PA has established online access to its checking account. This allows PA to pay vendors with a physical check, mailed by the bank to the address entered by the authorized PA, even when without access to the checkbook. In addition, the PA may use a debit card connected to the checking account as a method of payment. The debit card is to be used only to pay for goods and services that cannot be paid for by check. Paper checks, whether from a conventional checkbook or printed from financial software, remain the preferred instrument of payment for goods and services. Under no circumstance shall the debit card be used to withdraw funds from an ATM or to obtain cash in other ways, such as cash-back from a transaction. The PA is absolutely prohibited from making payments using any person-to-person or instant payment systems such as Venmo, Zelle, GooglePay, etc. However, such systems may be used to receive payments, provided they are linked only to the PA checking account and/or DOE-issued outlook email address.

Section 8.5 Audit
8.5.1 The President or Co-Presidents may request volunteers to form an Audit Committee of three (3) to five (5) persons. Executive Board members who are not eligible signatories on Association checks may serve on the Audit Committee. The majority of the committee shall be comprised from the general membership.
8.5.2 The Audit Committee shall conduct an audit of all financial affairs of the Association with the help of the Treasurer who shall make all books and records available to them. The Audit Committee may also recommend that an external audit of the Association financial records be conducted.
8.5.3 Additional duties of the Audit Committee may include the examination of all relevant financial statements and records of disbursements, verification of all association equipment and ensuring compliance with the law provisions for the transaction of funds.
8.5.4 The Audit Committee shall prepare a written report or provide copies of the external report to be presented to the membership at a general membership meeting or upon completion of their review and investigation. This report shall be included for review and discussion during the June transfer of records.

ARTICLE IX – SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM

Section 9.01 Parent Representatives.
One of the Co-Presidents or the President, or their designee, shall be a member of the School Leadership Team. All other parent members of the School Leadership Team shall be elected by the general membership specifically to be members of the School Leadership Team. Parent representatives on the School Leadership Team shall not be members of the Executive Board solely by reason of their membership on the School Leadership Team.

Section 9.02 Nominations.
Notice of School Leadership Team vacancies and election information will appear on the May general membership meeting notice. Nominations for School Leadership Team representatives will be taken at the April General Membership Meeting. Nominations may be from the floor or in writing to the President or Co- Presidents and will remain open until the May general membership meeting. Nominees need not be present to submit their names or to be proposed by others. One School Leadership Team parent representative from the incoming freshman parents shall be elected at the October membership meeting.

Section 9.03 Election
Election of School Leadership Team representatives shall take place at the May general membership meeting, except that the election of the incoming Freshman School Leadership Team parent representative shall be held at the October membership meeting. The election of SLT parent members must take place after the election of PA/PTA mandatory officers. SLT parent representatives terms shall be 2 years.

Section 9.04 Notice
Notice that nominations will be taken shall be included in the communication of the April meetings which is sent to parents. Notice that the election will be held shall be included in the notice of the May meeting which is sent to parents. Notice that the election of the incoming Freshman School Leadership Team parent representative will be held shall be included in the notice of the October meeting.

Section 9.05 Vacancies.
Notice of School Leadership Team vacancies during school year and election information will appear on the next general membership meeting notice, following the vacancy. Nominations for School Leadership Team representatives will be taken at that general membership meeting. Nominations may be from the floor or in writing to the President or Co-Presidents and will be closed at the end of the meeting. Nominees need not be present to submit their names or to be proposed by others. Election of School Leadership Team representatives shall take place at the next general membership meeting and elections shall follow the procedures set above.

ARTICLE X AMENDMENTS

Section 10.1 Procedure for Amendment
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the PA by a two-thirds vote of general members present and voting, provided the amendment has been presented in writing to the membership at the previous meeting and appears in the notice of the meeting at which it is to be amended. Amendments are effective immediately unless otherwise stated in the motion.

Section 10.2 Review
A formal review of these Bylaws shall be conducted at least every three years and may be amended at any regular meeting of the association by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided the amendment was presented in writing or via a Virtually Remote Platform to the membership at the previous meeting and appears in the notice of the meeting at which it is to be amended. Amendments are effective immediately unless otherwise specified. Any member may present a motion at a general membership meeting to amend a provision of the bylaws that is not in compliance with CR A-660. Amendments that bring the bylaws into compliance must be voted on immediately after the motion is presented. A two-thirds vote of the membership is required for approval.

These bylaws as set forth above have been voted on and approved by the membership. The most recent bylaws were approved, in accordance with the provisions of Article IX, at the membership meeting held on April 28, 2022.