ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Alabama Federation of the Council for Exceptional Children.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

The principal purpose of this organization shall be to advance the welfare and education of exceptional children.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall consist of professional personnel and other persons interested in the education of exceptional children and youth.

ARTICLE IV – ORGANIZATION

Section 1.  Relationship to CEC

The Alabama Federation shall be affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children.  It shall be a federation of the chapters of the Council for Exceptional Children in the state.

Section 2.  Administrative and Membership Years

ARTICLE V – DUES

Section 1. Dues

Section 3.  Unified Membership

All federation members must also be members of the Council for Exceptional Children.  The federation may not accept enrollments for local memberships only.

Section 4.  Assessments

Special assessments may be levied by a majority vote of delegates at the Delegate Assembly when this matter is considered, provided there is a quorum.

Section 5.  Payment of Dues

Annual dues shall be payable before the end of the individual’s membership year.  Members whose dues are not paid by the last day of their membership year shall be considered delinquent.

ARTICLE VI – OFFICERS

All officers must be members in good standing of the Council for Exceptional Children at the time of their nomination and election and remain so throughout the duration of their term of office.

Section 3.  Succession

The President-Elect shall succeed the President, and the Vice-President shall succeed the President-Elect.

Section 4.  Vacancies

If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the President-Elect shall serve as Acting President for the remainder of the term of office and shall become President at the beginning of the new term.  If a vacancy occurs in the office of President-Elect, the Vice-President shall serve as Acting President-Elect for the remainder of the term of office and shall become President-Elect at the beginning of the new term.  A vacancy occurring in any other office shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Committee.  The appointed member(s) shall serve only until the end of the current administrative year or until replaced by a duly elected successor.

ARTICLE VII – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE/EXECUTIVE BOARD

A.Quorum.  One-half of the membership of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.

B. Voting Regulations

1.Each member of the committee shall possess one vote.  Committee members unable to attend may assign their vote by proxy to another member of the executive committee, member of their chapter or division.

2.In the event that less than a quorum is in attendance for any committee meeting, those present may function in an advisory capacity at the pleasure of the President, after which the President may seek committee acceptance of the group’s recommendations.

3.In the event there is a need to transact committee business for which a physical meeting is impractical, the President may call for either a vote by mail, telephone or electronic conference of the Executive Board.

Section 3.  Meetings

A.Regular Meetings.  The Executive Committee shall schedule at least one of its regular meetings at the federation’s state conference.

B.         Special Meetings.  A special meeting of the Executive Committee may be called by the president. 

ARTICLE VIII – DELEGATE ASSEMBLY

Section 1.  Chapter Representation

Each officially recognized federation-level CEC division in good standing of the federation is entitled to one vote.  When the division’s membership exceeds 20 (as of June 30 immediately preceding the assembly), the division will be entitled to one additional vote for each additional 20 members, or major fraction thereof.

Section 3.  Affiliate Representation

Each officially recognized federation affiliate is entitled to send one non-voting delegate to the assembly.

Section 4.  Quorum

One-third of the possible delegates shall constitute a quorum at a regular or called meeting of the Delegate Assembly.

ARTICLE IX – COMMITTEES

Section 1.  Standing Committees

Standing committees shall be the membership committee, publications committee, nominating committee, constitution and bylaws committee, finance committee, honors committee, student activities committee, professional development committee and child and youth action network (CAN) committee.

Section 2.  Ad Hoc Committees

Ad hoc committees may be formed and their functions assigned at the discretion of the President.  The purpose and length of service of the committee must be clearly indicated and consistent with the mission of the organization.

ARTICLE X – MEETINGS

Section 1.  Annual Convention

There shall be an annual convention of the federation.

Section 2.  Delegate Assembly

The Delegate Assembly shall meet at the annual state convention.  Special meetings of the Delegate Assembly may be called by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Submission of Proposed Amendments

Any proposed amendment to this constitution and bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for review.

Section 2.  Review by Executive Committee

The Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall refer all proposed amendments with recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Section 3.  Referral to Delegate Assembly

All proposed amendments presented to the Executive Committee shall be submitted to the membership not less than 30 days prior to any meeting of the Delegate Assembly.

Section 4.  Final Action

Any proposed amendments may become a part of the constitution and bylaws by a two-third majority of the votes cast at any legally constituted meeting of the Delegate Assembly.

ARTICLE XII – DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of this federation, the Executive Committee shall, after payment of all liabilities of the federation, direct the treasurer of the federation to return the federation assets to national CEC to be divided on a proportional basis with the local chapters that are in good standing with the national organization.  This should be done within a period of one year of dissolution.

ARTICLE XIII – ADDRESSING ISSUES

Every member of the Council for Exceptional Children has the prerogative of submitting resolutions addressing critical issues to the President.  The President will be responsible for (1) sharing copies of the resolutions with all members of the Executive Committee; (2) requesting a formal vote from members of the Executive Committee; (3) tabulating the results; (4) sharing the results with the Executive Committee and the membership; and (5) informing various agencies and consumer groups as to the federation’s formal position.

BYLAWS

ARTICLE I – OFFICERS

Section 1.  Duties of Officers

A. The powers and duties of the President shall be

1.         to serve as chief executive of the federation and serve as a member and presiding officer of the Executive Board, the Executive Committee and the Delegate Assembly;

2.            to give professional leadership to the federation’s planning and program;

3.            to call and preside at meetings of the Executive Committee;

4.         to approve, modify, or reject all requests for scheduling and/or subsidizing official committee, subcommittee, or task force meetings and conferences;

5.         to serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of all committees except those making nominations or conducting elections;

6.         to recommend to the Executive Committee individuals to serve as chairs for standing and ad hoc committees;

7.         to request reports from officers, committee chairs, and others in addition to those routinely required;

8.         to ensure that the nominations committee functions as an elections committee in case a major emergency prevents a regular meeting of  the Delegate Assembly; and

9.         to prepare the annual report for the Council of Exceptional Children.

B.The powers and duties of the President-Elect shall be

1.to serve in the place of, and with the authority of , the President in case of his/her absence or inability to serve;

2.to develop the program for the annual convention and plan other meetings according to the policies and directives of the Executive Committee.  He/she shall prepare a draft of the complete convention program for approval of the Executive Committee;

3.to succeed to the office of President should such a vacancy occur.

C.The powers and the duties of the Vice-President shall be

1.to serve in the place of, and with the authority of, the President in case of his/her absence or inability to serve;

2.to work with the annual federation conference committee;

3.to prepare for future presidency by learning and participating fully with the President and President-Elect as they implement their officer roles;

4.to serve in the President’s place and with the President’s authority in the case of the absence or inability of both the President and President-Elect; and 

5.to succeed to the office of President-Elect as soon as such vacancy occurs.

D.The powers and duties of the Immediate Past President shall be

1.to serve as chair of the Nominations Committee and to announce the nominees to the Delegate Assembly;

2.to serve in an advisory or consultative role as designated by the President.

E.The powers and duties of the Secretary shall be

1.to keep a careful record of the proceedings of the meetings of the Executive Committee and the Delegate Assembly;

2.to carry on correspondence as necessary for the operation of the organization;

3.to assume custody of all records except those specifically assigned to others;

4.to keep accurate rolls of Executive Committee, Delegate Assembly, and committee memberships;

5.to have available copies of the constitution and bylaws and minutes of all meetings of committees, assemblies, and conventions;

6.to transfer all records to the new secretary at the time of election; and

7.to handle election proceedings as they relate to the Delegate Assembly.

F.The powers and duties of the Treasurer shall be

1.to serve as custodian of the funds of the federation;

2.to pay out money for expenses approved by the Executive Committee and on authorization of the President;

3.to submit records of all monies collected and expended to the finance committee for auditing;

4.to transfer all monies and records to the new treasurer within 30 days after installation; and

5.to jointly sign with the designated officer(s) any contractual arrangements obligating the federation to any expenditure of funds.

G.The powers and duties of the federation’s Representatives shall be

1.to represent the federation at meetings/seminars of the national Representative Assembly and to participate in mail balloting and other activities necessary during the year in the administration of the council’s progress;

2.to make reports, including an annual report to the AFCEC Executive Committee and at the annual meeting of the Delegate Assembly; and

3.to attend the Representative Assembly at the national CEC convention.

Section 2.  Term of Office

The President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall serve one-year terms, which shall coincide with the fiscal year July 1 through June 30.  The two representatives to the CEC Representative Assembly shall serve two-year staggered terms, one being elected each year at the AFCEC Delegate Assembly.

A Federation’s Representative, who was elected to and has served a full two-year term on the CEC Representative Assembly, is eligible to be reelected to a second two-year term in the same position upon completion of the first term.  A third consecutive elected term in the same position is not permitted.  However, a person who has served two full consecutive elected terms will become eligible for reelection to the same position following a one-year break in service.  Serving as an appointed representative will not be counted as elected service and will therefore not be considered in matters of individual succession.

A representative who is elected or appointed to another post on said board shall be eligible to accept it, effective upon termination (either by expiration or resignation) of his or her present term of office.

Section 3.  Removal from Office

A.A petition for removal of a federation officer shall be signed by at least five members of the federation and submitted in writing to the president.  If the president is the subject of the petition, it shall be submitted to the president-elect.

B.The President (or President-elect) shall, within seven days, notify each Executive Committee member in writing of the receipt of such a petition, solicit relevant evidence from all parties concerned, and call a special meeting of the Executive Committee to consider the matter within 30 days following receipt of the petition.

C.At the Executive Committee meeting, an opportunity shall be made available to all interested parties to present any relevant evidence.  A two-thirds majority vote of the members present, provided there is a quorum, is necessary for the removal of the officer.  Removal from office is effective immediately.

D.The officer being considered for removal shall be provided with the results of the Executive Committee action in writing within seven days.

E.Upon receipt of written notification of removal, the officer concerned shall have 15 days to submit to the President  (or President-elect) written notice of appeal.

F.Within seven days following receipt of a valid written notice of appeal, the President (or President-elect) shall, in writing, call for the appointment and meeting of an appeal board.  The appeal board shall consist of two representatives from each local chapter, selected by the respective chapters’ membership and shall meet within 30 days following receipt of the notice of appeal.  The President (or President-elect) shall serve as the non-voting chairperson of the appeal board.

G.At the meeting of the appeal board an opportunity shall be made available to all interested parties to present any relevant evidence.  A two-thirds majority vote of the members present is necessary to overturn the Executive Committee’s decision and reinstate  the removed officer.  Reinstatement is effective immediately.

H.The officer whose appeal has been considered shall be provided with the results of the appeal board’s action in writing within seven days.

Section 4.  Prerequisite to Elected Office

A.Membership in the Council for Exceptional Children shall constitute a prerequisite for election or appointment to an office of the Executive Committee.

B.Membership in the Council for Exceptional Children shall constitute a prerequisite to membership on the CEC Representative Assembly.

C.Residency or primary place of employment in the state shall be a prerequisite to nomination, election, and/or continued eligibility for office on the Executive Committee.

D.Residency or primary place of employment in the state shall be a prerequisite to nomination, election and/or continued eligibility for office as the state representative on the CEC Representative Assembly.

Section 5.  Voting

ARTICLE II – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The duties of the Executive Committee shall be (a) to serve as the federation’s administrative policy-making body; (b) to act upon such official recommendations and petitions as may be received; (c) to adopt an annual budget; (d) to recommend policies and programs to the Delegate Assembly at its annual meeting; (e) to decide on publications that should be issued; (f) to select the site and establish the fee of the conventions sponsored by the federation and approve recommendations made by the local arrangements committee of the host chapter; and (g) to assume such other responsibilities as are, or as shall be, assigned through the constitution and bylaws or legislated by the Delegate Assembly.

ARTICLE III – COMMITTEES

Section 1.  Appointment of Committee Chairpersons

The President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint the chairperson of the following standing committees: membership, publications, finance, CAN, and professional development.  The Immediate Past President shall serve as chairperson of the Nominating Committee.  The most recent recipient of the Alpha Brown Award shall chair the Honors Committee.  The Vice President shall serve as chairperson of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.  The state association advisor shall serve as chairperson of the Student Activities Committee.

Section 2.  Appointment of Committee Members

Committee members shall be appointed by the chairperson, subject to approval by the president.

Section 3.  Committee Composition

A.Membership Committee 

The Membership Committee shall have no less than two members in addition to the chairperson.  The chairperson and members shall serve three year terms.  One-third, or the nearest fraction thereof, of the membership shall be appointed each year.

B.Publications Committee 

The Publications Committee shall be chaired by the newsletter/journal editor.  Unlike other committee chairpersons, the chairperson of the Publications Committee shall serve for a term of three (3) years.

C.Nominating Committee 

The Nominating Committee shall have three members in addition to the chairperson, representing a broad geographical selection.  The chairperson and members shall serve one year terms.

D.Constitution and Bylaws Committee 

The Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall have no less than two members in addition to the chairperson.

E.Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall have no less than two members in addition to the chairperson.

F.Honors Committee

The Honors Committee shall have three members in addition to the chairperson, representing a broad geographical selection.  The chairperson and members shall serve one year terms.

G.Student Activities Committee

The Student Activities Committee shall have no less than two members in addition to the chairperson.

H.Professional Development Committee 

The Professional Development Committee shall have no less than two members in addition to the chairperson.

I.CAN Committee

The CAN Committee shall have no less than two members in addition to the chairperson.

Section 4.  Duties of Committees

A.The duties of the Membership Committee shall be

1.to maintain an active record of members and to provide all officers and committee chairpersons with such a list upon request;

2.to maintain an active program for the recruitment of new members;

3.to support council headquarters in its follow-up of membership renewals;

4.to be responsible for membership transactions with council headquarters; and

5.to identify and study problems in the development of units.

B.The duties of the Publications Committee shall be

1.to continually review the publications of the federation to ensure that the federation’s publications address the needs of the membership;

2.to seek Executive Committee approval before dissemination of publications; and

3.to disseminate at least three publications per year to all members of the Alabama Federation and other interested persons (i.e., State Department of Education personnel, the Governor, etc.).

C.The duties of the CAN Committee shall be

1.to develop a legislative program under the direction of the Executive Committee or the Delegate Assembly;

2.to disseminate information pertinent to national and state legislative programs; and

3.to develop a political action network.

D.The duties of the Nominating Committee shall be

1.to prepare annually a slate of officers or candidates for Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer and to present the slate to the membership 30 days prior to the meeting of the Delegate Assembly held during the annual convention.  Only those persons who are members in good standing of the council may be nominated; and

2.to nominate an individual(s) for Federation Representative to the CEC Representative Assembly.  The federation shall have two representatives, one of which will be elected each year at the Delegate Assembly and will serve a two-year term.

E.The duties of the Constitution and Bylaws committee shall be

1.to receive and review all proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws; and

2.         to make recommendations for amending the constitution and bylaws to the Executive Committee.

F.The duties of the Finance Committee shall be

1.to develop plans for raising money; and

2.to audit the treasurer’s report.

G.The duties of the Honors Committee shall be

1.to provide information regarding the awards made each year for outstanding contributions in special education.  These awards will include the Alpha Brown Award, the Jasper Harvey Award for Outstanding Teacher Educator, the Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award, the Margaret Vann Award for Outstanding Special Education Coordinator, the Outstanding Regular Teacher Award, the Tommy Russell Award for Outstanding College Student in Special Education, and the Outstanding Student with Special Needs Award;

2.to solicit nominations from members and other appropriate persons for these outstanding awards;

3.to develop a process by which the recipients of the awards are selected; and

4.to arrange for or make presentation of Alabama Federation Awards at the annual meeting.

H.The duties of the Student Activities Committee shall be

1.to provide consultation and support to the student association; and

2.to serve as liaison between the federation and the student association.

I.The duties of the Professional Development Committee shall be

1.to advise the Executive Committee about activities related to advancing professional development of CEC members and others involved in the education of children and youth with exceptionalities included but not limited to continuing education, conventions, publications and research;

2.to assist the Executive Committee in planning and maintaining structures within CEC for implementing professional development activities; and

3.to assist in implementing professional development activities.

ARTICLE IV – PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

The rules of parliamentary practice in Robert’s Rules of Order, newly-revised, shall govern the proceedings of this federation subject to the special rules which have been or may be adopted.