Fall River Public Schools

FALL RIVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

“The Scholarship City”

417 Rock Street, Fall River, MA 02720

Matthew H. Malone, Ph.D. Lisa M. Moy

Superintendent Executive Director of Special

Education and Student Services

Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council

By-laws

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this self –governed organization shall be the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council, also known as Fall River SEPAC

ARTICLE II: MISSION

The purpose of the Fall River SEPAC is to work for the understanding of, respect for and support of, all children with special needs in the Fall River community. To that end, they will work to:

·  Promote a network of parents of children with special needs and provide a forum to share information

·  Advise the Executive Director of Special Education, school committee and Superintendent on special education programs and policies and parent and teacher training needs.

·  Promote communication and sharing between SEPAC members, local, state and national organizations, councils and groups , as well as within the community to encourage understanding, acceptance and inclusion of students with special needs

·  Provide informational workshops to parents, educators, students and professionals.

ARTICLE III: TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP

General membership shall be open to any resident of Fall River, or person affiliated with the Fall River Public Schools who has attended at least one meeting of the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council during the past 12 months. Voting membership is required to vote in annual officer elections and other business that comes before any Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council meeting.

Voting membership shall be any general member, who is a parent or guardian of a child with special needs residing in Fall River with or without an Individual Education Plan (IEP), or is a parent or guardian of a child with special needs who attends Fall River Public Schools and who has attended at least one previous meeting of the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council during the last 12 month.

Meetings are defined as Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council meeting, activities, or committees at which attendance is taken.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

Officers of the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council are elected by the voting membership and hold office for one year. If any office becomes vacant, an election for that office shall be held immediately, with term to expire at the June meeting.

Office and other responsibilities of the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council are:

CHAIRPERSON:

·  Set the agenda for each meeting.

·  Preside at all meetings of the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council.

·  Recommend the organization and monitor the function of subcommittees.

·  Act as liaison with the Executive Director of Special Education

SECRETARY:

·  Co-ordinate the recording and filing off minutes of the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council.

·  Collect and review all correspondence of the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council.

·  Prepare periodic reports for the Special Education Administrator regarding SEPAC activities and needs.

TREASURER:

·  Manage and account for funds, collected, and spent for Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council.

·  Coordinate fundraising activities along with the chairperson.

·  Coordinate efforts to apply for donations ,grants, or any other funds the Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council may be eligible for

ARTICLE V: ELECTIONS:

Elections shall be the first order of business during the June meeting. Elections shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the voting membership. New officers shall take office immediately following the election. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be informed of the annual election results

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS

General meetings will be held on a monthly basis from September to June. A schedule of meetings will be developed at the beginning of each school year. Meetings will then be advertised to parents/guardians in a number of ways:

·  Meeting flyers emailed to families

·  Virtual backpack

·  Meeting flyers sent home with those children on IEP”s

·  Fall River SEPAC FACEBOOK page

·  FRPS FACEBOOK page

Matters which require a vote to be taken of the voting membership include, but are not limited to the following items:

·  A change in the by-laws can only be voted on at a general meeting.

·  A commitment of financial resources requires a simple majority of voting members present

·  Elections require a vote as described in Article V- Elections

Minutes of all Fall River Special Education Parent Advisory Council meetings shall be recorded and retained for public record.

ARTICLE VII: SUBCOMMITTEES

Subcommittee meetings shall be created as needed.

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS

These by-laws may be amended by a simple majority of the voting members at a general meeting, but by-laws changes may not be voted upon in the same meeting as they are proposed.

ARTICLE IX

Roberts Rules of Order are the default procedures for this organization.