NvASP By-Laws

ARTICLE I, NAME, ENTITY, AND OFFICE

 

SECTION 1. Name:   The name of the organization shall be the Nevada Association of School
Psychologists (NvASP).

SECTION 2.Entity:   A majority of Regular and Retired members are the Association, providing normal
parliamentary procedures are in effect.

SECTION 3. Office :  The Association shall maintain an office at a location approved by the Corporate
Board.

ARTICLE II, PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS

SECTION 1. Purposes:  The purpose of the Association shall be:

          To support the service of the educational and mental health needs of all students.

          To encourage and provide opportunities for the professional growth of School Psychologists.

          To inform the public about the services and practice of psychology in the schools and community.

          To advance the standards of the profession of School Psychology.

          To cooperate with other agencies, offices, and organizations on subjects of common concern.

SECTION 2. Limitations:   The Association shall be nonprofit, nonpartisan and nonsectarian in it’s
purposes and activities.

ARTICLE III, MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES:  The Association shall consist of the following
membership categories:

         Regular Membership, Qualifications:  Certification as a School Psychologist in the State of Nevada.    Regular members are afforded full privileges in the Association with right of vote and participation in all Association affairs.

         Associate Membership, Qualifications:  Those serving as consultants or supervisors in School Psychology, but not certified as a School Psychologist may serve as non-voting members of committees.  Certified non-practicing School Psychologists may choose an Associate membership.  Associate members may not vote or hold office, but may serve as non-voting members of committees or task forces.

         Student Membership, Qualifications:   Must be matriculated in a graduate behavioral-sciences program, with a minimum of six semester hours per semester, and have the written approval of their supervisor or advisor.  Student members cannot hold elective office or vote on Association matters, but may serve as non-voting members of committees or task forces.

        Retired Membership, Qualifications:  A former member who has retired from full-time employment as a School Psychologist or training position and who desires to continue his/her Association ties.   A retired member may run for elective office and has the right to vote on all Association matters.

        Patron Membership, Qualifications:  Patron membership is offered to organizations, offices, and agencies involved in the delivery of psychological services or materials.  Patrons may not vote or hold any elective office.

SECTION 2.  Membership Processing

          All categories of members shall be approved for membership by the Treasurer if they have provided adequate information to meet the membership requirements.  If there is a question of qualifications, it shall be resolved by the Corporate Board by a simple majority vote.

ARTICLE IV, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

SECTION 1. The Officers of the Association shall consist of the:

         President

         President-Elect

         Past-President

         Secretary

         Treasurer

SECTION 2.   Presidents shall serve for one year.

SECTION 3.  A vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled by the President-Elect.  A vacancy in any other office shall be filled by recommendation of the Corporate Board.

SECTION 4.  The Secretary shall be elected to a two year term beginning in each odd year. The Treasurer shall be elected to a two year term beginning in each even year.

SECTION 5.  Directors will serve for two year terms and must be employed in the area from which they are elected.

         Directors from area 1 (Northeast: Humboldt, Pershing, Lander, Eureka, Elko and White Pine Counties ) will be elected in odd years.

         Directors from area 2 (Northwest: Washoe, Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, Storey, and Churchill Counties) will be elected in odd years.

         Directors from area 3 (South:  Esmeralda, Lincoln, Nye, Mineral and Clark Counties) will be elected in even years.

         Directors from area 4 (at-large) will be elected in even years.

SECTION 6:    No person will hold two offices at the same time.

SECTION 7 .  The state delegate to the National Association of School Psychologists shall serve in a liaison capacity to NvASP’s governing body as a non-voting member.

SECTION 8.   All officers must be regular or retired members as defined in Article III.

ARTICLE V,  ELECTIONS

SECTION 1.    Nominations will be solicited from the membership on February 1 and close on February 28.   A slate of officers and directors shall be presented by the nominations and elections committee in the form of a ballot by March 5 to the Corporate Board.   The Secretary will mail out electronically a ballot to all eligible members with voting rights.   A paper ballot will be sent to those members who have requested that they receive a paper ballot in writing to the Secretary.  All ballots will be sent by March 10 and elections will close on April 9.

SECTION 2.  Those elected will take office July 1.

ARTICLE VI, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

SECTION 1.  The duties of the President shall be to call and preside at meetings;  to prepare an agenda for each regular or officers’ meeting; to call special meetings when advisable or requested by members;  to act as chairperson of the officers; to coordinate the development of goals and objectives for the Association by the Committee Chairs and Corporate Board; and to lead the Association toward the attainment of priority goals.

SECTION 2.  The duties of the President-Elect shall be to preside at meetings in the absence of the President and to assist the President in the development of the organizational goals and objectives.

SECTION 3.   The duties of the Past-President are to attend all meetings in an advisory capacity and to assist in providing the organization with continuity in leadership.

SECTION 4.  The duties of the Secretary shall be to keep records of all meetings of the Association; to issue notices of meetings; and to record all correspondence with other groups.

SECTION 5. The duties of the Treasurer shall be to have custody of all funds of the Association; to receive dues and other funds; to maintain records of income and expenses; to distribute funds in payment of expenses; and to submit an end-of-the-year budget report for publication in the newsletter and on the website; to prepare in conjunction with the Association President a budget for the forthcoming year based on revenues anticipated from current membership, annual dues, or other sources.

SECTION  6.  The duties of the Directors will be to communicate the needs, desires, concerns, etc. of the respective area’s members to the Corporate Board; to communicate the activities and concerns of the Association and of School Psychologists throughout the state to members within their areas; and to serve as a resource person to the members.

SECTION  7.  It shall be the responsibility of each member of the Corporate Board to attend the state Association General Membership and Corporate Board meetings.   In the event one cannot attend a meeting, (s)he shall submit concerns and voting preferences in writing to the Secretary or appoint a proxy.

ARTICLE VII, CORPORATE BOARD

SECTION 1.  The Corporate Board shall consist of the Association’s President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, Secretary, Treasurer and the Directors.  Each member of the Corporate Board has one vote and issues are decided by a simple majority vote.  The Corporate Board has the direction and authority to act for the Association as a whole, but not to alter the dues structure or voting requirements.  The Corporate Board shall within the framework of these Bylaws supervise, manage and be responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the Association.

SECTION 2.  There shall be a minimum of two meetings of the Corporate Board in each fiscal year.  Meetings are held upon the call of the President or upon written petition to the President by four or more members of the Association.  Five members of the Corporate Board shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of Association business.

ARTICLE VIII,  COMMITTEES

SECTION 1.  There shall be standing committees appointed to aid and fulfill the goals and functions of the Association.

SECTION 2.  The President of the Association shall appoint a chairperson to each standing committee subject to approval by a simple majority of the Corporate Board.

SECTION 3.  The Corporate Board will authorize the title and composition of standing committees.  Groups or individuals who are appointed to carry out tasks which are not identifiable as work of a specific standing committee will be given the title Ad-hoc Committee or Task Force.   Committees shall report to the President and submit a summary of their activities to the Secretary at least twice a year.

SECTION 4.  Authorized standing committees are:

          Government Relations, Certification and Licensure

          Ethical Standards and Professional Practice

          Membership,  Organizational Growth and Development

          Workshops and Conferences

          Education and Training

          Newsletter

          Public Relations

ARTICLE IX, MEETINGS

SECTION 1.  There shall be a minimum of one general meeting of the membership held each calendar year.  This meeting may be conducted via telephone or television conference medium.  The date and place for such a meeting will be announced by the Corporate Board at least three months prior to the time selected.  Other general membership meetings are encouraged but not required by these Bylaws.

SECTION 2.  Special meetings may be held any time upon the call of the President.  Meetings of the general membership may also be called by writing a petition to the Corporate Board by twenty percent of the membership in good standing.  The Association Treasurer must authenticate the signatures of petition signers and, if a valid petition is presented, the Corporate Board must call such a meeting within thirty days following validation.

SECTION 3.  A quorum is defined as twenty-five percent of the Association members.

ARTICLE X,  DUES AND FINANCES

SECTION 1.  The annual dues for Regular and Associate members shall be twenty five dollars ($25.00); the annual dues for Retired and Student members shall be ten dollars($10.00); and the annual dues for Patron members shall be a minimum of fifteen dollars ($15.00).   The membership year shall begin on July 1 with dues payable at that time.

SECTION 2.  Any change in the amount of the dues or the placement of a special assessment or dues  shall only be decided by a majority vote of the eligible membership by secret ballot at a general membership meeting or by a majority of returned ballots sent by mail.

SECTION 3.  Non-payment of dues (by October 1) shall be considered resignation from the Association.  Notice of impending termination shall be mailed to each individual concerned at least ten days prior to the effective date of membership termination.

SECTION 4.  Former members whose membership has lapsed because of non-payment of dues may be reinstated upon payment of dues.

SECTION 5.  A proposed budget shall be submitted by the Association President to the Corporate Board for approval within thirty days after taking office.  Expenditures based on verifiable anticipated income will be the basis of maximum expenditures. In no case shall the expenditures exceed revenue on hand, but the budget may be made against anticipated revenue.  Anticipated expenditures as reflected in the budget need only be listed by board categories (i.e. , membership, administration, newsletter, travel).  The Corporate Board must approve the total budget prior to any expenditure being made.  If it appears that there is insufficient revenue on hand to cover anticipated expenditures, the Treasurer must contact the President and a meeting of the Corporate Board shall be requested to discuss how to rectify the situation.

ARTICLE XI,  FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND DISSOLUTION

SECTION 1.  No member of the Association shall contract, or cause to be made in the name of the Association, any debt of any nature without specific and proper authorization of an approved budget allocation or approval by the Corporate Board.

SECTION 2.  All assets of the Association shall be permanently dedicated to the purposes set forth in Article II and in case of dissolution of the Association, all assets will be distributed to the Nevada Special Olympics.  This paragraph does not apply in case of an Association name change, or merging affiliation with another non-profit organization or School Psychology Association.

ARTICLE XII,  AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1.  An amendment to these Bylaws may be proposed by the Corporate Board, by a petition of at least twenty percent of the Association’s members, or by a simple majority of voting members present at a general membership meeting with a legal quorum in attendance.

SECTION 2.  After an amendment has been proposed and accepted, it shall be mailed to each member in good standing by the Association Secretary.  Thirty days are allowed between the mailing of the ballot and the close of balloting.  The Corporate Board will supervise the counting of ballots and will certify the results of the vote.

SECTION 3.  A simple majority of ballots returned is required for an amendment to be adopted.

ARTICLE XIII, EFFECTIVE DATE

The Bylaws shall become effective upon ratification by the Association’s members through secret ballot.

          Ratified                11/10/84

          Revision               05/07//93             

          Revision               08/23/97

          Revision               07/01/05

          Revision               04/01/08