I. Every year, students and certified staff members will be allowed to put referenda questions on the ballot during the spring elections. Any Lexington High School student or certified staff member may request the placing of a referendum question on the ballot once the author has obtained the signed endorsement of 15% of the entire student body and one (1) certified staff member for every ten (10) student signatures.
II. Definition of signed endorsement: A. The signed endorsement of 15% of the student body will be obtained in the form of a petition, which clearly displays the exact wording of the referendum. B. The signed endorsement of one (1) certified staff member for every ten (10) student student signatures on the petition described in Part II Section A will be obtained by a third petition phrased exactly the same as the described in Part II Section A.
III. The petitions for referenda must be submitted to the Elections Committee at least 30 school days prior to the scheduled date of the spring elections.
IV. The Elections Committee will be responsible for checking the signatures on the petitions. The Elections Committee will be responsible for presenting the petitions to the author, the Student Activities Center and the Student Library.
V. The referendum questions must not: A. Contradict State of Federal law. B. Interfere with the allotment of school department funds. C. Interfere with collective bargaining agreements. D. Impinge upon individual administrative and teacher evaluation. E. Impinge upon individual teacher’s course organization and evaluation of students.
VI. A referendum question must first be submitted to Senate in the form of a bill, and be voted down, before it can be placed on the ballot.
VII. The Elections Committee will be responsible for tallying the votes and presenting the results to the author, to the school and to the School Committee.
VIII. The Elections Committee will be responsible for providing accurate information concerning the actual number of students in the percentages above (Part II Section A) to any interested student. All percentages will be rounded up to the nearest whole number.
IX. Voting procedure A. The entire student body will vote on the referendum during the spring elections. B. The entire certified staff will vote on the referendum during the same vote used to choose staff senators. C. The two votes will be separate. Both the student body and the certified staff must pass the referendum separately for the referendum to pass.
X. Informed voters A. The Elections Committee will explore methods that will allow supporters and opposers of each referendum question to speak before members of the school community, electronically or otherwise. Any method chosen will be subject to final approval by the whole Senate body. B. The Elections Committee will see that the author of each referendum question is given the opportunity to write a statement is distributed to all students, and among all certified staff members. C. The Elections Committee will see that one space for every supporting statement is provided for an opposing statement. The Elections Committee will be responsible for choosing which statements would be distributed if more than one are submitted. D. The Elections Committee will be able to set reasonable and equal limits for the length of the statements. E. The Musket will be asked to feature both an explanation of all referenda questions and pro and con arguments.
XI. Copies of the approved petitions described in Part II Sections A and B must be displayed in the Student Activities Center and in the school library until the referendum question has been voted on both by students and certified staff.
XII. If the referendum is passed according to Part IX Section C, then the referendum question will go to the School Committee. If the School Committee does not accept the passed referendum, it will not become school policy.