A Unique System of High School Government http://senate.lex.ma// Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:57:35 +0000 Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:57:35 +0000 Jekyll v3.6.2 1) This bill replaces the 2014-2015 Temporary Attendance Bill and the 2014-2015 Attendance Bill. The twenty percent attendance policy outlined in Article IX of the Constitution Subpoint A will remain in effect. 2) Throughout this bill “Senator” shall only refer to student Senators, not faculty members. 3) During the 2015-2016 Senate Session, Senate meetings will officially begin at 2:35 PM and adjourn at 3:30 PM on Wednesdays, unless specified otherwise by the Executive Committee. Senators are generally expected to attend every meeting and remain present until the meeting is adjourned. 4) Attendance Records. a) The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping accurate public attendance records for all student Senators. b) Senators who are not present at all for the meeting shall be marked absent. c) If a Senator’s attendance at a particular meeting is incomplete (e.g. late arrival or early departure), it is at the Secretary’s discretion to mark it as an excused absence or as a full absence. d) Excused absences are absences due to activities known in advance that cannot be rescheduled, such as doctor’s appointments, competitive events, auditions and assessments. Excusal shall be determined at the discretion of the Secretary. In the event of a known absence, Senators must contact the Secretary at least 24 hours in advance of that meeting of the Senate. Failure to do so shall result in an unexcused absence. Both full and partial absences may be either excused or unexcused. e) In the event of a health issue, family matter or other emergency, the Secretary or the faculty member of the Executive Committee may at his or her own discretion decide to mark an absence as a “no-count”, which will not be counted toward the attendance cap. This allows for special circumstances but ensures that accurate attendance records are still kept. 5) Attendance notes. a) Senators are expected to keep track of heir own absences in the pubic attendance record, but the Secretary shall issue warnings to Senators who are at risk of being expelled from Senate. b) Each Senator shall be permitted four excused absences for each year-long Senate session. The Secretary shall issue an attendance warning to the Senator in question once he or she has reached two excused absences, and again once he or she has reached four excused absences. c) Each Senator shall be permitted one unexcused absence for each year-long Senate session. The Secretary shall issue an attendance warning to the Senator in question once he or she has reached one unexcused absence. 6) Attendance notices, appeals and decisions proceed as outlined in Article IX of he Student-Faculty Senate Constitution. 7) This bill shall go into effect as soon as it is passed and no attendance record from before the passing of the bill shall be taken into account for the purpose of attendance enforcement. Rationale: The points in the bill only apply to student Senators because faculty senators have professional commitments that prevent them from attending Senate meetings. Being a Senator is a privilege, and attendance has been a growing problem. Good attendance is necessary for the Senate to function properly as per the rules of quorum. This policy is a decisive measure against irresponsible attendance in the Senate. Failure to abide by this policy must be seen as an inability to serve and will rightly result in expulsion form the Senate. Although other commitments exist and may conflict, consistently and effectively representing one’s peers should be of great importance to people who have chosen to run for a responsible position in school government. It is therefore necessary to create a policy that takes into account the possibility of excusal when evaluating Senator attendance. Sun, 18 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2015/01/18/Revised-Senate-Attendance-Bill/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2015/01/18/Revised-Senate-Attendance-Bill/ bills The Student-Faculty Senate hereby establishes a Technology Board to advise the administration on matters pertaining to technology in the school and to facilitate communication between members of the administration, central office, faculty, and student body. The composition of the Technology Board will be as follows: Eight students, two from each grade, elected by ballot during the regular spring and fall elections Seven faculty members, selected in accordance with a process to be determined by their respective Department heads a. One from the science department b. One from the mathematics department c. One from the world language department d. One from the English department e. One from the history department f. One from the combined fine/performing arts departments g. One additional representative from PE/wellness department, special education department, or any other department not listed above. h. One representative from the library department i. One administrator liaison j. One Student Senator to serve as a representative of the Senate k. One Instructional Technology Specialist The Director of Education Technology and Assessment will also be informed of and invited to all meetings, and will receive copy of all meeting notes. The Director is encouraged to attend no fewer than two meetings per year. After elections, the Technology Board will choose one student moderator and one faculty assistant moderator, and will write a list of guidelines outlining matters which it would like to address in the coming school year. These guidelines, including a provision for regular meeting times at least once a month, will be approved by the administration before the end of the school year in which upperclassmen representatives are elected. The mission statement for the Technology Board will be as follows: The Technology Board will discuss matters relating to technology use at Lexington High School. It will take into account the interests and the experiences of students and faculty, as well as the need to adapt to changing technology in accordance with the Lexington School Committee’s standards for acceptable use of technology in the Lexington Public Schools. As members of the Technology Board, students and teachers will have an opportunity to openly discuss technology-related matters that impact all members of the school community. The Technology Board will also conduct periodic surveys of student opinion, and will present its recommendations to the administration in the form of written notes or documents. Rationale Since technology impacts all members of the school community, it is advantageous to foster a dialogue between students, faculty, and the administration regarding technology at LHS. The LHS Student-Faculty Senate does not always have the time to deal with matters relating to technology at LHS. A body dedicated solely to technology-related matters would be better equipped to deal with these concerns and advise the Senate on matters pertaining to technology when necessary. Students are frequent users of technology at the school, and therefore should have a direct voice in technology-related decisions at LHS. Although provisions for teachers to voice opinions surrounding technology exist, there is currently no way for teachers and students to collaboratively discuss matters relating to technology in the school. Current channels of communication between the faculty and administration (such as through department heads or PAC representatives) encourage general discussion, but do not focus specifically on technology-related matters. Since so many constituents of the school use technology, it is impossible to include a representative for every group in the school. Thus one open seat is provided in order to ensure that all relevant groups are given an opportunity to participate. The Student-Faculty Senator liaison will present technology-related matters raised in Senate to the Technology Board and relate relevant information back to the Senate. The student moderator will organize meetings, ensure that proper notes are taken, and will encourage students and faculty to openly voice their opinions. Wed, 14 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2014/05/14/Technology-Board-Bill/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2014/05/14/Technology-Board-Bill/ bills The Lexington High School Student-Faculty Senate recommends the following locations for new benches on the LHS campus based on input of the student body: Side: One bench in the bike rack area by the music wing/student parking lot. One bench in the grassy area near the loading dock by Commons II. Front: One additional bench by the link between the Field House and Main Building. Two benches near the front entrance overhang. Back: One bench under the central tree. One bench in the middle island near the pickup area. One bench opposite the existing math Building benches, near the Foreign Language Building. One bench in the grassy area past the Foreign Language building, with the trash can from the opposite corner moved to this area. Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2014/02/14/Senate-Bench-Proposal/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2014/02/14/Senate-Bench-Proposal/ bills Lexington is an increasingly multicultural diverse community. LHS should respect the diversity of religious and cultural traditions of all students. The administration should provide to faculty and the community at large a comprehensive list of major holiday observed by the world’s religions and/or cultures. Teachers should accommodate students on any major religious or cultural holiday. Students are strongly advised to tell teachers in advance of upcoming religious or cultural observances, including any not mentioned on the list, to get work in advance, reschedule assessments, etc. Rationale: LHS students observe many cultural and religious traditions that should be respected by the entire community. While it is impossible for the school to close for every observance students and teachers should be respectful of holidays. Many schools, both high schools and universities, provide a list to faculty of major holidays Sun, 05 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2014/01/05/Resolution-on-Religious-Respect/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2014/01/05/Resolution-on-Religious-Respect/ bills Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, the Student Faculty Senate Social Action Committee shall undertake a voter registration drive lasting no less than five full school days and ending no later then September 30, occurs in years with a scheduled election in November, and shall ensure that the completed registration forms are delivered to the town clerk no later than the Massachusetts registration deadline, which falls twenty days before the Election Day in November. Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, the Student Faculty Senate Social Action Committee shall undertake a voter registration drive lasting no less than five full school days and starting between the second-to-last Monday in January and the first Monday in February. Again, it shall ensure that the completed registration forms are delivered to the town clerk no later than the Massachusetts registration deadline, which falls twenty days before the Election Day in November. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2012/01/03/Voter-Registration-Drive/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2012/01/03/Voter-Registration-Drive/ bills If an extended homeroom takes place on Tuesday, there will be an announcement in the homeroom meeting on the Thursday before the extended homeroom alerting students that an extended homeroom will take place. If an extended homeroom takes place on Thursday, there will be an announcement in the homeroom meting on the Tuesday before the extended homeroom alerting students that an extended homeroom will take place. Rationale: When an extended homeroom takes place during the day, the first couple of blocks lose time and only last fifty minutes instead of fifty-five. Students who have first block free on an extended homeroom day have it shortened as well, but usually do not know that their free block ends five minutes earlier. As a result, they arrive to their next scheduled class five minutes late (assuming they plan on coming to school after their free block ends). Even though extended homerooms are announced on the school website, only a few people regularly check the website. An announcement in homeroom spreads the news more efficiently. Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2012/01/02/Extended-Homeroom-Bill/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2012/01/02/Extended-Homeroom-Bill/ bills Following elections, every student Senator will be assigned 2-3 homerooms of the same graduation year, including their own homeroom. After the Senate calls a homeroom visit Senators will be expected to visit each of their assigned homerooms over the course of the next three homeroom periods. The following will be placed at the end of homeroom announcements beginning on the Thursday after the Senate calls a homeroom visit. This announcement will run for the following three homeroom periods: “Student Senators will be visiting homerooms for the next two weeks. Expect a Senator from your graduation year to come into our homeroom to present Senate-related information and solicit feedback.” Calling a homeroom visit A committee may call a homeroom visit when specific feedback or information is required from the general student population. A homeroom visit may also be called to notify students after a bill or resolution has been passed or as need arises. The committee that calls the visit must write a set of guidelines that will be distributed to all Senators before the visits begin. These guidelines will structure discussion and ensure uniformity in information related by Senators and in type of student response. Senators are encouraged to take notes based on these guidelines or otherwise record information received in their assigned homerooms. Guidelines must be submitted to either the Policy or Executive committee for approval prior to distribution. Discussion of homeroom visits Homeroom visit discussion must be inserted into the agenda of the first Senate meeting after homeroom visits have been completed. This discussion will be limited to fifteen minutes but may be extended upon a suspension of the rules. One the discussion is completed, Senators are expected to submit any notes taken in their assigned homerooms to the chair of the committee that called the visit. Rationale: Student Senators represent their entire class, so they should be required to meet with a constituent group of classmates at certain times. This will spread awareness of Senate’s actions while providing the Senate with useful information about student opinions. Having specific guidelines will make Senators more comfortable speaking to homerooms and will ensure that collected information is relevant to issues at hand. Taking notes makes it easier to present this information to the Senate. Approval by the Policy or Executive Committee makes certain that the guidelines are sufficiently specific and pertinent. Including time to discuss homeroom visits during Senate meeting allows information to be related and effectively used. Limiting discussion prevents an excess of repetitive or irrelevant information. Giving any notes to the correct committee chair ensure that all information recoded by Senators, whether or not it was discussed by the Senate as a whole, is received by those who requested it. Announcements in homerooms alert students and teachers to the visits before hand. This will reduce Senator disruption of homeroom periods and will encourage Senators to visit homerooms on the assigned dates. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2012/01/01/Homeroom-Visit-Bill/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2012/01/01/Homeroom-Visit-Bill/ bills Recognizing the constitutional restriction forbidding the Student/Faculty Senate from legislating how teachers organize their courses and evaluate their students, but observing the need for all students to have equal and fair opportunities for evaluation, The Student/Faculty Senate hereby resolves that faculty members should not give major exams or tests on days when they are absent and the class is being taught by a substitute teacher. Rationale: When teachers choose to postpone tests, they often begin teaching curriculum that will be included in the next assessment, aware that students need to continue working even if their evaluation is delayed. If a substitute teacher is present, the teacher could leave alternative work for the students, with the assumption that they will check the work upon their return and/or that the students will be responsible for that material on the next unit’s assessment. When substitute teachers are responsible for giving tests, they are often not aware of special testing accommodations given to individual students, and are less able to make decisions regarding a student’s need to take the assessment on a different day or receive other accommodations (e.g. typing an essay instead of handwriting it). Substitute teachers are unable to answer students’ inquiries regarding confusing test questions covering material the student comprehends. Substitutes therefore cannot give the clarification that a teacher might provide, and so the student might not receive credit for material they understand. Cheating is more likely to occur when a teacher is not present to supervise as a class takes a test. The presence of a teacher during administration of an assessment greatly discourages violations of the LHS Honor Code. The Student/Faculty Senate’s Junior-Senior Substitute Bill (10-94) allows for teachers to cancel classes composed solely of upperclassmen in the event of the teacher’s absence, provided they feel students could use the time productively and the teacher leaves an assignment for the students. While teachers may sometimes feel it is not advantageous to cancel class, this option provides teachers with an additional alternative to giving a major assessment in a class taught by a substitute. Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2011/01/03/Substitute-Teacher-Testing-Resolution/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2011/01/03/Substitute-Teacher-Testing-Resolution/ bills All class councils at Lexington High School shall be required to sponsor at least one event over the course of each academic year organized specifically for the purpose of contributing to a community service effort and open to class members. The activity chosen by each class may be used to meet the community service graduation requirement. Class Councils must submit a plan to meet this requirement to the Senate Social Action Committee by February 1 of each year, and must complete the project by June 1 and submit a report to the Social Action Committee by that date. This bill replaces the 5-89 Class Service Project Bill. Rationale: The Senate currently feels that community service should by rewarded by community service credit. Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2011/01/02/Class-Council-Community-Service-Bill/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2011/01/02/Class-Council-Community-Service-Bill/ Replacement bills There will be no community service requirement for a student to be eligible for open campus. Rationale: Community service has no connection to open campus. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000 http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2011/01/01/Open-Campus-Bill/ http://senate.lex.ma//bills/2011/01/01/Open-Campus-Bill/ bills