CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF COBB SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION

(Revised March 2021)

Article I                   Name

The name of the Association shall be the Cobb School Counselor Association (CSCA).

Article II                 Purposes

The purposes of this Association shall be:

a.      To advance the profession of School Counseling.

b. To promote an improved understanding and appreciation of school counseling services.

c.      To foster a spirit of unity, cooperation, support, and fellowship among counselors.

d.     To provide opportunities for professional development.

e.      To encourage cooperation with other professionals interested in human services.

f.  To establish and maintain connections between Cobb School Counselor Association and the community.

Article III                Membership

Section 1.   Types of Membership:

This Association shall include six types of membership: 

Professional                   Honorary                      Retired

Affiliate            Past Presidents                                     Intern/Practicum Students Section 2. Requirements of Membership:

a.  Professional Membership: Professional members who have paid their dues in the current year (thus are active) shall have the privilege of voting and holding office. Professional membership in the association is open to those who are professionally certified by the Georgia Department of Education in the field of counseling and/or who are employed in an educational institution.

b. Honorary Membership: Honorary membership shall be given to those persons who have performed outstanding services in or for the fields of education and counseling. Honorary members shall have all rights and privileges attendant to professional membership except the right to vote and the right to hold office.

c.  Retired Membership: Retired Membership shall be available to those who meet the requirements of professional membership but have retired after at least five years of active service as a counselor. Retired members shall have all the rights and privileges attendant to professional membership including the right to vote and the right to hold office. Membership dues for retired members may be decided by a vote of the Executive Board.

d. Affiliate Membership: Persons in related fields, who do not qualify for professional membership, but who are interested in promoting CSCA’s purposes, may participate in

CSCA as affiliate members. Affiliate members may neither vote nor hold office. Membership dues for affiliate members may be decided by a vote of the Executive Board.

e.  Past Presidents: People who have held the office of president will not pay dues. They will have all rights as a full member in the organization.

f.  Intern/Practicum Students: People who are currently enrolled in a school counseling graduate program and serving as an intern or practicum student in a Cobb County or Marietta City school.

Article IV.   Officers

Section 1.     Officers and Terms of Office

a.  The elected officers shall consist of a president, a vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer, a parliamentarian , and an immediate past-president. The term of each office shall be twelve (12) months.

b. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers.

c.  All officers of the association shall be elected at-large from among active members of the CSCA.

Section 2.     Nomination and Elections of Officers

a.  The president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and parliamentarian  shall be elected in the spring by a majority vote of active members..

b. The Executive Committee shall nominate the candidates for office. The vice president will chair the executive committee for the purpose of nominating candidates for office.

c.      Officers shall be installed at each year’s first or second meeting.

d. If any officer should be unable to assume office or complete a term of office, the president shall appoint a replacement.

Article V.     Meetings

Section 1.     Annual Meetings

There shall be meetings during each school year, as determined by the Executive Board. Section 2.   Special Meetings

The president, with the approval of the Executive Board, may call a special meeting at such times as deemed advisable.

Section 3.       Voting

A majority (51%) vote of the active professional members shall decide any question or election brought before any announced meeting (See Article VII for procedure to amend by-laws).

Section 4.     Rules of Order

The most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, as consistent with the by-laws, shall govern the meeting of this association and its committees.

Article VI.   Annual Dues

Section 1. The Executive Board shall determine the annual dues of a professional member. Section 2. Dues may be raised or lowered in the manner described in Article V, Section 3.

Section 3. Annual dues must be paid by November 1 of the current school year for the member to be eligible for nomination for or to nominate members for level awards.

Article VII.  Amendments

These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the active members voting. This voting may be done at any regular or called meeting. All members shall be notified in writing of the amendment proposed at least thirty days before the vote is taken.

Article VIII. Committees

Section 1.     Committee chairpersons, with the exception of the Executive Committee, shall be appointed by the president.

Executive Board

Section 1.     The Executive Board, chaired by the president, shall be composed of the elected officers and designated committee chairpersons.

Section 2.     The Executive Board shall be responsible for approving officers nominated by the president to fill the remaining term of any elected office in case of a vacancy.

Membership Committee

Section 1.     The membership committee shall be chaired by the membership recruitment chair and will be composed of the treasurer and additional members selected by the chairperson.

Section 2.     The membership committee shall be responsible for recruitment and the notification confirming active membership.

Section 3.     The treasurer will be responsible for the registration of members and the maintenance of official membership rolls and records.

By-Laws Committee

Section 1.     The by-laws committee shall be chaired by the vice-president and will be composed of additional members selected by the chairperson. Section 2.  The by-laws committee shall be responsible for an annual review of CSCA by- laws to evaluate whether they continue to meet the organization’s needs, and to propose any suggested amendments for membership consideration, in accordance to Article VII.

Special Committees and Projects

Section 1.     Special committees shall be appointed by the president and could include but would not be limited to hospitality, advocacy, community service, scholarships, fundraising, mini-grants, public relations, and professional development.

Section 2.     Special projects may be created by the president.

Article IX    Professional Courtesy

Section 1.     The hospitality  chair and/or committee shall be responsible for acknowledging and extending appropriate courtesies to members of the Cobb School Counselor Association for various personal occasions involving professional recognition, outstanding honors, medical and sickness events, death of members or immediate family, persons who retire from the profession, and the retiring president.

Section 2.     Occasions and proposed courtesies that shall be extended:

1.     Recognition for state and/or national honors.

2. Hospitalization (Suggestion: Organization will send a card expressing concern and will notify members).

3. Death of a member (Suggestion: A floral arrangement or a cash contribution to a favorite charity).

4. Death of a spouse or child (Suggestion: A floral arrangement or a cash contribution to a favorite charity).

5. Death of immediate family member other than spouse or child (Suggestion: Organization will send a card expressing condolences and will notify members).

6.     Retirement of members (Suggestion:  Appropriate gift).

7.     Recognition of outgoing president by the president-elect.

Section 3.     Response to extraordinary circumstances to be recommended for approval by the Executive Board.