JIBA School Government

JIBA

SCHOOL GOVERNMENT: THE COUNCIL

It shall be the policy of this board that the organization named THE COUNCIL shall be the governance body at Hanover High School, representative of students and staff. The composition of THE COUNCIL shall be as follows:

THE COUNCIL shall consist of no more than 48 members elected in the spring of each year in the following manner:

A. Any member of the Hanover High School community — students, staff (including support staff) — may place his/her name in nomination for election to THE COUNCIL.

B. A school-wide election is held and THE COUNCIL shall be elected, based on the following proportions:

1. Incoming sophomore, juniors, and seniors vote for five (5) members from their respective classes.

2. Faculty and staff vote for six (6) members from the faculty and staff.

3. In addition, all of the above constituencies, plus the present seniors, vote for eleven (11) at-large members chosen from the entire list of candidates.

4. Incoming 9th graders from the Richmond School, vote for four (4) members from their own class.

5. Incoming 9th-grade-tuition students will meet together in September of their 9th-grade year and hear statements from any of their numbers who wish to run for THE COUNCIL. These students will elect one (1) student from the 9th-grade-tuition students to represent them on THE COUNCIL.

6. Incoming new students from grades 10, 11 and 12 and Dresden 9th graders who did not attend the Richmond School will meet together in September of their first year at Hanover High School and hear statements from any of their numbers who wish to run for THE COUNCIL. These students will elect one (1) student from the new student group to represent them on THE COUNCIL.

7. Each class delegation, the faculty/staff delegation and the at-large delegation will each have an alternate selected according to THE COUNCIL by-laws.

8. Up to five but not fewer than two community members, at least one of whom must be the parent of a Hanover High School student, shall be selected by the school administration and approved by a majority vote of the Council each spring. Four community members will be regular members of Council and the fifth will be an alternate who will vote when a community member is absent.

THE COUNCIL shall have the authority to act on all matters at Hanover High School not controlled by school board policy, state law, administrative regulations established by the superintendent of schools, and rules and regulations published in the Student Handbook of Hanover High School. The Student Handbook shall be reviewed and approved for publication each spring by THE COUNCIL and the administration.

In the event of a dispute regarding jurisdiction, an ad hoc review board agreed to by the principal and the moderator of THE COUNCIL may rule. The review board shall be composed of two staff, two students, a representative of the superintendentʼs office, a representative of the Dresden School Board and one community member. The findings and the advisory opinion of the review board shall be determined by majority vote and submitted to the moderator of THE COUNCIL and the principal of the high school. In the event of continued disagreement, a final binding decision shall be rendered by an ad hoc committee of three members from the Dresden Board chosen by the Dresden Board Chairperson.

The principal of the high school shall hold the power to veto any action of THE COUNCIL. Any jurisdictional issues must be resolved prior to a veto and may not be raised after a veto. Such vetoes must be accomplished by a written explanation. THE COUNCIL, by a 2/3 majority vote of members present, may overrule the veto of the principal. A public hearing on the issue must precede such action by THE COUNCIL.

The Judiciary Committee of THE COUNCIL is established to review the decisions of the administration in discipline cases when students believe they have been treated unfairly. The Judiciary Committeeʼs decisions on innocence are binding upon the administration. If the Judiciary Committee determines that a student is guilty, it may either affirm the administrative punishment or recommend a new punishment that the administration must consider before imposing a new punishment. Further appeal by the students may be to the superintendent of schools or the superintendentʼs designee pursuant to Regulation JCE entitled “Student Complaints and Grievances.”

Dresden Board Adopted: 14 June 1977 Revised: 9/2/94, 5/27/97, 3/28/00, 6/22/04 Recoded from JHCB to JIBA 21 July 2009