BY-LAWS

OF THE

STATE EDUCATION AGENCIES COMMUNICATION DISABILITY COUNCIL

ARTICLE I

NAME

The name of this organization shall be STATE EDUCATION AGENCIES COMMUNICATION DISABILITY COUNCIL (SEACDC), hereinafter referred to as the Council, and its principal office shall be located at the professional address of the President of the Council unless the President selects an alternative location.

ARTICLE II

PURPOSES

The purposes of the Council are as follows:

To advise and consult with appropriate federal agencies, state agencies, and other public and private organizations and committees on philosophies, principles, practices, and needs in all areas relating to services for individuals who have language, speech, or hearing disabilities.

To formulate and recommend policies and procedures in the field of language, speech, and hearing, and to disseminate them to appropriate agencies and organizations.

To enter into any kind of activity or research consonant with law, state positions, and professional needs for the Council.

To establish liaisons with other organizations and associations whose primary purpose shall be to (1) promote the provision of appropriate speech, language, and hearing services for children in the IDEA and (2) pre-service training programs.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

Section1:

Regular Members: Regular members make up the voting membership of the Council. Person may become regular members if, by job description, they are involved in and delegated specific

responsibility for the State Education Agency’s program in any of the following areas:

audiology, speech-language impairments or hearing impairments. Regular members must be employed by, contracted by, or appointed by the state director of special education to represent the State Education Agency.

Section 2:

Associate Members: Associate membership may be offered by the SEACDC board who are former regular members, and other persons having an interest in language, speech, and hearing program development and maintenance at the State Education Agency level, but do not meet the requirements of regular membership, Associate members are non-voting members.

Section 3:

Honorary Members: Honorary membership may be conferred upon Council members who retire from both the Council and the profession. In order to bestow this status upon a retiring member, a one-third vote in favor of awarding honorary membership shall be required by the regular members in attendance at the Annual Meeting. Honorary members are non-voting members.

Section 4:

Membership Year: The membership year shall date from the conclusion of the Annual Meeting each year to the conclusion of the Annual Meeting the following year. However, individuals joining the Council as regular members at the Annual Meeting for the forthcoming membership year shall have voting privileges during that meeting.

Section 5:

Membership Status: Any person qualified as specified above may become a member by submitting to the Board of Directors a request.

ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD

The officers of the Council shall be:

Section 1:

President: The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Council. The President shall preside at all Council meetings, shall be responsible for ensuring that the business and activities of the Council are accomplished, the annual tax return is prepared and filed, and shall have other such duties as may be prescribed by these By-Laws or determined by the executive board.

Section 2:

President-Elect: The President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President when the latter cannot be fulfill these responsibilities. The President-Elect shall be program chair of the Annual meeting and shall have other such duties as may be prescribed by these By-laws or determined by the executive board.

Section 3:

Secretary: The Secretary shall keep on file accurate records of all meetings of the Council and send minutes of business meetings to the web-master for posting. The Secretary shall have other such duties as may be prescribed by these By-Laws or determined by the executive board.

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the Council treasury shall provide the membership with financial reports at the business meeting. The treasurer shall ensure the annual tax return is prepared and provided to the president for filing. The treasurer shall have other such duties as may be prescribed by these By-Laws or determined by the executive board.

Section 4:

Past President: The Past President shall assist and advise the president, President-Elect and Secretary, and Treasurer in carrying out the purposes of the Council and in performing their duties as needed.

Section 5:

Vacancies: Should a vacancy occur for any reason in any office, the vacancy shall be filled by a person selected by the executive board and appointed by the President for the remainder of the term. Appointed officers for an assumed position will follow the sequential position for that office. Should vacancies in the offices of the President and the President-Elect occur concurrently, the Secretary and Treasurer shall fill the president and president elect position and will appoint members to fill the vacated positions through the remainder of their term.

Section 6:

Terms of Office: Executive board members shall begin their terms of office at the conclusion of the “old business” portion of the Council’s Annual Meeting. The President and Past President shall serve for two years. The President –Elect shall serve in that office for two years, followed by a two-year term as President and a two-year term as Past President. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve a two-year term. Secretary and Treasurer terms shall be staggered to allow continuity on the executive board.

Section 7:

Executive Boards: The Executive Board shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer. At the request of any of the members of said board, the Executive Board shall be convened by the President or other board member designated by the President. Majority rule shall prevail in decision of said board. In the case of a tie vote, the president’s vote will count as two votes.

Section 8:

Nominations for Elected Positions: Nominations for Elected Positions: The Executive Board shall be the Nominating committee. The Nominating committee shall submit a slate of nominees to members for the offices of President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer as their terms expire. Permission of nominees shall be sought prior to submitting their names. All nominees for Council offices must be regular members.

Section 9:

Election of Officers: The names, and a ballot shall be provided by the Secretary to the regular members in attendance at the Annual Business Meeting. Elections shall be held at the Council’s Annual Business Meeting. The nominating committee members present at the Annual Business Meeting and the Secretary-Treasurer shall open and tabulate ballots at this meeting, in order that the results of the election may be announced. If the Secretary is not present at the Annual Meeting, the President or President-Elect shall oversee the opening and counting of ballots.

Section 10:

Resignations: Any officer or member of the Council may resign at any time by giving written notice to the President. Such resignations shall take effect when therein specified or, if the time is not specified, upon acceptance by the President. The Secretary shall notify the membership of such resignation. The President may resign upon written notice to the President-Elect. The existing board members will appoint a regular or honorary member to fulfill the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE V

MEETINGS

Section 1:

Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting shall be the primary assemblage of the members of the Council and shall be held at such time and such place as may be designated by the Executive Board. Other meetings of all or some of the members may be called by the Executive Board. Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be followed when conducting official Council meetings.

Section2:

Quorum: In order to establish a quorum for the transaction of business of the Council, the following two criteria must be met: (a) at least nine (9) regular members must be in attendance (including by distance) at any called meeting, and (b) all regular members must be notified of the date, location, and substance of the meeting within a reasonable amount of time. Such a quorum at any called meeting establishes the right of the regular members to decide all questions, except as may be otherwise provided by law or by these By-laws. A two-thirds vote of regular members in attendance at any called meeting shall be required for closing the meeting to non-voting members.

ARTICLE VI

AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be altered, amended, revised or repealed in whole or in part by a majority vote of the regular members in attendance at the Annual Meeting provided that notice of the substance of any proposed changes is set forth in the notice of the meeting and a quorum of members is present.

ARTICLE VII

PUBLICATIONS

The official publications of the Council shall be a website containing a directory and any other such documents as shall be agreed upon for the forthcoming year by a majority of the members in attendance at the Annual Business Meeting. The website shall be and maintained by the Council.

ARTICLE VIII

COMMITTEES

SECTION1:

Standing Committees: Standing committees may be established by a majority vote of the members in attendance at the Annual Meeting or as required by these By-Laws. Each standing committee shall submit a written report of activities to the membership of the Annual Meeting.

Section 2

Ad Hoc Committees: Ad Hoc committees may be established by the President or by a majority vote of the members in attendance at the Annual Meeting. A specific charge will be given to the committee. Upon completing the charge and reporting to the President of the Council, the committee will be dissolved. An Ad Hoc Committee may also be dissolved by the President if he or she determines that said committee is no longer needed or if the committee members are unable to pursue their charge. The committee shall submit a written report of activities to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE IX

DISCRIMINATION

The Council recognizes discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, sex, or handicapping condition to be inconsistent with its goals, purposes, and policies, and with the professional and ethical responsibilities of its members. Therefore, all programs and activities of the Council and its responsibilities to its members and to society shall be carried out in such a manner as to be consistent with and in adherence to this policy.