BYLAWS OF THE
CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION
OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS
1999

Article I     NAME

The name of the organization shall be the Connecticut Association of School  Psychologists (CASP), which shall be a non-profit organization.

Article II     PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization shall be to serve in a leadership role:

To unite all qualified persons who are engaged in school psychological services for an exchange of ideas and professional growth experiences related to their work.

To initiate and support action aimed at providing better educational and school psychological services and facilities to children and youth.

To provide within the group high ethical practices in accord with those set forth by NASP and other relevant professional organizations.

To promote articulation among professional psychological associations and other related disciplines.

To take an active role in promoting better home, school, and community understanding of school psychological services.

To provide for group action in the protection of the profession as a whole and its individual members.

Article III     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Association:  The term which designates and refers to the Connecticut Association of School Psychologists

Bylaws:  The primary document of the Connecticut Association of School Psychologists, which serves as the basic charter to guarantee rights and powers to the members.

Operations Handbook:  The document which contains the policies and procedures used to conduct the affairs of the organization.

Article IV     MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.       The organization shall have the following categories of membership:

1.  Professional Members

A.    Those certified by the Connecticut State Department of Education as School Psychologists, or by other states with comparable standards.

B.     Those trained as a school psychologist, but currently functioning as a consultant or supervisor of school psychological services, or engaged in training of school psychologists at a college or university.

2.  Student Members

A.     Those enrolled in a School Psychology program approved by either the Connecticut State Department of Education, NASP, or another state with comparable standards, who do not qualify as a Professional Member under IV; 1: A, above.

B.     Those who have completed an approved program in school psychology and/or who are certified and are completing an Internship in school psychology.  A yearly signature by a faculty sponsor, attesting to the above condition shall be required.

3.  Associate Members

A.          Members of other professions or those who wish to join CASP to support the works of the
          organization, and to receive the general mailings of the organization.

B.     Certified or trained school psychologists who are no longer employed, who are in some related position, and who maintain an active interest in the profession of school psychology.

4.  Retired Members

A.     Members age 55 or over who have been members for at least five consecutive years and who are retiring from remunerative professional activity.

B.     Retired Members shall retain the rights of their membership status held prior to retirement, as stated in Sections 1 and 3 above.

Section 2.       Members shall pay dues according to their status in an amount set by the Executive Board.

Section 3.       Severance of Membership.

1.           Membership shall be terminated for nonpayment of dues.

2.       Members agree to abide by NASP's Principles for Professional Ethics.  A member in any of the above categories may be expelled from the Association for violation of the Principles for Professional Ethics.   Members shall be protected by the right to an appeal.  

Section 4.         Voting Privileges for All Members (See also Executive Board Voting)

1.     All professional and retired members shall have full voting privileges and be eligible to seek any elected or appointed CASP office.

2.     Associate members are not entitled to voting privileges.

3.     Student members shall have full voting privileges and may be appointed by the president to any executive board position, but may not seek election as an officer of CASP.

Article V     EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1: Executive Board

A.    The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers, immediate past president, regional representatives, current delegate to the National Association of School Psychologists, committee chairpersons, one graduate student representative from each training institution, State Department of Education consultant responsible for school psychological services, and a faculty representative from each school psychology training program in Connecticut.

B.     All members of the executive board shall be members in good standing.

Section 2: Officers

A.    The officers of the association shall be the president, vice-president, the secretary, the treasurer, and the past-president.

B.     Each officer shall serve a term of one year.

C.     No member shall simultaneously hold more than one office.

D.     No member shall hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms, with the exception of the treasurer.

E.     Elections shall be held by mail ballot or at a business meeting for all offices except that of past president, who shall be the individual who has most recently vacated the office of president.

F.     Terms of office will take effect July 1, consistent with the fiscal year.

G.    Officers shall be elected from Professional or Retired categories, and shall be members in good standing.  No more than one officer may be a retired member.

Section 3:  Duties of the Members of the Executive Board:

PRESIDENT:  shall preside at all meetings; shall nominate for Executive Board approval regional representatives and all committee chairpersons with the exception of the chairperson of the Nominations and Elections Committee, and be responsible for the overall functioning of the Association.  He/She shall appoint student and faculty representatives from among the Connecticut School Psychology Training Programs.

VICE-PRESIDENT:   shall preside at meetings and otherwise assume responsibilities of the president in the latter's absence.  He/She shall be available to assist regional representatives in developing appropriate programs and activities within each region.

SECRETARY:  shall keep minutes of all regular and Executive Board meetings, shall send notices to Executive Board members of all meetings, and shall be responsible for all official correspondence of the association.

TREASURER:  shall oversee that all Association monies are managed in accord with established financial policies and procedures set forth in the Operations Handbook.  The treasurer submits an annual budget, and arranges for and supervises the annual audit of the Association.

PAST PRESIDENT:  shall be the last person to vacate the presidency.  He/She shall be the chairperson of the Nominations and Elections committee.

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON:  shall be responsible for the specific duties outlined in the Operations Handbook.  Duties of a Temporary Chairperson shall be defined by the Executive Board when such Committees are established.

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES:  shall confer with members in their region to establish their needs and priorities, shall arrange for meetings in their region to provide professional growth experiences for the members, and shall maintain contact with the members of that region in order to keep them apprized of the latest happenings in school psychology?

GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE:   He/She shall communicate CASP's goals, activities, programs and plans to his/her University training program; assist with membership development at the university; and refer relevant graduate student concerns to the Executive Board.

STATE CONSULTANT:  responsible for School Psychology Services shall assist in the establishment of a cooperative working relationship between the Association and the State Department of Education;  make the Executive Board and the membership aware of relevant Department regulations, policies and actions; and bring to the Department for consideration the interests and concerns of the membership.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINER:  shall promote a cooperative working relationship between the Association and the training institution, assist in developing appropriate continuing professional development activities for members, encourage student membership and involvement in CASP, and work with CASP to promote school psychology.

ARTICLE VI       GOVERNANCE

Section 1.  Executive Board

1.     The Executive Board shall adopt and amend all procedures to implement the policies of the Association.

2.     The Executive Board shall meet as often as necessary, and shall have the power to carry on the routine business of the Association during the interim between business meetings. 

3.     Vacancies in elected office: should the president be unable to serve, the vice president shall assume that office.  Vacancies in the past president’s position will be filled by the person most immediately having held that office.  For other officers, an election by the executive board at the next meeting will determine a replacement for the office until the next annual meeting.

Section 2.  Operations Handbook

The operations handbook shall provide the policies and procedures for the Association, and shall be amended as necessary by the Executive Board.

Section 3.  Executive Board Voting

1.      Right to vote:     

All members of the Executive Board will have the right to vote on issues.  Each member will have one vote, regardless of the number of elected or appointed positions held.  Chairs of both Standing and Special committees may vote.  Only members present at an executive board meeting may vote; no proxies are allowed.                              

2.         Committee chairs and appointees:

The president may appoint up to two (co-)chairs per committee, and up to two (co-)regional representatives per region.  Each regional representative and committee chair is a voting member of the executive board.

3.     Types of votes:

Informal votes:  on most issues, voting will be by voice, with a simple majority deciding the issue.  If the president is unable to clearly determine the outcome, a formal vote is necessary.

Formal votes:  any member of the executive board may call for a formal vote on an issue.  Formal voting shall be by raising a hand or written ballot.  Formal vote by written ballot is required when selecting recipients of professional awards.

Article VII     COMMITTEES

A.    There shall be Standing and Special committees established by the Executive Board to fulfill the functions of the Association.  The purpose of each committee shall be described in the Operations Handbook.

B.     The association's standing committees must include a Nominations and Elections Committee and a Membership Committee, and other committees as determined to be needed for the successful operation of the organization.  All committees and their functions shall be published in the organization’s Operations Handbook.

C.     The president shall appoint the chair(s) of the committees subject to the approval of the Executive Board.  The president and vice-president shall be ex-officio members of all committees except the Nominations and Elections Committee. 

D.     Upon recommendation of the Executive Board, a Standing Committee that appears defunct over a two-year period may be dissolved.

E.     Special committees which have been functioning successfully for at least two years may become Standing Committees upon approval of the Executive Board. "

Article VIII       MEETINGS

Section 1       There shall be at least one business meeting per year, to be held at a time and place determined by the Executive Board.

Section 2       Special meetings shall be called by the President.  Other meetings may be called at the request of one-third of the members in good standing.

Section 3       A quorum shall consist of those members present and voting.

Article IX     FINANCES

Section 1       Dues shall be payable upon receipt of an annual dues statement from the Association.  The amount of dues shall be set by the Executive Board.

Section 2       The Executive Board, upon recommendation of the Treasurer, shall present an annual budget to the membership for adoption.  The fiscal year shall be established by the Executive Board.

Section 3       No member of the association shall contract, or cause to be made in the name of the Association, any debt for any nature whatsoever without the specific and proper authorization of the Executive Board.

Section 4       A regular examination and report of the financial records of the Association shall be conducted.

Article X       PROCEDURE

The most recent edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall be followed in any question of procedure not covered by these Bylaws.

Article XI      CHANGES TO THE BYLAWS

Section 1       Changes to the bylaws may be proposed by the Executive Board or by written petition of at least 10 percent of the voting members of the association.

Section 2       The bylaws may be revised by a simple majority of members' votes at a business meeting with a legal quorum present, or by mail ballot to the general membership.  Proposed changes must be made available to the membership at least 30 days in advance of the meeting at which they will be considered.  In the case of a mail ballot, 30 days will be allowed from the date of mailing to the close of voting.  The Executive Board shall be responsible for the supervision of the balloting.

Section 3       The bylaws shall be reviewed for revision by the Executive Board at least every five years.  Changes shall be proposed as necessary to ensure the continued effective and efficient functioning of the Association.

Article XII     EFFECTIVE DATE

The bylaws, upon ratification, shall become effective immediately.

Adopted, June 2, 1999