BERGEN COUNTY SCHOOL NURSES ASSOCIATION BYLAWS 


BYLAW I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Bergen County School Nurses’ Association herein known as BCSNA.

BYLAW II – OBJECTIVE

The objective of this association shall be to foster high standards of school nursing practice and to stimulate the promotion, welfare and professional development of the school nurses in Bergen County. This corporation is organized and is to be operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, within the meaning of Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

BYLAW III - MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Association shall be of four classes:  Active, Associate, Retired and Honorary.  All Active and Associate members shall reside in and/or be employed in Bergen County.

Section 1.  Active:  All registered, professional certified school nurses, teacher-nurses and supervisors regularly employed by a Board of Education shall be eligible for Active membership.  

Section 2.  Associate:  All registered, professional nurses engaged in school work shall be eligible for Associate membership provided they are: (a) engaged in other than a public school Board of Education, or (b) former Active members no longer eligible for  Active membership, or (c) employed as a substitute school nurse.  Associate members may enjoy the privileges of the Association, may serve as a committee member, and may vote, but not hold office.

Section 3.   Retired:  Members, upon retirement shall be eligible for Retired membership.  They shall enjoy the privileges of the Association, may serve as a committee member, but may not vote or hold an office. However, a retired member may be appointed chairperson of a committee by two-thirds vote (2/3)  of the Executive Board. A Retired member appointed chairperson of a committee shall be a member of the Executive Board and shall be permitted to vote in this capacity.  

Section 4.  Honorary: Honorary membership may be bestowed by the Executive Committee by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board, to those deserving of membership.  An honorary member may not vote, hold office, nor serve on any committee.

BYLAW IV - LIMIT ON ACTIVITIES DISSOLUTION

For limit of activities and dissolution refer to Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any further U.S. Internal Revenue Law).  

BYLAW V - MEETINGS AND THEIR LOCATIONS

Section 1.  Four General meetings shall be held annually.  These shall be evening meetings during the months of October, November, March and May at a time and place selected by the Executive Board.  

Section 2.  Executive Board meetings shall be held prior to each General meeting and/or at any other designated time for special association purposes.  Executive Board meetings shall be held in October, November, January, March and May either in person or online.  

Section 3.  The suggested order of business for each General meeting of the Association shall be:

Call to order

Reading/Approval of the Minutes

Reports of Officers

Reports of Standing Committees

Reports of Special/Ad Hoc Committees

Old/New Business

Call for Bergen County School Nurse open positions

Election of Officers (at March meeting)

Annual report of the President (at May meeting)

Adjournment

Section 4.  Special meetings of this association may be requested by the President/ Executive Board.  Upon written request of fifteen association members, a special meeting will be called.  Only that specified business shall be considered at any special meeting.

Section 5.  Notice of all meetings of this Association shall be posted to the BCSNA.net website.

Section 6.  Electronic Meetings:  With approval of the Executive Board, Executive Board, General, Special or standing committee meetings may meet by telephone conference or other electronic communication media as long as a quorum is present and all members simultaneously hear each other and can participate during the meeting. A committee quorum is defined as a majority of the committee members.

BYLAW VI - QUORUM

Section 1.  Twenty-five Active members shall constitute a quorum at any General meeting of this Association.

Section 2.  Twenty-five Active members shall constitute a quorum at any Special meeting of the Association.

Section 3.  Two/thirds of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Executive Board.     

BYLAW VII - DUES

Section 1.  Active members’ dues shall be recommended annually by the Executive Board.

Section 2.  Associate members dues shall be a percentage of Active members’ dues, to be recommended annually.

Section 3.  Neither Retired nor Honorary membership requires payment of dues. 

Section 4.  It is encouraged that all dues are payable by December 31st of each calendar year.  Dues received between June 1st and May 31st are applied toward the current membership year.   

BYLAW VIII - FISCAL YEAR

The fiscal year of the Association shall be from June 1st to May 31st. 

BYLAW IX - ROBERT'S RULES

Deliberations of all meetings of this Association and the Executive Board shall be governed by "Robert's Rules of Order, Revised."

BYLAW X - OFFICERS AND THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

The officers of this Association shall be:  President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. 

The Executive Board shall consist of the officers, chairpersons of standing, special and ad hoc committees, and the immediate past president.

BYLAW XI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS/CHAIRPERSONS:

President: Shall serve as the official representative of the Association, preside at all meetings and is an ex-officio member of all committees.  

Only Active members who are working in the field of school nursing and who have been members of the BCSNA for no less than two consecutive years immediately prior to taking office shall be eligible to hold office. It is preferred that the candidate for this office has served on the executive board for at least one year.  

Vice President: Shall perform the duties of the President in their absence.  The Vice-President is responsible for overseeing the planning and coordination of the education program for the four evening General meetings with the assistance of the education committee. The Vice President  shall, in the absence or disability of the President, perform the duties of the President. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice President who shall serve for the unexpired term of the President. 

Only Active members who are working in the field of school nursing and who have been  BCSNA members for no less than two consecutive years immediately prior to taking office shall be eligible to hold office. It is preferred that the candidate for this office has served on the executive board for at least one year.  

Secretary: Responsible for all official correspondence of the Association and records and files the minutes and reports of all meetings.  Serves as the custodian of all records of the Association.

Active members who are working in the field of school nursing shall be eligible to hold this office. 

Treasurer: Serves as the custodian of all funds for the Association. Is responsible for presenting a proposed annual budget, paying the bills of the Association in a timely manner, providing a report at each general and executive meeting, and chairing the finance committee.  

Active members who are working in the field of school nursing shall be eligible to hold this office.

BCEA Representative: Attends BCEA meetings and reports proceedings/items of interest to the BCSNA membership. 

Education: Responsible for planning and coordinating the education program for the four evening General meetings with the Vice President. Acts as a consultant to varied educational and health promotion agencies in sponsoring/coordinating programs of interest for the association. Collects evaluation data on General meetings to guide future meetings, as well as distributes professional development certificates.  Provides updates to membership in guidance for BCLS. 

Finance: The finance committee examines the Association’s financial books/records and reports the results to the Executive Board at least three times a year.  The committee assists the Treasurer in formulating an annual budget.  Along with the Treasurer, the committee should consist of the President, Vice president and at least one other Active BCSNA member.

Hospitality: Makes all arrangements for the four General meetings including arranging for space and provisions with the approval of the Executive Board. Welcomes attendees at the hospitality table at General meetings. Works with the education committee to honor retirees at the May meeting. 

Membership: Responsible for maintaining a file of all members and compiling a membership list.  Coordinates the maintenance of the Bergen County School Nurse Contact List and outreach to school nurses in Bergen County to maximize membership in the association.  

NJSSNA Representative: Attends the Executive Board and General meetings of the NJSSNA.  Keeps BCSNA members informed of all current/pending legislation and other pertinent issues.

Nominating: Prepares a slate of officers for the annual elections with Active members qualified and willing to fill any vacancies.  The slate is to be presented at the March General meeting.

Parliamentarian:  Assists the President in conducting meetings according to Association bylaws and Robert’s Rules of Order.  The parliamentarian does not vote.  In the absence of the Parliamentarian, an Active member can act in this role, but forfeits their vote for that particular meeting.  

Scholarship: Reviews application forms with a committee of at least two other Executive Board/Active members.  Recommends a candidate(s) based on application, scholarship criteria and interview to the Executive Board. 

Standards and Practices/Resource:  Assists the President in addressing issues of serious concern to BCSNA members. Reviews and revises Association Bylaws at least yearly and/or at the recommendation of the Executive Board  This committee shall provide guidance as requested by members regarding school nursing practice issues. 

Website: Maintains website by updating web pages, forms and links, as well as posting notices of upcoming meetings/events. Uses email blasts/current technology to communicate with the membership. 

Executive Board members are required to attend all Executive Board and General meetings. Absence without cause from three meetings in one business year (September through June) shall constitute a resignation.  The President, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall fill such vacancies until the next election. 

BYLAW XII – ELECTIONS

Section 1.  Annual elections shall be held at the May General meeting.

Section 2. In the even years, the President and Vice President shall be elected for a two-year term.

Section 3.  In the odd years, the Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for a two-year term.  

Section 4.  After the presentation of the slate of officers by the Nominating committee, additional nominations may be made from the floor.

Section 5. Voting shall be by written ballot and/or electronic ballot. However, shall there be but one candidate for each office, the Secretary shall be instructed to cast one ballot for the assembly and the slate shall be declared duly elected.

Section 6. In the event of a written ballot, tellers/ballot counters shall be appointed by the President to count the votes and report the results to the association.

Section 7.  In the event of the vacancy in any office, except the Presidency the executive board shall elect a successor to complete the term of office.

Section 8. Each elected officer may succeed him/herself by one term.

Section 9. Committee chairpersons are appointed by the President in consultation with the Executive Board.  

Section 10. Newly elected and installed officers will assume their position responsibilities as of June 1.  Chairpersons will assume their positions once appointed and confirmed by the President and Executive Board. 

In the event that a current officer or chairperson resigns/retires from their school nursing position while serving on the Executive Board the officer/chair may remain in their office/post for the remainder of their elected/appointed terms with the approval of a two-thirds vote of the full Executive Board.  

BYLAW XIII – AMENDMENTS

These bylaws may be amended at any General meeting of the Association by two-thirds of the vote cast, provided that the amendment has been submitted by the Executive Board at a previous meeting of the Association. They may also be amended by electronic vote provided the amendment(s) are provided for review to the Active members at least three weeks prior to the electronic vote.