OFFICIAL CONSTITUTION OF

THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

DISTRICT STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
(amended October 2016)

Preamble

We, the students of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, in order to develop a means for closer
communication among the student bodies of Miami-Dade County Public Schools on matters of
mutual interest; to establish a channel of direct communication between the student body of
Miami-Dade County and the School Board and/or central administration, as it may regard the
welfare of the students; to develop leadership and democratic ideals; to maintain high standards
of cooperation, community and school spirit; to prepare students for adult life and citizenship; to
encourage worthwhile student activities; and to help students prepare for their careers, do form
this constitution for the Miami-Dade County District Student Government Association (amended
October 2016).

I. Student Organization
A. An organization known as the Miami-Dade County Student Government
Association was formed in 1977. This organization shall hereby be referred to as
the District SGA (amended October 2016).
B. The positions of the SGA shall be filled by students enrolled in a Miami-Dade
County public high school.
C. In order to be officially part of the District SGA, each school must pay an annual
fee of twenty (20) dollars (amended October 2016).
II. Officers
A. The District SGA shall be composed of two (2) branches: the legislative and the
executive (amended October 2016).
B. The legislative branch, hereby named the Senate, shall be formed by the current
SGA Presidents of every participating Miami-Dade County public high school, or
their Vice Presidents, or the Presidents designee in their absence. They will have
the responsibility of voting for policies, elections, and actions of the SGA. In this
way, each high school represented will receive one vote (amended October 2016).
C. The executive branch, hereby named the Executive Board, shall be formed by
seven (7) elected representatives and one (1) appointed representative: Student
Advisor to the School Board, President, Vice President, Corresponding Secretary,
Recording Secretary, Legislative Liaison, Community Service Chairperson, and
Confidential Secretary (amended October 2016).
D. All terms of office shall be for one year beginning the day after the last school day
of the year and ending on the last school day one year later (February 2012).
III. Activities
A. To meet on a periodic basis for a sharing and discussion of common interests.
B. To participate in and/or conduct studies of issues identified as concerns to public
school students (amended October 2016).
 C. To communicate study results, reactions, and recommendations to the School
Board and/or administration, either through a written report and/or School Board
(amended October 2016).
D. To participate in general citizen advisory committees as deemed appropriate by
having association members serve as liaisons (amended October 2016).
IV. Meetings (amended October 2016)
A. The SGA shall hold a minimum of one (1) general meeting and one (1) Executive
Board meeting per month from the months of September through May, unless
unforeseen circumstances arise.
B. The President shall hold the capacity to call special meetings when necessary.
C. A majority vote of all Senators present is required for the passage of all motions.
V. Powers and Duties of the Executive Board (amended October 2016)
A. The Student Advisor to the School Board shall:
1. Serve as an official liaison between the School Board and the students
enrolled in all Miami-Dade County Public Schools, representing the
interests of the District SGA and the student body.
2. Act as a public representative of the students of Miami-Dade County
Public Schools at various conferences, meetings, and ceremonies.
3. Attend and participate in all monthly School Board meetings.
4. Read, research, and obtain answers to questions related to School Board
agenda Items.
5. Research and compile the student body's opinions on various topics to
be addressed at District SGA and School Board meetings.
6. Review and disseminate information regarding items of interest to the
student body.
7. Identify School Board Items to discuss with the Senate.
8. Attend all District SGA Senate and Executive Board meetings.
9. Serve as the representative of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools
on the Executive Board of the Miami-Dade County Council of
PTAs/PTSAs as Student Representative.
10. Appoint the Confidential Secretary and assign tasks to them as needed.
B. The President of the District SGA shall:
1. Preside at all meetings.
2. Appoint standing and ad hoc committee chairpersons.
3. Serve as the representative of Miami-Dade County Public Schools on
the Board of Directors of United Way of Miami-Dade.
4. Serve as the representative of Miami-Dade County Public Schools
District SGA on the General Obligation Bond (GOB) Advisory
Committee.
5. Promote communication between the Student Advisor to the School
Board and the District SGA.
6. Represent the District SGA in interactions with school system
Administration.
7. Establish the agenda for District SGA meetings by choosing topics to
discuss with the Executive Board.
 8. Acts as a representative of the students of Miami-Dade County Public
Schools at various conferences, meetings, and ceremonies.
C. The Vice President of the District SGA shall:
1. In the event of a tie vote in the Senate, including at elections, make the
tiebreaking vote, unless there is a conflict of interest, in which case the
vote would fall to the Corresponding Secretary.
2. Perform the duties of the President in the event of his/her absence and/or
request, but not fill the office.
3. Serve as an ex-officio member of all appointed committees.
4. Assist with any unfulfilled duties of the other officers.
5. Serve as the representative of Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a
member of The Childrens Trust's Board of Directors.
D. The Corresponding Secretary of the District SGA shall:
1. Notify high schools of upcoming meetings in a timely manner.
2. Disseminate information pertinent to the operation of the District SGA.
3. Prepare the agendas for the District SGA meetings.
4. Create and update any social media platform for the District SGA.
E. The Recording Secretary of the District SGA shall:
1. Record the minutes of every Senate and Executive Board meeting.
2. Keep a permanent record of all reports by officers and committees.
3. Maintain attendance at all meetings and events in the manner deemed
most appropriate.
F. The Legislative Liaison of the District SGA shall:
1. Assist in the planning of District SGA meetings.
2. Act as a source of information for all activities related to the District
SGA.
3. Assist with the preparation and distribution of material and
correspondence relating to District SGA business.
4. Provide information to District SGA Senators and members of the
Executive Board regarding state and district educational policies and
practices.
5. Serve as the representative of Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a
member of the Executive Board of the Miami-Dade County Council of
PTAs/PTSAs as Student Involvement Chair.
G. The Community Service Chairperson of the District SGA shall:
1. Coordinate all community service events and activities within the
Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsDistrict SGA.
2. Identify opportunities for community involvement and service on behalf
of the Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsDistrict SGA.
3. Maintain Project UP-START, the Homeless Assistance Program within
Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsDistrict SGA.
4. Serve as the representative of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools
District SGA as a member on the Miami-Dade County Youth
Homelessness Initiative's Youth Committee.
H. The Confidential Secretary of the District SGA shall:
 1. Serve at the pleasure of the Student Advisor to the School Board,
primarily in the role of secretary.
VI. Elections (amended October 2016)
A. The elected members of the Executive Board for the upcoming school year shall
be elected by the members of the Senate at the end of the current school year.
B. The Student Advisor to the School Board and the President shall be public high
school students in their senior year. The Vice President, Corresponding Secretary,
Recording Secretary, Community Service Chairperson, and Legislative Liaison
shall be public high school students in their junior or senior year. The
Confidential Secretary shall be a public high school student in any year of their
education.
C. Any student who attends a Miami-Dade County public high school and meets the
qualifications stated on the Executive Board application may file for candidacy
for office. In addition, all candidates must be approved to run for office at their
respective school site. No more than one candidate per school can run for each
elected office. A general election shall be held to determine the members of the
upcoming school year's Executive Board. A simple majority is needed to win the
election. Dates for filing candidate applications ill be determined and announced
each year by the Executive Board.
D. In addition, a student shall be qualified to run for office only if they have attended
at lease three general SGA meetings in the year they file for candidacy. The SGA
meeting that is set aside for elections can be used to meet this requirement. The
Recording Secretary shall verify the candidate's attendance. This requirement will
take effect for students running for the 2017-2018 Executive Board positions, and
for every year thereafter.
E. The motion to recall member of the Executive Board can be made by a petition
signed by three-fourths of the members of the Senate present at a general meeting.
Within five days, the officeholder in question must be notified in writing. At the
next general meeting, a double majority of the members of the Senate present
with the unanimous consent of the Executive Board, excluding the officeholder
being petitioned against, will be necessary to remove an officeholder from their
respective position.
F. The Confidential Secretary shall hold no vote in any election of elected members
of the Executive Board or in the process of ratifying amendments, but may make
a motion pertaining to any other matter.
VII. Process of Amendments (amended October 2016)
A. All proposals for amendments are to be finalized and voted upon by November.
B. Amendments, after being proposed by the Executive Board or the Senate, shall be
ratified by a double majority of the elected members of the Executive Board
followed by a double majority of the Senate members present at the next general
meeting.
C. Any amendments after November shall be tabled until the next school year.
D. Any new amendments must have the month and year of the date ratified placed in
parentheses next to the changed section(s).
E. All amendments ratified by the Executive Board and Senate shall go into effect
and be adhered to in the year subsequent to the year of ratification and all years
 thereafter; unless, by joint executive decision, the President and Student Advisor
to the School Board declare immediate adherence to any ratified amendment.
F. A quorum shall be defined as seven members of the District SGA Senate.
G. Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the District SGA Executive Board and
Senate in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not
inconsistent with these bylaws.