CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE KENTUCKY JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE
Amended September 6, 2020
Preamble
We, the members of the Kentucky Junior Classical League, in order to promote cooperation among several local chapters as well as with the National Junior Classical League and American Classical League, to establish a basis for real order and to increase unity, promote true friendship and encourage understanding among several members, do hereby ordain and establish this constitution.
Article I
Name: The name of this organization shall be the Kentucky Junior Classical League, coinciding with the accepted and appropriate abbreviation: KJCL.
Article II
Purpose: The purpose of this organization shall be to advance the classics in the state of Kentucky by promoting a more thorough knowledge of classical life, history, and literature; imparting a better understanding of the practical and cultural values of the classics; striving to interest other students in the classical languages and literature, governments, laws, and arts; and as good members of this organization, using said knowledge to pattern our citizenship in respect to family, school and nation after the best examples of classical civilizations.
Article III
Authority for Operation:
Section 1. This constitution, in conjunction with the Bylaws of the Kentucky Junior Classical League, shall be the authority for the operation of this organization. Section 2. Parliamentary Authority: Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the official Parliamentary Authority and shall be viewed as official on any matters not directly dealt with in any of the sources stated in Article III, Section 1.
Section 3. American Classical League: The Committee on the National Junior and Senior Classical Leagues is a standing committee of the American Classical League; and no section of this constitution or its bylaws shall be construed in any way so as to conflict with the constitution, bylaws, or acts of the American Classical League, the parent organization of the Kentucky Junior Classical League. The American Classical League Constitution and Bylaws govern the appointment of members of the Committee on the National Junior Classical League and National Senior Classical Leagues.
Section 4. Executive Board: The Kentucky Junior Classical League Executive Board includes all state chairs, state officers, and local chairs in attendance; in applicable years it shall also include any auxiliary officers and only in respect to rights (not responsibilities) shared by all board members, any Kentucky delegate serving on the NJCL Executive Board. The Executive Board shall act as an agent through which Kentucky Junior Classical League business between conventions may be conducted. The Kentucky Junior Classical League President shall act as chair at all meetings.
Article IV
Membership:
Section 1. Individual Membership: Individual membership in this organization shall be granted to any student of the classics who is properly enrolled and a member in good standing with his/her chapter.
Section 2. Local Chapters: Local chapters shall be made up of eligible students within a school. The chapter must remain in good standing (Article IV: Section 3) with the Kentucky Junior Classical League in order to be considered an active chapter and be involved in convention, elections, et cetera. Each chapter shall have a qualified sponsor.
Section 3. Good Standing: Local chapters shall be admitted to the Kentucky Junior Classical League upon proper payment of annual dues, which are to be a set amount per chapter plus individual member dues. Both chapter and individual member dues shall be set by the Kentucky Junior Classical League Executive Board (A suggested dues change shall be ratified with a two thirds majority vote of the Executive Board).
Section 4. Sponsors:
Part A. A local chapter must be sponsored by a Latin teacher, a teacher of the classical humanities, or another adult high school graduate who is of legal age according to the Commonwealth’s statutes and who resides in the vicinity.
Part B. Good standing of sponsors: A sponsor must be a member of the American Classical League, Responsible for his/her chapter’s activities, and accountable for the welfare of his/her chapter’s members during any chapter activity in which some or all may participate.
Section 5. Members-at-Large: Students of the classics in the state of Kentucky who are unable to join a local chapter because such a local chapter does not exist may apply to the State Chair for membership in the Kentucky Junior Classical League.
Article V
State Officers:
Section 1. State Officers Defined:
Part A. Permanent Offices: A permanent office is one that MUST be filled; if there are less than two prefiled candidates for a permanent office, a state of emergency shall be called for by the Parliamentarian during the first general assembly of convention. The permanent elected officers of this organization shall be the following: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Communications Coordinator, Parliamentarian, and Historian.
Part B. Auxiliary Offices: An Auxiliary office is one that a qualified person may prefile for and, upon being elected to the auxiliary office, shall serve as any other officer and have full rights AND responsibilities of being a member of the Kentucky Junior Classical League Executive Board. No state of emergency shall ever be declared for an auxiliary office; if the Kentucky Junior Classical League Body elects no person to an auxiliary office, the newly elected parliamentarian shall accept applications for the office and the Executive Board shall name a qualified person at their first meeting. Any member already holding a Kentucky Junior Classical League office may be considered to fill the empty auxiliary office and hold it in conjunction with their permanent office; the member holding both a permanent office and an auxiliary office shall still only have one vote. The auxiliary offices which may be held in this organization shall be the following: No auxiliary offices are available at this time.
Section 2. Term of Office: The term of office for each officer shall be for one year only, from the election at the annual meeting until the next annual meeting. Section 3. Eligible Candidates:
Part A. Qualifications: To be eligible to run for elective office, a candidate MUST have permission of his/her parent(s) or guardian and local sponsor, (The local sponsor(s) MUST have fulfilled Article IV, Section 4 prior to granting said permission); MUST have attended at least one Kentucky Junior Classical League Convention; MUST not be a postgraduate or midterm graduate; MUST be a member of a local chapter in good standing with KJCL. A sponsor from the candidate’s delegation must be present with him/her at the Nominations Committee (in an emergency, another sponsor present at the convention may act as a substitute sponsor for him/her with acquiescence of his/her own sponsor).
Part B. Regulations: No school may prefile more than three candidates for elective office. No school may prefile more than one person for the same elective office. In the event that a current Parliamentarian wishes to run for reelection, the President shall overtake all election duties at the annual convention.
Section 4. Duties of the Officers:
Part A. Duties of all KJCL Officers: 1. Attendance at all officer meetings 2. Attendance at KJCL and NJCL Convention 3. Enthusiasm for Latin and the Junior Classical League
Part B. Duties of Permanent KJCL Officers: 1. President: a. Serves as chair of the KJCL Executive Board b. Works with the State Chair to prepare agendas for all meetings c. Stays aware of the activities of KJCL Officers, and offers assistance where appropriate d. Maintains correspondence with all members of the Executive Board e. Promotes the activities of the KJCL within the organization f. Speaks on behalf of the KJCL as occasions arise, including local JCL meetings within his/her area g. corresponds with local JCL Officers informing them of JCL activities h. Corresponds with local JCL Newsletters 2. First Vice President: a. Executes the duties of the President in the event of his/her inability to serve b. Is responsible for encouraging schools to participate in the national publicity contest and, when applicable, the state publicity contest c. Is responsible for publicizing KJCL through state and local news media. d. Is responsible for promotion of KJCL membership e. Is responsible for accepting membership awards given at National Convention 3. Second Vice President: a. Serves as a resource for local JCL officers to contact concerning suitable programs for their clubs b. Is in charge of the Spirit Contest at Convention c. Executes the duties of the President whenever both the president and first vice president are unable to serve 4. Communications Coordinator: a. Keeps an accurate record of all meetings, sends these minutes for proofreading to the KJCL Chair, and passes them on to the succeeding Communications Coordinator b. Keeps membership records to be passed on to the succeeding Communications Coordinator c. Keeps an accurate record of the proceedings of the annual convention, including seminars and meetings of the Executive Board, which he/she will hand over to the KJCL Chair for proofreading before he/she leaves the convention d. Maintains the KJCL website and other online infrastructures e. Administers the KJCL Website Contest and/or other technology related competitions at the state level f. Prepares and enters the KJCL website in the NJCL Website Contest g. Assists local chapters and/or members of the KJCL Executive Board with technology related matters 5. Parliamentarian: a. Is responsible for and shall make all decisions concerning the correct observance of the rules of parliamentary procedure according to this organization’s parliamentary authority, which is state in Article III, Section 2 of this constitution to be Robert’s Rules of Order b. Executes the duties of the President in the event of his/her, the First Vice President's, and the Second Vice President's inability to serve c. Presides at any meeting of the Kentucky Junior Classical League that involves the KJCL or NJCL Constitution and/or Bylaws, or the election process of the KJCL or the NJCL d. Is responsible for receiving filing papers of KJCL Candidates and/or applications for vacant KJCL offices e. Works with the KJCL State Chair to revise the KJCL constitution and/or its Bylaws if necessary, subject to approval by a two thirds majority vote 6. Historian: a. Compiles records for annuals b. Files all Junior Classical League materials of historical interest c. Creates and keeps a scrapbook d. Solicits and/or writes articles for the Torch: KY
Part C. Duties of Auxiliary Officers: There are no auxiliary officers at this time.
Section 5. Nominations Procedures:
Part A. Filing for Office: Any eligible person who wishes to run for Kentucky Junior Classical League office may become a prospective candidate by filing the designated forms with the state Parliamentarian before Convention.
Part B. Nominations Committee: A candidate shall be nominated by a Nominations Committee which shall consist of two previously selected voting delegates from each chapter attending the state convention. The KJCL Parliamentarian shall serve as the chair of the Nominations Committee. All candidates must be approved by the Nominations Committee, including those nominees who have prefiled papers. There can be no nominations from the convention floor. In the case that there are more than two nominations for a particular office and only one has prefiled papers, that nominee automatically becomes one of the two candidates for the office and additional nominees will be voted upon. When the Nominations Committee has more than two prefiled nominees for an elective office, additional nominations will not be accepted. A vote will be taken to choose the candidates. In the case of a tie between two candidates, the KJCL parliamentarian shall cast the deciding vote. The state chair or his/her representative shall meet with the committee to act as an advisor.
Section 6. Election Procedures:
Part A. Campaign Speeches: 1. In the Nominations Committee, if there are more than two people wishing to be a candidate for an elective office and all have prefiled, each shall give a campaign speech of not more than two minutes; if one person has prefiled for an office and more than one person wishes to run against them state of emergency, each of the non prefiled candidates shall give a campaign speech not more than two minutes; if no person has prefiled for a office and more than two people wish to run state of emergency, each person shall give a campaign not more than two minutes. 2. In a designated assembly, each candidate will make a campaign speech not more than three minutes in length, including the introduction speaker or campaign manager’s Speech. No introduction shall be required. 3. In a designated assembly, Open Forum shall be held. Open Forum defined: A set time during which candidates are asked previously submitted questions by the KJCL Parliamentarian; questions may be for all candidates or simply those in pursuit of a given office.
Part B. Voting Procedures: Voting delegates shall vote by a secret ballot. Each delegation which has been represented by two delegates at Nominations Committee shall have two votes; each delegation which has been represented by only one delegate at Nominations Committee shall have only one vote; each delegation which has not been represented at Nominations Committee shall have no votes. A delegation may give any number of votes they have to any candidate, this includes splitting two votes between two candidates or withholding one or more votes. The voting delegates must vote in accordance with their delegation’s decisions. Only members in good standing may vote in their delegation.
Part C. A candidate must receive a simple majority of the available votes to be elected to an office. If a candidate runs unopposed, they must receive a two thirds majority to be elected to an office.
Section 7. Vacancies:
Part A. Should there be a vacancy in the office of President for ANY reason, the First Vice President shall become President, and the new President, with the concurrence of the Executive Board, shall name a qualified person to serve as First Vice President for the remainder of the term. The Executive Board may choose to accept applications for First Vice President.
Part B. Should there be a vacancy in any office other than that of President, for ANY reason, the Executive Board shall name a qualified person (as stated in Article V, Section 3, Part A) to serve in said office for the remainder of the term. The Executive Board may choose to accept applications for he vacant office.
Section 8. Removal from Office:
Part A. Grounds for Removal: The Kentucky Junior Classical League shall have the power to remove any of its officers as provided in this section. The grounds for such removal shall be the infraction of the convention rules and/or serious negligence in the discharge of the duties of that office.
Part B. Removal Procedures: The following procedures shall be followed in all proceedings leading to the possible expulsion of an officer and shall not extend more than sixty days from the time of the resolution. 1. A resolution by the Executive Board to consider the removal of an officer can be introduced by any member of the Executive Board or by a petition bearing the signatures of two thirds of the officers of at least three local chapters. 2. If said resolution to consider the removal of an officer should pass the Executive Board by a two thirds majority, that same officer’s sponsor that adequate defense shall be permitted to the officer via telephone, letter (via hand delivery, electronic or other form of mail), or in person to all those who shall vote on the questions of his/her removal. No vote shall be taken to remove that officer until his/her sponsor is satisfied that any defense to be provided has been done so satisfactorily by the officer facing possible removal. No officer shall be denied proceedings in his/her defense. 3. After the officer in question has finished his/her defense, a two thirds majority vote of the Executive Board will be required to remove the officer.
Article VI
Voting: All business not covered in the Constitution shall be voted upon as follows: Each chapter shall be allowed two votes. Those votes shall be cast by two representatives previously elected by the representatives’ chapters; if only one delegate is present at the state convention, only one vote shall be allowed to that chapter.
Article VII
Amendments:
Section 1. Constitutional Amendments: The Kentucky Junior Classical League Parliamentarian, with the assistance of the state chair, shall have the right and responsibility of amending this constitution if necessary. The amendment shall be voted upon at the annual meeting according to the following process: notice of proposed change must be given no later than the day before final action on said change. Each chapter shall be allowed two votes. Those votes shall be cast by two representatives previously elected by the representatives’ chapters; if only one delegate is present at the state convention, only one vote shall be allowed for that chapter. A two thirds majority shall be required to pass an amendment to this constitution.
Section 2. Bylaws: Bylaws of this constitution may be established, amended, or appealed. No bylaws contrary to any provision of this constitution may be established. Any Bylaw changes shall be voted upon at the annual meeting according to the process explained in Article VII, Section 1 of this constitution.
Article VIII Ratification: The Ratification of this Constitution shall be during the 2008 KJCL Convention. Each chapter shall receive a copy for approval no less than twenty four hours prior to the designated time for voting on said ratification. A two thirds majority shall be required for ratification.
The Constitution