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SCASP By-Laws


Section I.  Duties of Officers

  1. The president shall preside at meetings, exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Association and serve as chairperson of the Board and as an ex-officio member of all committees.  The president shall appoint and coordinate with the approval of the Board the necessary committees and committee chairs unless otherwise provided for in these Bylaws.
  2. The President-Elect shall attend meetings of the Board.  In the absence of the President, the President-Elect shall serve in that capacity as pro tem and shall have such duties as are delegated by the current President.  The President-Elect shall provide the means to facilitate planning and the vehicle for monitoring action plans developed annually by committees.
  3. The Secretary shall keep minutes of the Association and the Board meetings, which shall be an accurate and official record of all business transacted.  The Secretary may assume necessary correspondence duties for the Association, assume custody of all records except those specifically assigned to others, and maintain copies of the Constitution and Bylaws.  In the absence of both the President and President-Elect, the Secretary shall serve as President pro tem.
  4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for overseeing the activities of the Executive Director in reference to the role of accepting receipts and making disbursements.  The Treasurer shall review monthly bank reconciliations.  The Treasurer shall review financial records annually and submit a statement of the financial status of the Association to the Board.  The Finance Committee shall aid in developing budgeting and bookkeeping procedures.
  5. The six (6) Regional Delegates shall represent their Geographic Region to the state association, disseminate to and obtain information from their respective members, comprise the Nominations Committee, serve as voting members of the Board, and fulfill additional duties as directed by the Board. The regional delegate will contribute at least 1 article per year to the newsletter.
  6. The Immediate Past-President shall fulfill such duties and responsibilities as directed by the President and serve as the chairperson of the Finance Committee.
  7. Board members shall attend more than 50% of regularly scheduled meetings (sending a proxy counts as attending the meeting).


Section II.  The Board

  1. Duties of the officers of the Board shall be as follows.
    1. The officers of the Board shall exercise the general direction, control, and management of the activities and business of the Association.
    2. The officers of the Board shall have ample power to purchase, to lease, to pledge, and to sell any personal or real property of the Association and to make any agreements on behalf of the Association as it my deem needful and convenient for the successful prosecution of the operation, provided that in the case of sale or purchase of real property an affirmative vote by two-thirds (2/3) of the total Board membership is required.
    3. The officers of the Board shall administer any donation, grants, and bequests.
    4. The officers of the Board shall require adequate bonds on the Executive Director and such other employees of the Association as it may deem necessary.
    5. Upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote, the officers of the Board may establish such administrative offices, the term and tenure thereof, duties or conditions of employment and compensation therefore as may be advisable to the further accomplishment of the purpose of this Association.
  2. When unable to attend a Board meeting, an officer may assign his or her voting privilege to a proxy for the Board meeting under the following conditions:
    1. The proxy of a Regional Delegate must be from the same Geographic Region;
    2. The proxy must be a voting SCASP member;
    3. The proxy may not be assigned to another officer; and
    4. The officer must submit a letter to the Board prior to time of a vote assigning the proxy for a specific Board meeting.  The Secretary will retain the proxy statement.
  3. Duties of the standing committees and ex-officio members of the Board are as follows:
    1. The Membership Committee shall evaluate applications and re-applications for membership and make recommendations concerning applications to the officers of the Board.  It shall also advise the Board concerning non-members working as school psychologists and try to interest qualified persons in becoming members.
    2. The Professional Standards Committee is responsible for addressing issues relating to the establishment, maintenance, periodic revision and interpretation of the adopted standards for the provision of school psychological services which pertain to the SCASP’s position on the provision of quality school psychological services.  In addition, this committee is charged with the responsibility of addressing those issues that relate to the ethical conduct of members.  In this regard, the committee will investigate all complaints of ethical violations appropriately referred in compliance with Section III, Part 4.A.
    3. The Research Committee shall be composed of professionals in the Association capable of and willing to direct and give advice to researchers in the field, to coordinate research paper presentations, to review and approve research participation requests, to facilitate the annual research award process, and to conduct research as directed by the officers of the Board.
    4. The Program Committee shall make arrangements for each Association meeting throughout the year.  The Program Committee shall be chaired by an appointee of the officers of the Board and shall serve a two-year term.  The Program Committee shall be responsible for encouraging and facilitating the continuing professional development of school psychologists.
    5. The Nominations Committee shall request from each regional group a list of members to be placed in consideration for nomination of office and shall also request names to be considered for awards.  The Nominations Committee shall also collect the biographical summaries, etc., of those people who are being considered for nomination and awards and shall make recommendations to the officers of the Board. The chairperson of the Nominations Committee shall be appointed annually by the officers of the Board and shall be one of the Regional Delegates.
    6. The Legislative Committee shall keep the Board informed of pending state and federal legislation that may affect the profession of school psychology.  The Legislative Committee’s chairperson may also serve at the direction of the officers of the Board as a spokesperson for the Association on legislative matters.
    7. The Public Relation/Public Information Committee shall inform the public of the Association’s activities and concerns and shall work to increase public awareness of the services offered by school psychologists.
    8. The Newsletter Committee is chaired by the Editor, who is responsible for the production and distribution of School Psych Scene in a timely fashion.
    9. The Children’s Services Committee shall identify issues, develop positions, advocate for improved services for children, and organize charitable activities.
    10. A Student Representative to the Board shall be responsible for facilitating communication and sharing information among school psychology students.
    11. The Technology Committee operates at the direction of the President.  This committee shall address all of the technology needs of the Association. This includes helping in the updating and purchasing of new technology equipment for different aspects of the Association.  It also includes maintenance of the organization's website.  The committee does not necessarily have to do all of these things, but has the responsibility to ensure that they are done.
    12. The Scholarship Committee shall seek applicants for SCASP student scholarship and make recommendations concerning applications to the Board.  It shall also promote working in a school setting in South Carolina.
    13. The Finance Committee is chaired by the President-Elect.  The committee members include the Executive Director and the following Board members: Treasurer, President, Regional Representative (rotating), and Program Committee Chair.
      1. A primary responsibility of the finance committee is to review the financial records presented by the Treasurer at the close of each calendar year and at the change of the treasury.  The records review should include checking to see that the checkbook is balanced correctly and that the balance reported therein matches the balance in the ledger.  A second ongoing responsibility of the finance committee is to aide the treasurer in developing budgeting and bookkeeping practices.
      2. Procedures for the Finance Committee can be reviewed in the Procedures section of the Association guidelines.
    1. The Parliamentarian, a standing ex-officio member of the Board, shall advise the President on the application of Robert’s Rules of Order at Association meetings.


Section III.  Membership

  1. Categories of Membership
    1. A Full Member is one who is:
      1. certified by the South Carolina Department of Education as a school psychologist, or
      2. primarily engaged in the training of school psychologists at a college or university; and
      3. recommended by the Membership Committee; and
      4. approved by the officers of the Board.
    2. A Patron Member is a Full Member who meets all of the requirements for eligibility as a Full member, but who contributes fixed amounts in excess of regular dues in order to provide special support to the activities of the Association.
    3. An Honorary Life Member is one who has made significant contributions to the Field of school psychology.  Recommendations for Honorary Life Membership may be submitted by any Full Member of SCASP to the Membership Committee.  Honorary membership status shall be granted only upon recommendation of the Membership Committee and a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the officers Board.  At no time shall the number of living Honorary Life Members exceed two percent (2%) of the Association’s Full membership.
    4. A Student Member is one who is actively engaged one-half time or more (minimum of 6 semester hours or its equivalent per semester) in a program leading to certification as a school psychologist or to an advanced degree in school psychology.  The student membership status may be granted for no more than five consecutive years, requires annual verification of student status, and is not granted to any person employed full-time.  Recommendation of the Membership Committee and approval of the officers of the Board is also required.
    5. A retired Member is anyone holding Full Member status for a period of five consecutive years and who, upon retirement from full-time professional activity, becomes a Retired Member by paying an annual fee to be established by the officers of the Board but not to exceed one-half (1/2) of the dues assessed a Full Member.
    6. An Associate member is one who possesses a Bachelor’s degree or higher in psychology or a related field and demonstrates professional interest in the field of school psychology.  Recommendation of the Membership Committee and approval of the officers of the Board is required.
  2. A leave of absence membership is granted for up to two years to a person who has been an Association member for at least one year and either is on a leave of absence from an employer or is receiving no compensation from any employment source.  Request for a leave of absence membership must be made in writing to the officers of the Board.  This membership category is not renewable after two years of leave of absence membership and will not be granted again until five more consecutive years of regular membership have elapsed.
  3. When any two or more regular members live at a common address for the membership year and accept only one joint copy of all Association mailings, except election materials, they shall maintain their regular memberships at the cost of one regular membership fee plus a reduced fee for each additional member residing at the common address.
  4. Actions by an applicant which are judged to be unethical and/or unprofessional as delineated within the Code of Ethics of NASP can be grounds for denial of any of the above categories of membership by the officers of the Board.  Any applicant denied membership shall have the opportunity to appear in person before the officers of the Board to reply to the denial of membership
  5. Two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote by the officers of the Board is necessary for approval of any membership application or change of membership status. Requirement by Type:
    1. Requirements for admission as Full member:
      1. South Carolina certification as a school psychologist or
      2. employment as a university supervisor of school psychology internship programs, and
      3. Recommendation of the Membership Committee, and
      4. Approval of the officers of the Board
    2. Requirements for admission as Associate Member
      1. Possess a bachelor’s degree or higher in psychology or a related field and demonstrate professional interest in the field of school psychology, and
      2. Recommendation of the Membership Committee, and
      3. Approval of the officers of the Board
    3. Requirements for admission as Student Member:
      1. Enrollment at least half-time (a minimum of the equivalent of 6 hours per semester) in a program leading to certification as a school psychologist and not employed full-time, and
      2. Recommendation of the Membership Committee, and
      3. Approval of the officers of the Board.
  6. Actions by an applicant which are judged to be unethical and/or unprofessional as delineated within the Code of Ethics of NASP can be grounds for denial of membership by the Board.  Any applicant denied membership shall have the opportunity to appear in person before the Board to reply to the denial of membership.  Two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the officers of the Board is necessary for approval of any membership.
  7. Rights, Privileges and Responsibilities
    1. Voting Status
      1. With the exception of the Associate Member and the Student Member categories, full voting status on all issues brought before the membership shall be granted to each category of membership.
      2. Official voting on issues brought before the membership will not be open to the Associate and the Student Member; however, the Associate and the Student member may participate in an advisory or straw vote of the membership.
    2. All categories of membership shall have the right to participate in Association sponsored meetings and workshops and to receive a copy of the Association’s newsletter.
    3. Annual dues for each category of membership shall be due on the first day of the calendar year.
  8. Actions by a member which are judged to be unethical and/or unprofessional as delineated within the Code of Ethics of NASP shall be subject to compulsory termination of membership.
    1. Charges of unethical/unprofessional conduct may be brought by any member; such charges are to be presented to the Professional Standards Committee in writing and with such documentation as may be required by the Committee.  The charged member shall have an opportunity to appear in person and reply to the charge prior to the Committee’s recommendation to the officers of the Board.
    2. The preparation of the charge in writing shall be the duty of the Professional Standards Committee.  A copy of the charges shall be mailed to the charged member not less than ten (10) calendar days before the charges shall be heard by the officers of the Board.
    3. A two-thirds (2/3) vote by the officers of the Board to sustain the charges after the hearing shall terminate the charged member’s further affiliation with the Association.  Notice of such termination shall be given to the charged person by certified mail within five (5) days after the officers of the Board have voted for termination.
    4. One whose membership in the Association has been terminated pursuant to Section III Part 4. A.-C. may request an appeal hearing by submitting in writing to the Secretary of the Association a request for reconsideration of his membership, signed by ten percent (10%) of the membership of the Association.  Upon receipt of such request, the petitioner shall receive in a timely manner an appeal hearing before the Board.  A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the officers of the Board shall be required to reverse the termination.  If membership is still terminated, the petitioner may request a vote of the membership.  A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire membership is required to overrule the officers’ decision.
  9. Reinstatement of Membership
    1. In the case of re-application for membership, current dues must be paid by the applicant along with the reinstatement fee determined by the Board.
    2. One whose membership in the Association has been terminated because of unprofessional and/or unethical conduct may request in writing a hearing by the Board, submitted to the Secretary of the Association in accordance with procedures specified in Section III. 4.A.


Section IV.  Meetings and Elections

  1. The Association shall hold a regular Spring meeting and a regular Fall meeting at a place and at a time as determined by the Board.  A President-elect shall be elected biannually and a Secretary or Treasurer shall be elected annually at the Spring meeting.  Reports of officers and committee chairpersons will be made and any new business that may arise will be handled in a Board meeting to be held before the general meeting.  Results of such meetings shall be reported to the general membership at its regular business meeting.
  2. The terms of the new officers shall begin July 1 following the election.
  3. Prior to the regular Spring meeting, the Nominations Committee shall present to the officers of the Board, with its recommendations, the names and biographical summaries of those nominated by the regional groups for possible inclusion on the ballot.  From this list the officers of the Board shall prepare: a slate of a least two (2) names (if nominees are available) from which one (1) shall be elected as President-Elect and a slate of at least two (2) names (if nominees are available ) from which one (1) shall be elected Secretary or Treasurer.  An alternate, if nominees are available, shall also be chosen for each office by the officers of the Board in the event that one of the nominees is unable to run.
  4. In order to be eligible for inclusion on the slate, a nominee must have been a voting member of the Association in good standing for the previous twelve (12) months.
  5. The slate prepared by the officers of the Board shall be distributed to the membership at least thirty (30) days before the Spring meeting.  Other members, qualified as described in Section IV. 4., may be nominated by presentation of petitions signed by at least fifteen members or twenty-five percent (25%) of the voting membership, whichever is less.  Such petitions must be submitted to the Secretary at the Board meeting preceding the general meeting at which the election is to take place.
  6. A majority vote shall be required for election of the above offices.  A person who is unable to attend the meeting at which the election is taking place will be provided, upon written request, an opportunity to vote by mail.  Mail ballots must be completed and returned to the Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the elections. Votes may be placed by e-mail or fax with the understanding that these votes are not secret.
  7. If no single candidate has received a majority (50% + 1) of the votes, there will be a runoff between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes.  In the event of a runoff, absentee ballots for those candidates will be included in the count.
  8. Each of the current Geographic Regions (total=6) will be eligible to elect a Regional Delegate for a two year term as an officer of  the Board.  The Delegate must be a full member of SCASP and live or work in the region represented.  The election must be completed by the end of the fiscal year.  If no regional group is active in a given Geographic Region, at the Spring meeting, the Board will call a meeting of the Geographic Region to elect a Regional Delegate.  If the Geographic Region does not elect a Regional Delegate, the officers of the Board will appoint a Delegate to a one-year term.  The Geographic Region will again be given the opportunity to elect a Regional Delegate at the following Spring meeting.
  9. All meetings of the Association and of the Board may be adjourned to some other place and time as may be decided by those present and it shall not be necessary to notify any members, other than those present, of such adjournment.  Any business which could be transacted at a regularly called meeting may be transacted at any adjourned session thereof.


Section V. Dues and Assessments

  1. The dues of this Association shall be recommended by the officers of the Board subject to the approval of the membership (majority of members voting required).  Dues shall be due on the first day of the calendar year, January 1.
  2. A special assessment may be voted by the majority vote of those present at a regular meeting.



    Revised 5/67
    Revised 9/68
    Revised 1/77
    Revised 5/79
    Revised 10/81
    Revised 5/89
    Revised 4/92
    Revised 4/93
    Revised 3/98
    Revised 3/03
    Revised 3/08
    Revised 10/08