NC Teen Court Association By-Laws
Article 1—Name
The name of the organization shall be the North Carolina Teen Court Association.
Article II—Mission
Section 1. Mission Statement:
Promote, encourage and support the development and implementation of Teen Court programs across North Carolina.
Section 2. Purpose:
The North Carolina Teen Court Association was created for the purpose of serving as a link to bring all local Teen Court programs together as a unit. In order to do this effectively the
Association has worked to involve Association leadership,state government leadership and local representation to provide knowledge and resources as it continues its mission.
Section 3. Policies:
The NC Teen Court Association does not discriminate against any person, nor exclude them from participation in or deny them the benefits of any service or activity on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, creed, political belief, national origin, linguistic and language difference, gender identity (including gender expression), socio-economic status, height, weight, marital or familial status, or disability.
Section 4. Officers:
Nominees, for the Executive Committee, shall be in good standing with a “Full Membership” and an active member of a Teen Court Program. Nominees shall be volunteers and shall receive no compensation for their services including but not limited to hotel/travel/meal expenses incurred while carrying out duties of an officer. Nominations for the Executive Committee will be made by the voting body, for any active member of The Teen Court Association, by mail, fax or email to the Secretary no more than 30 days after nominations are opened.
Nominations and votes shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee prior to ballots and votes being made public.
The officers shall be elected by a majority vote from the voting members present at the annual meeting or pre-approved virtual / mail-in election meeting. These offices are: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and two additional Board positions. These six positions shall constitute the executive committee.
A. President: The President, elected for a two-year term, shall preside at the meetings of the North Carolina Teen Court Association. The President shall consult with and review all recommendations of the Summit and Budget Committees prior to final decisions. The President shall organize the North Carolina Teen Court Association and North Carolina Association for Community Service and Restitution Program’s Summer Conference and will assist in planning the North Carolina Teen Court Association Summit.
B. Vice-President: The Vice-President, elected for a two-year term, shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence. The Vice-President shall organize the North Carolina Teen Court Association Summit and will assist in planning the North Carolina Teen Court Association and North Carolina Association for Community Restitution Program’s Summer Conference. The Vice-President shall be responsible for membership and recruitment of members to the association. The Vice-President, through membership records, shall verify the official standing of any nominee running for office, voting for by-law changes or other matters requiring member votes, and eligibility to attend NCTCA sponsored events such as Summit and Summer Conference.
C. Secretary: The secretary, elected for a two-year term, shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the North Carolina Teen Court Association; shall send notices of meetings to the members; and shall maintain a file of essential records to include a correct list of names and addresses of officers. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining nominations and votes, submitted from the nominations committee, during the election of officers and voting for by-law changes. General correspondence from fellow officers of North Carolina Teen Court Association shall be sent to the Secretary for distribution on the NCTCA website blog. The secretary shall maintain updates to the NCTCA website.
D. Treasurer: The treasurer, elected for a two-year term, shall be custodian of the funds of North Carolina Teen Court Association; shall receive all monies; shall make payments in accordance with the budget as approved by the executive committee, make recommendations as to budget and spending for events and programs, and shall present financial statements at meetings and shall keep full and accurate records.
E. Immediate Past President: The past president shall be an advisor to the current president and executive board. In this capacity as advisor, the Past President will not have a vote on the Executive Committee.
Section 5. Vacancies:
Vacancies among officers shall be filled by majority vote at the next scheduled North Carolina Teen Court Association meeting or special business meeting.
Article III—Membership
Section 1. Eligibility:
Members are adults who possess interest in the legal system, volunteerism, and community service and who are in agreement with the Purpose and Policies of the organization’s by-laws.
Section 2. Classes of Membership:
There are three (3) levels of membership: Full, Associate, and Honorary.
A. Full Membership: Any established and operating Teen Court program is eligible for full membership and shall become a member upon full payment of dues as established by the voting members. Each paying member will be entitled to one vote on any matter as set out in these by- laws.
B. Associate Membership: Any person or organization engaged in an allied field
may become an associate member upon full payment of current dues as established by the voting members. An Associate Member cannot vote or hold office. They may however, be appointed to serve on committees.
C. Honorary Membership: Any person who has made a significant contribution to a Teen Court Program or rendered distinguished service in a related field may be elected to receive an Honorary Membership by majority vote of the members in attendance or by unanimous vote of the Executive Committee. Past board members or volunteer(s) with distinguished service.
Section 3. Dues:
Membership dues are due by August 1st. Membership dues billing shall be sent no less than 45 days prior to the due date. All dues received after August 1st will be considered past due.
Article IV–Meetings
All meetings and functions of the North Carolina Teen Court Association shall be held at facilities which are handicap accessible and does not discriminate against any person, nor exclude them from participation in or deny them the benefits of any service or activity on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, creed, political belief, national origin, linguistic and language difference, gender identity (including gender expression), socio-economic status, height, weight, marital or familial status, or disability.
Section 1. Annual Meeting:
The Annual Meeting will be held for the purpose of receiving officer’s reports and installing new officers for the upcoming year. This Annual Meeting will be no later than thirteen (13) months after the previous Annual Meeting.
Section 2. Regular Meetings:
A minimum of four (4) meetings will be held annually. The Executive Committee will determine the specifics of the meetings- making a concerted effort to discover a more inclusive method for them, i.e.: conference call, virtual, in-person or any combination of available methods of appropriate communication, etc.
Section 3. Special Meetings:
Special meetings may be called by the President or other Executive Committee members. Written notification, mail or email, must be publicized fourteen (14) days in advance. i.e.: budget, membership, elections, bylaws, legal, committee, etc.
Section 4. Voting:
A. Voting privileges will be limited to one vote per paid member who is in good standing with the NCTCA.
B. The majority of the members present will compose a quorum.
Article V — Amendments
These by-laws of North Carolina Teen Court Association may be amended by a two-thirds vote cast at any regular or special meeting of the NCTCA, provided the proposed amendment(s) has been properly published and made available to the voting members via mail, email or association web page at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting date.
Interpretation
If a matter of clarification shall arise concerning the content or application of these by-laws it shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to render a decision regarding the issue. The decision shall be made public to the association body and recorded in official business minutes of the North Carolina Teen Court Association by the Secretary.