Westwood Lacrosse

Bylaws

Preamble

It is our desire that all competition be conducted on the highest level and that every member associated with the Westwood lacrosse program emphasize, by word and action, the virtues of team spirit, healthy competition, and sportsmanship.

Article 1 - Name

The name of the Parents' Club shall be "Westwood Lacrosse Parents' Club", hereinafter referred to as the "Parents' Club". The Westwood Lacrosse Club will hereinafter be referred to as the "Team".

Article 2 - Purpose

The purpose of the Parents' Club shall be to:

  1. Help develop leadership ability and foster team spirit among the athletes of the Team.
  2. Provide financial support and assist the Team with fund raising activities to support the costs of equipment, uniforms, liability insurance, referees, and other associated expenses.
  3. These funds shall be used exclusively for the benefit of the Team and Westwood High School. All fund raising activities must be approved by the Westwood teacher-sponsor.
  4. No earnings or assets of the Parents' Club shall be distributed to its members, officers, or other private persons, except that the Parents' Club shall be empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered for the purposes set forth in Article 2 herein.
  5. In the case of financial hardship of a Team player, a portion of the equipment costs can be loaned to the player for that season. The player will be required to sign a loan agreement. The loan agreement shall provide for repayment of the full amount of the loan, plus a reasonable interest charge, not later than May 1 of the school year in which the loan is made, and shall include a repayment and amortization schedule. The amount of the loan, interest rate, and amortization schedule shall be determined by the Executive Board on a case-by-case basis.
  6. Increase the visibility of lacrosse as a sport and facilitate communication between the Team, the Westwood teacher-sponsor, the coach, and the Parents' Club. The Parent's Club fully supports "no-pass, no-play". Parents are responsible for notifying their player's Head Coach if their player is ineligible for academic or disciplinary reasons.
  7. Cooperate with the Westwood High School, Round Rock Independent School District, U.I.L, and the Texas High School Lacrosse Association in the pursuit of these objectives.

Article 3 - Membership

  1. Membership in the Parents' Club shall be open to all parents or guardians of students enrolled in the Team, or others interested in supporting the Team.
  2. Membership dues to the Parents' Club shall be $5.00 per family payable at the beginning of the year, included in the annual dues. No member will be eligible to vote or hold office unless the dues of that member are paid in full and they are a member in good standing of the Parents' Club.
  3. All students playing lacrosse for the Team must have their payment of dues current, and be members in good standing of the Team in order to preserve the status of the sport as an official school sponsored club. If approved by members of the Executive Board, dues for one player, or more than one player can be paid by the Parents' Club.

Article 4 - Elected Officers

  1. The Parents' Club shall be represented by an Executive Board consisting of five (5) elected officers comprised of parents and/or guardians of current players who are in good standing with the Team. The elected officers shall be: President, Secretary, Vice-president, Treasurer and Parliamentarian. A husband/wife team may jointly hold an office. In addition, the Board may appoint additional at-large non-voting officers as the Board deems appropriate. The responsibilities of such offices shall be as prescribed by the executive committee.
  2. Officers shall be elected for a term of one (1) year. The term of office shall be from June 1 to May 31. No member shall hold more than one office at a time.
  3. Vacancies occurring in an elected office shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Board. In the event the office of the President becomes vacant, the vice-president shall serve as President for the remainder of the term.

Article 5 - Election Procedure of Officers

  1. Before April 1, the Executive Board will develop a slate of officers for the following term. The slate of officers will be presented to the membership of the Parents' Club for approval.
  2. Before June 1, a general meeting of the Parents' Club shall be held for the election of officers. The Executive Board will present their nomination for each office. Nominations will also be taken from the floor. In the event of a nomination from the floor, a closed ballot vote will be held at that time.

Article 6 - Officer's Responsibilities

  1. President - The President shall preside over all business meetings of the Executive Board. He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and shall represent the Parents' Club as necessary. The President shall have the authority to sign checks in the absence of the Treasurer. The President will appoint a chairperson for all committees.
  2. Vice-president - The Vice-president shall assume all duties of the President during his/her absence. He/she shall work with the Westwood teacher-sponsor to assist the students in facilitating communications, fund raising activities, conflict resolution, community service, and developing goals for the Team.
  3. Secretary - The Secretary shall keep a record of all Executive Board and Parents' Club meetings. The Secretary shall take minutes at Club meetings and be responsible for telephone committees, and internal communications. The Secretary shall maintain a database of player information and a permanent record of each player's expectations list.
  4. Treasurer - The Treasurer shall be responsible for the recording of all incomes and expenditures. He/she shall write checks as necessary, keep records of the membership of the Parents' Club, keep records of student credits for reporting purposes, and monitor the Westwood activity fund (for the Team). The Treasurer shall also be responsible for obtaining and maintaining any necessary tax exemptions essential to the operation of the Parents' Club.
  5. Parliamentarian-The Parliamentarian shall be responsible for ensuring that Club meetings adhere to Robert's Rules of Order, organize elections, and report on the results.

Article 7 - Annual Budget

  1. The fiscal year of the Parents' Club shall be from June 1 to May 31.
  2. The budget shall be developed by the President and the Treasurer with the input of the Executive Board and/or any other source solicited by the President. Once approved by the Executive Board, the budget shall be presented to the membership of the Parents' Club for ratification.
  3. The budget must be ratified by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership present at a general meeting of the Parents' Club before any funds are disbursed.
  4. Expenditures of funds belonging to the Parents' Club for incidental expenses not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) may be authorized by the Executive Board. All incidental expenditures which have not been budgeted and exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) must be approved by a majority of the members of the Parents' Club.
  5. Either the President or Treasurer must approve all expenses not in the approved budget. Once approved, a reimbursement form must be filled out and given to the Treasurer before the member may be reimbursed.

Article 8 - Meetings

  1. The Executive Board should meet at such intervals as deemed appropriate by the Executive Board, but not less than three times per year.
  2. A general meeting of the Parents' Club is required before July 31 for the election of officers.
  3. A general meeting of the Parents' Club is required for the ratification of the budget or amendments to these by-laws. Other meetings of the Parents' Club may be called by the President as required to discuss other business.

Article 9 - Amendments

These by-laws may be amended after approval of the Executive Board and a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership of the Parents' Club present at a general meeting.

Article 10 - Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised) shall govern the Parents' Club in all cases to which they are applicable.

Article 11 - Dissolution of the Parents' Club

Upon formal dissolution, the net assets of the Parents' Club shall be distributed to the Westwood High School Activity Fund.

Article 12 - Audit Committee

  1. At the end of the fiscal year, an audit of the Parents' Club's financial records shall be performed by an Audit Committee consisting of at least two individuals who are not involved in the day-to-day financial activities of the Parents' Club. The primary objectives of the audit shall be to: (i) verify the accuracy of the Treasurer's financial reports; (ii) ensure that the Parents' Club's cash balances are accurate; (iii) determine that established procedures for handling club funds have been followed; (iv) ensure that expenditures occurred in a manner consistent with the Parents' Club's bylaws; (v) ensure that all revenues have been appropriately received and recorded.
  2. The Executive Board may establish such other committees, as it deems appropriate.