CONSTITUTION AND SPORT BYLAWS OF THE VANCOUVER ISLAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
PHILOSOPHY:
The V.I.S.S.A.A. is an association of schools on Vancouver
Island, the
The VISSAA recognizes the physical, social and emotional
benefits derived from athletics and pursues the spirit of sports to complement
community values.
ARTICLE
I - INTERPRETATION
1.1 a) The “Association” means the Vancouver Island Secondary Schools
Athletic Association
b) "Executive" means officers of the Association,
for the time being
c) "Registered Address" of the member means his or
her address as recorded in the Register of Members (Treasurer)
d) “Notice of Motion” refers
to the requirement to circulate a motion to the membership 2 weeks in advance
of the ABM
1.2 The constitution, bylaws and regulations become valid upon resolution
of the membership
1.3 Words imparting the singular
include the plural and vice-versa; and words imparting the neuter include
the masculine and the feminine gender.
2.1 In these By-Laws, Member is defined as follows:
Any public or independent school containing students
in Grades 9 – 12 in the Vancouver Island area in B C which has applied for
membership in the Association and has been accepted in accordance with the
By-Laws (hereinafter Member School)
2.2 A school may apply to the Executive for membership
in the Association and upon acceptance
by the Executive shall be a Member
.
2.3 Every Member shall uphold the Constitutio and
compy with these by-Laws and the Rules and Regulations of the Association
pursuant thereto.
2.4 Each school shall be required to pay annual
membership fees on or before October 15 for current school year as set by
the VISSAA at the annual general meeting
2.5
A member shall cease to be
a member:
a)Where there is a failure,
neglect or a refusal to pay any dues for thirty (30) days from the date when
the same became due and payable, unless the Executive by resolution shall
grant a further extension
b)On acceptance by the Executive
of the written resignation of any member.
2.6 a)
A member may be expelled by Special Resolution of the members passed at a
General Meeting;
b) The Notice of Special Resolution for expulsion shall
be accompanied by a brief statement of the reason or reasons for the proposed
expulsion;
c)The member who is the subject of the proposed resolution
for expulsion shall be given an opportunity to be heard at the General Meeting
before the special resolution is put to a vote.
2.7 a) All members are in good standing except a member who has failed to pay his or her current annual membership fee or any other subscription or debt due and owing by him or her to the society and he or she are not in good standing so long as the debt remains unpaid.
b)The minimum charge per school shall be
$40
c)Schools whose fees have not been received
by October 15th of the current school year may become members by
submitting the required fee. Any school that is not a member by October 31st
will not be considered for membership for the current year and will therefore
not be eligible for any VISSAA competitions for the remainder of that school
year.
2.8 a) In case of a district being is dispute, that districts schools who are members of the VISSAA be prevented from competing for an Island Championship (as per BCTF Guidelines) until that district is no longer in dispute.
b) This body’s membership shall not participate in extra-curricular activities with any district whose local leaders are involved in any kind of job action or strike.
3.1
The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held on a date
set by executive to best suit the needs of the association. All Association members shall be notified at
least one (1) month in advance of the set date.
3.2
Other meetings, whether General or Special, may be convened by order of
the Executive for any time and at any place, and 14 days written notice is
required.
3.3
Meetings, General or Special, may be called by demand of 10% or more of
the general membership schools.
3.4
An agenda will be circulated to all schools two (2) weeks prior to the
A.G.M.
ARTICLE IV - PROCEEDINGS AT
GENERAL MEETINGS
4.1
The rules of procedure at an Annual General or Special meeting shall be
determined by the Executive Officers, or, if any member objects, the Roberts’
Rules of Order shall apply.
4.2
When the Island Executive believes circumstances warrant a census of the
membership be taken, it shall do so and shall follow listed protocols:
Background information will be faxed or mailed to each
member school. As per the constitution,
this electronic meeting will have 14 days written notice. An extension of
2 days, beyond the 14 days notice, will be given to convene ad hoc meetings
in respective zones or districts to discuss the issue. Mailed or facsimile response must be endorsed
(signed) by both Athletic Director and School Principal/Headmaster and received
by the deadline to be valid.
4.3
A quorum for the transaction of business at any Annual, General or Special
meeting Association shall be 50% of the membership as they appear on the membership
rolls, with at least one representative from each zone.
4.4
Voting rights of members:
a) Each member school at the A.G.M. shall have one (1) vote on the general meeting matters providing they have one representative in attendance. There will be no proxy votes.
b)
Voting is by show of voting
cards to be issued at registration. A
majority vote is 51%.
c)
Votes will not be counted at
the A.G.M. unless the vote is questioned.
5.1 The
a) The regional athletic associations: LVISSAA( jr and sr), NVISSAA (jr and sr) , CVISSAA
(jrs only)
b)The Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.)
c)The Executive
d)
The Executive and the Executive
Committee
5.2 Executive Officers
a) The Executive Officers shall consist of a President,
three (3) Vice Presidents, Past President, Secretary and a Treasurer
b) The President shall be elected from any region for
a two year term
Three (3) Vice-Presidents will be elected annually
– each region must be represented by a Vice-President.
i. Vice-President is charge of Constitution and By-Laws:
duties are to see that any changes or additions to the Constitution and the
By-Laws are implemented.
ii. Vice President in charge of Tournament Coordination:
duties include supervision of trophies, tournament rotation, calendar of events
and ensuring that Tournament Chairpersons are fully informed.
iii. Vice President in charge of Sport Handbooks: duties
include the updating of any Rules and Game Regulation changes.
iv. Past President acts as an advisory person to the
chair and is nomination chairperson.
c)The Secretary shall be appointed annually by the
President
d) 4 regional Delegates to the Executive Committee
shall be appointed by each of the three regional athletic associations: LVISSAA
(jr and sr), NVISSAA (jr and sr), CVISSAA (jrs only)
e)The Executive Officers shall assume office at the
conclusion of the General Meeting in June
f) At least two (2) weeks notice should be given prior
to Executive meetings. Executive meetings may take place by tele-conference
call.
5.3 Duties of the Executive Officers
a)
President
i. to call meetings
ii. to preside at all meetings
iii. to appoint a Complaints Committee if required
iv. to cast a deciding vote in case of a tie
v. to be as ex-officio of all commissions and committee
b) The Vice President in charge of the Constitution and By-Laws shall perform all the duties of the President in the absence of the latter. If both are absent, the Vice President in charge of Tournament Coordination, followed by the Vice President in charge of Handbook shall assume the duties of the President.
c)
Treasurer
i.The treasurer shall be responsible for the
opening of a bank account in a chartered bank
or trust company in which funds of the VISSAA are deposited
ii. Withdrawls made by cheque shall be co-signed by
the Treasurer and one other Executive Officer
iii. The authorization forms for signing officers must
be endorsed by the previous President and the Treasurer
iv.. The Treasurer shall attend all financial matters
and submit a signed and audited income and expense statement and balance sheet
for each year upon the date of the AGM.
d)
Secretary
i.shall make, keep and publish
minutes of all meetings
ii. shall circulate minutes of meetings within ten
(10) days of the meeting
iii. shall deal with the correspondence of the association
and perform such duties necessary to carrying out the constitution and by-laws
as the officers of the association shall direct.
5.4
Executive Commmitee
a)
The Executive Committee shall
consist of:
i Executive
ii association delegates (12)
iii. the Administrative representative (appointed from
the president's association)
b)
The Executive Committee shall
meet at least three (3) times a year
at the discretion of the President
c)The Executive or Executive Committee shall interpret
the Constitution and By-Laws and shall make such rules and regulations as
deemed necessary to facilitate the functioning of the Association for ratification
at a special meeting or the next A.G.M.
i. Constitution and By-Law changes shall be submitted
to the Vice President in charge of the Constitution and By-Laws
ii. The decisions of the Executive or Executive Committee
are binding unless changed at the next meeting of the A.G.M.
5.5 The Annual General Meeting
a)
The A.G.M. shall consist of:
i. Executive Officers (6)
ii. Regional Delegates (12)
iii Sport Championship Committee Chairperson
iv. A representative from each member school
5.6
SPORT CHAMPIONSHIP ADVISORY COMMITTEES
a)
the SPORT CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE shall consist of a CHAIRPERSON and
a group of coaches that attend special meetings at the time of Island Playoffs.
Any interested member school may attend.
Voting procedures should follow By-Law procedures. (One vote per member
school attending)
5.7
Committee Chairperson - Each chairperson shall be responsible for:
a)
hosting of the island playoff
b)
calling and chairing the SPORT CHAMPIONSHIP ADVISORY COMMITTEE
c)
giving a writeen report to
the AGM on matters such as:
i proposed organizational
or Rule changes for next year
ii Possible
host for playoffs in the coming year, including site, date and organizer.
iii Any other information pertinent to that sport’s
playoff
5.8
Election Procedures
a)
The Executive, with the exception
of the President, shall retire from office at each Annual General Meeting
when their successors shall be elected.
b)
Separate elections shall be
held for each office to be filled
c)
An election may be by acclamation,
otherwise it shall be by secret ballot
d)
If no successor is elected
the person previously elected or appointed continues to hold office
e)
If an Executive member resigns
his or her office or otherwise ceases to hold office, the remaining Executive
shall appoint a member to take the place of the former Executive member
f)
No act or proceeding of the
Executive Committee is invalid only by reason of there being less than the
prescribed number of members in the office.
g)
The term for President shall
normally be two (2) years.
5.9
Renumeration
Compensation be given for services rendered on behalf
of the VISSAA by its Executive members. These
should include:
a)
One-half day release from school
to attend Executive meetings.
b)
Mileage (20 cents per kilometer;
one car per region); meals and refreshments (12.50); to be paid for by the
VISSAA to attend Executive meetings.
c)
The North region Area 3 representative and the
North region Area 1 representative (depending on who drives) both receive
traveling costs.
ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS
6.1
Notices of Motion for amendments, deletions or additions to the Constitution
and/or By-Laws shall be sent to the Secretary four (4) weeks prior to a general
meeting.
6.2
Notices of Motion for amendments, deletions or additions must be in the hands
of association members two(2) weeks prior to the date of a general meeting.
6.3
Amendments approved by 75% shall be affective as of September 1st
following their adoption
ARTICLE VII TEACHER CONTROL
7.1 ( same as BCSS) The school must be accompanied by a teacher-coach,
teacher sponsor, administrator or responsible adult approved by the administrator,
and in accordance with the applicable school district policy.
The school administrator must ensure the supervision adheres to the
Athletic Program Objectives, Guidelines for Community Coaches and Coach’s
Code of Conduct as outlined in the BCSS Handbook. The competition official and coordinator must
be aware of who the adult supervisor is if that supervisor is a different
individual than the coach. The supervisor
must be in attendance for the duration of the competition.
ARTICLE VIII - ELIGIBILITY
OF STUDENTS
8.1 BCSS
Eligibility Rules will apply. Schools
that are not BCSS members may view these rules at www.Bcshoolsports.ca. Member schools should refer to the BCSS Handbook
Section 6.
ARTICLE IX - REGIONS
9.1
REGIONAL DELEGATES TO THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
North Vancouver Island Athletic Association (JR/
SR) - 4 delegates
Lower Vancouver Island Athletic Association (JR /SR)
- 4 delegates
ARTICLE X -
10.1
Team Representations ( FROM 9.2)
a)
Jr (GR 9/10) 8 team tournaments
South region - three berths
North region - three berths
Central region - one berth
Host region – one berth
Eight team tournament draw
format (for gr 9/10) for
North region hosts South region hosts Central
region hosts
Game 1 N1 vs S3
Game 1 S1 vs N3 Game
1 S1 vs N3
Game 2 S2
vs N3 Game 2 N2 vs S3 Game 2 N2 vs C2
Game 3 C1
vs N2 Game 3 C1 vs S2 Game 3 C1 vs S2
Game 4 N4
vs S1 Game 4 N1 vs S4 Game 4 N1 vs S3
S = south
region N = North region C = Central region
b) JR (GR 9/10)
12 team
tournaments
5 berths - to
region with most participating schools
4 berths to
region with next most participating schools
3 berths to
region with least participating
schools
The Jr. Field Hockey tournament will follow the following
berthing formula: South Region - 4
North Region - 4 Central Region - 4
c) In the event a region cannot supply sufficient
representation for a tournament, the format and the draw will be determined
by the Executive, with advise from
the Tournament Chairperson
d) With the exception of cross-country, and track and field,
schools may qualify only one team for any Island Championship.
e) Senior tournament
draws will be confirmed at Island AGM based on decision by Sport Championship
Advisory Committee. Each of the athletic
associations shall send representatives to the Island Zone Playoff based on
relative participation levels.