ASLTA :: Bylaws

American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) Bylaws

Contents

Article I -- Name and Location of Organization
Article II -- Objectives
Article III -- Membership
Article IV -- Meetings
Article V -- Board of Directors
Article VI -- Duties of Officers
Article VII -- Election and Appointment of Officers
Article VIII -- Chapter Affiliation
Article IX -- Amendments to Bylaws
Article X -- Parliamentary Authority
Aritcle XI -- Dissolution

ARTICLE I – NAME and LOCATION of ORGANIZATION

Section 1 Name of the Association. The name of this non-profit organization shall be known as the national American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA).

Section 2 Location of the Association. The Home Office of ASLTA shall be maintained at a location determined by the ASLTA Board of Directors. The President of ASLTA, with approval of the ASLTA Board of Directors, shall designate an individual to function as an office administrator to carry out the functions and responsibilities for the successful operation of ASLTA. The office shall be the repository of all records, files, papers, and documents pertaining to the business of the Association.

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVES

To provide a closer relationship between teachers of American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies and other organizations with interests consistent with the mission of the Association.
To provide development opportunities for ASL and Deaf Studies teachers.
To develop and maintain certification standards for ASL teachers and programs offering ASL and Deaf Studies courses.
To certify ASL teachers and programs offering ASL and Deaf Studies courses.
To develop standards and procedures for the accreditation of training programs, facilities and personnel involved in the education of teachers of ASL and/or Deaf Studies.
To develop and maintain a national directory of members, certified teachers, and certified ASL and/or Deaf Studies programs.
To provide an effective avenue for the exchange of information regarding methods and materials in the instruction of ASL and Deaf Studies.
To encourage the development and maintenance of affiliated chapters.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 Membership Categories. Membership in ASLTA shall be open to teachers of ASL, Deaf Studies and other interested persons. There shall be five categories of membership. Members in good standing have paid the appropriate dues according to their membership category on an annual basis.

Certified Member: A certified member is a member in good standing who has received certification in ASL and/or Deaf Studies instruction from ASLTA. A certified member shall have full voting privileges.
Associate Member: An associate member is a member in good standing who is not certified as a teacher of ASL and/or Deaf Studies. Associate members shall have voting privileges in all matters of the organization except evaluation and certification.
Supporting Member: Supporting members, in good standing, are students or any non-certified individual with an interest in supporting the purposes and activities of the Association who does not meet eligibility requirements in Sections 1.1 and 1.2 of this Article.
Institutional Member: Institutions, agencies, corporations, and other associations which support the mission of the ASLTA may join as an institutional member. Institutional members do not have voting privileges. One designated person will receive the Association’s newsletter and other pertinent mailings and the institutional member will be so noted in membership directories or other listings of the membership of the Association.
Honorary Member: Honorary members are individuals or organizations that have been recognized by the Association for their contributions to the mission of the Association. Honorary members do not have voting privileges. Honorary members receive the Association’s newsletter and pertinent mailings and an embossed certificate recognizing them as an Honorary member of the Association. No annual dues are assessed to Honorary members. Honorary membership is a lifetime designation.

Section 2 Dues. Dues for all membership categories shall be determined by majority vote of the Board of Directors. Dues are payable yearly. Members in arrears more than three months after payment is due shall be dropped from membership.

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS

Section 1 General Meetings. General meetings of the membership shall be held biennially during even numbered years at a location and date to be determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 2 Quorum. For the purpose of conducting meetings, at least twenty-five (25) voting members in good standing shall constitute a quorum. For issues involving the ASLTA Evaluation & Certification System, only members holding ASLTA certification may vote and at least twenty-five (25) voting members in good standing holding certification shall constitute a quorum (See Article III, Section 1.2).

Section 3 Special Meetings of the Membership. In absence of a quorum, the President or at least four (4) Board members may call a special meeting of the membership. Motions made at a special meeting are non-binding and are referred to the Board of Directors for further action. The Board of Directors, at its discretion, may defer action on motions until the next General Meeting with quorum, refer motions to an appropriate committee for disposition or conduct a mail referendum vote to determine consensus of the membership for selected motions made while in a Special Meeting.

Section 4 Board of Directors Meetings. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once annually. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President.

Section 5 Parliamentarian. The President, at his/her discretion, may appoint a Parliamentarian to advise the organization on parliamentary procedures.

ARTICLE V – BOARD of DIRECTORS

Section 1 Composition of Board of Directors. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Evaluation Committee Chair and Chapter Affiliation/Bylaws Chair and Professional Development Chair shall constitute the Board of Directors, and shall be responsible for business matters of the organization between regular meetings. The Immediate Past President shall serve as a consultant to the Board of Directors for up to two years. All officers, except the Immediate Past President, shall be voting members of the Board.

The President shall appoint, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors, the committees of ASLTA. By unanimous consent, the Board of Directors may waive confirmation procedures.

Section 2 Budget. The Board of Directors, with the cooperation of the Treasurer and Office Administrator shall prepare a budget on an annual basis by May 15th , based on the five-year strategic plan. The budget will clearly indicate projected revenue and sources (e.g., membership, grants, financial support) as well as projected expenditures including specific charges to ASLTA for services. No other charges, direct or indirect, may be made against the ASLTA budget without consent of the Board of Directors of ASLTA.

Section 3 Removal of Officers or Committee Chairs. Any officer or committee chair may be removed from office with a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VI – DUTIES of OFFICERS

Section 1 Duties of President. The President shall be the primary elected officer. S/he shall preside at all Board meetings and be responsible for the oversight of all Board duties. S/he shall also be responsible for coordination of all Board activities, including but not limited to preparation of the Board meeting agendas, appointing committee chairs and overseeing the implementation of committee work.

Section 2 Duties of Vice President. The Vice-President shall serve in the absence of the President. S/he shall succeed to the office of President should that office became vacant prior to the expiration of the term of office of the President. In addition, the Vice President shall perform all duties as assigned by the President and approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 3 Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall keep accurate and complete minutes of all meetings of the organization and the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall maintain a roster of all members of the Association, and shall keep on file all documents, disks, communications and other papers related to the business of ASLTA.

Section 4 Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall ensure that accurate financial records are kept and maintained, and reports are made at each Board meeting, and an audit is performed annually.

Section 5 Duties of Evaluation Committee Chair. The Evaluation Committee Chair will manage the Evaluation, Revision and Appeals Committee and serve as liaison between the Evaluation Committee and Board of Directors.

Section 6 Chapter Affiliation/Bylaws Chair. The Chapter Affiliation/bylaws Chair shall have charge of all affiliated ASLTA chapters in the USA. S/he shall oversee the affiliation process and maintenance process of chapters, including submission of chapter bylaws, fulfillment of required procedures for affiliation and annual maintenance of chapters in good standing.

Section 7 Professional Development Chair. The Professional Development Chair shall be responsible for coordinating all aspects of professional development activities, including but not limited to (1) conference planning in cooperation with the Office Administrator, (2) maintaining a resource listing of presenters, (3) assistance with professional development opportunities for ASLTA members and (4) working with the Office Administrator to implement and provide Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for members.

Section 8 Compensation. Members of the Board of Directors shall serve without compensation except for standard expenses as approved by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VII – ELECTION and APPOINTMENT of OFFICERS

Section 1 Officers to be Elected and/or Appointed. The officers to be elected, and who shall serve until their successors are duly elected, shall be President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The additional three Board of Directors positions: Evaluation Committee Chair, Chapter Affiliation/Bylaws Chair and Professional Development Chair, are appointed by the President, with the approval of the Board of Directors. All seven (7) positions shall be members of the Board of Directors. All Board of Directors members must hold ASLTA permanent professional certification and be members in good standing for at least two years prior to election or appointment to the Board of Directors.

Section 2 Election Procedures. There shall be alternating elections every two (2) years. Groups of officers to be elected in alternate elections are as follows:

The President and Secretary and
The Vice President and Treasurer.

Elections will take place by mail ballot to be sent out at least sixty (60) days prior to the start of the biennial meeting. All voting members in good standing shall be provided with one (1) ballot. Return of ballots will be accepted up to thirty (30) days prior to the start of the regular biennial meeting. Election results will be announced at the regular biennial meeting, in the ASLTA newsletter and on the ASLTA website.

Section 3 Nomination Process. Nominations for elected members of the Board of Directors shall be made by a Nomination Committee composed of three (3) ASLTA permanent professional certified members in good standing selected by the Chapter Affiliation/Bylaws Chair with approval of the Board of Directors. Recommendations for nomination of officers may be submitted to the Nomination Committee by any voting member of the organization, provided the nomination is accompanied by 1) biographical data detailing the nominee’s qualifications for the office and 2) signature of the nominee. A call for nominations from the membership, stating and describing the offices open for election, shall be printed in the October issue of the official newsletter. Nominations from the membership must be postmarked to the Nomination Committee by December 15 of the year previous to the election year.

Section 4 Expiration of Terms of Office. Officers of this organization shall continue in office until the conclusion of the business meeting held during the biennial meeting of the membership.

Section 5 Limit on Consecutive Terms in Office. An officer may serve no more than two (2) consecutive 4-year terms in the same office.

Section 6 Resignations, Vacancies and Removal from Office.

A Board member may resign by notifying the President of the Board in writing 30 days prior to the effective date.
The Board of Directors shall have the authority to fill any vacancy on the Board that may occur between regular meetings of the organization with the exception of the office of President that shall be filled by the Vice President.
Board members who miss two consecutive meetings or fail to fulfill duties may be asked to resign and are subject to removal with a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII – CHAPTER AFFILIATION

Section 1 Recognition of Local Chapters. The President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall have the authority to officially recognize local organizations of ASL/Deaf Studies teachers as local chapters of ASLTA.

Section 2 Compliance with Guidelines for Local Chapters. Affiliated ASLTA chapters must comply with requirements as stipulated in the Guidelines for Local Chapter Affiliation and Maintenance.

Section 3 Termination of Official Recognition of Local Chapters. The President, with approval of the Board of Directors, shall have the authority to terminate the recognition of any local ASLTA chapter that fails to abide by the philosophy, bylaws and policies of ASLTA, and/or to maintain itself as an active organization.

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS to BYLAWS

These bylaws may be amended only by mail ballot to all voting members in good standing with a 2/3 affirmative vote and a majority of eligible votes cast.

ARTICLE X – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and consistent with these Bylaws, and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.

ARTICLE XI – DISSOLUTION

In case of dissolution, all monies and records shall be given to a non-profit organization chosen by the ASLTA membership.

First Revision 10/31/01
Second Revision 2/25/02
Approved at NAD/ASLTA Conference 7/03