1-87 Study Hall Bill
Each teacher will be given the option to conduct his or her study hall in a classroom if that teacher's assigned room is available and will accommodate the enrollment of that particular study hall and students form canceled classes. The house secretary will be provided a list of study hall rooms.


2-87 Final Exam Bill
The final examination grade for each course shall appear on the final report card of the year.


3-87 Community Service Bill

Each student will be required to perform twenty hours of approved community service during his/her four years at Lexington High School.
Community service will be required of each student for graduation. (See appendix for approved list of service activities)
This community service requirement for graduation will be added as a new cluster and will start with the incoming class of September 1988.
If a student arrives midway through the four years of his/her high school career, the requirement will still be in affect. After the first quarter of the senior year, any new arrival to the high school will have the community service requirement waived.
Opportunities for community service will be offered to the classes of 1989, 1990, and 1991 but will not be apart of graduation requirement. Credit will be available under Cluster VI if a student in one of those classes does any community service.


4-87 Outdoor Eating Bill (See Bill 2-96 for a revised version of this bill passed in 1996.)

Students may, only lunch blocks only, eat their lunches outside in the grassy areas between D-building and C-building.
This eating area excludes all black-topped and overhang areas between C-D-F and Science buildings. Food will not be allowed in these areas.
Those utilizing the area during the lunch block will be responsible for keeping the area clean.
A subcommittee appointed by the moderator will evaluate whether those utilizing this area are respecting the property and controlling litter.
On the first school day of every month, this committee shall report its findings to the principal, and the principal shall be empowered to determine whether the privilege requested in part 1 of this bill shall be continued or denied.
The area specified in this bill shall not be used as a gathering spot for students at any other time during the day.


5-87 Skate boarding Bill
Skateboards may not be used anywhere on school grounds from 7:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Students who use skateboards to get to and from school may carry them on campus to lockers or other proper storage locations. Violators will have skateboards confiscated. First offense - through the end of the school day. Second offense - through the end of the week. Third offense - through the end of the school year.



6-87 Anti-Litter Bill
Whereas, litter detracts from the physical appearance of Lexington High School and demands unnecessary expenditure of time and energy on the part of the custodial staff; and whereas, litter further suggests disrespect for the educational mission of the high school;

Therefore, the student-faculty Senate urges every member of the high school community to strive to keep the high school litter-free.

The Senate requests the assistant principal for student affairs, in conjunction with the assistant principal for buildings and facilities and the Senate school climate committee, to organize an anti-litter campaign and to recommend to the senate a program that in the future would substantially reduce this litter. The Senate requests that the assistant principal for student affairs report back to the Senate within three Senate meetings on his plans for an anti-litter campaign and the process of the anti-litter program.

1988-1989



1-88 Parliamentarian Bill
Mr. George Southwick will be appointed as the Senate Parliamentarian for one year.


2-88 Substitute Parking Lot Bill

All parking stickers available be allocated to students on a first-come, first-serve basis.
All applications for stickers will be time-dated to establish the order of issuance. Criteria for eligibility and availability will be established by the Administrative Team, subject to the approval of the Senate.
Of the spaces available to students, that 5 be held in reserve for short term permits for special parking needs to be determined by the principal.
Once eligibility has been established, the student must pay a non-refundable annual parking fee that will be established by the School Committee.
The principal, or his designee, will have the power to revoke the parking privileges of any student. All decisions regarding denial or revocation of parking privileges are subject to appeal under the provisions provided for by the Constitution.
Any student whose parking privilege is revoked shall lose his/her sticker/space to the next person on the waiting list, and will be placed at the end of the current waiting list, and the privilege will not be regained until all those ahead on the waiting list have received spaces/stickers.
The principal and other administrators will be responsible for the discipline of those who park vehicles without proper L.H.S. stickers and /or who do not park in the spaces defined by painted lines.
All parking spaces in the student and faculty parking lots shall be numbered.


3-88 Quadrangle Bill

Students may utilize the quadrangle immediately surrounding the flagpole for quiet gathering, which shall not include games or game-playing of any sort.
This area shall be open to all students during lunch blocks, but shall not initially be a designated eating area.
This area will be monitored by faculty to insure appropriate behavior.
On the first school day of every month, and on or around the 15th of every month, a sub-committee appointed by the moderator shall report its impressions about student use of this area to the principal. The committee may recommend that the area be closed, that the area be opened, excluding eating privileges, or that the area be opened, including eating privileges. The principal shall be empowered to determine which option will be exercised.


4-88 Board of Appeals
The Board of Appeals will consist of six student members, two seniors, two juniors, one sophomore, one freshman, and three faculty members, all elected for a one-year term. Elections will be held at the same time as the Senate elections. A member of the Senate may not be a member of the Board of Appeals.

The Board of Appeals will elect a chairperson and a secretary from its members.

At least five members must hear a case. If a member has a conflict of interest on an issue, that member must abstain from participation in that case. A quorum of five is necessary for action.

The procedures will be as follows:

Student and/or teacher grievance must petition the Board of Appeals in writing, within ten school days, along with their name, date, grievance, and relief expected.
The Board of Appeals will meet within five (5) school days of the filing of the grievance. If, by majority vote, the Board refuses to hear the grievant's case, the reason why shall be given, in writing, to the grievant. If, by majority vote, the Board agrees to hear the grievant's case, the Board shall schedule a hearing within ten school days of the filing of the grievance. Criteria include whether they feel a valid grievance exists and whether or not it feels the grievance is within the scope and jurisdiction provided for in the L.H.S. Constitution. Every effort will be made to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Notice of each hearing shall be deposited with the secretary of the Senate for posting at least two school days before said hearing.
All hearings are to be open subject to judgment of the Board of Appeals.
Every petitioner is entitled to a student or faculty advisor at their hearing.
Every opinion shall be in writing.
The Board of Appeals' decision is final within the scope and jurisdiction provided for in the L.H.S. constitution.
A case may not be resubmitted.
A written judgment shall be deposited with the Secretary of the Senate.
A member may be impeached by two-thirds vote of the remaining members. Reasons for impeachment are to be determined by the Board.


1989-1990


1-89 The "Educated Voter Bill"

The elections committee will explore methods that will allow candidates for President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer to speak before members of his/her class, electronically or otherwise. Any method chosen will be subject to final approval by the whole Senate body.
The elections committee will see that each candidate for a student government position is given the opportunity to write a statement on his/her views, and that the statement is distributed through homerooms to all students in the same graduating class as the candidate.
The elections committee will be able to set reasonable limits for the length of speeches and/or statements.


2-89 Aluminum Can Recycling Bill
The Marriott Corporation shall:

Provide receptacles adjacent to every soft drink can machine for which it has sole vendorship rights at Lexington High School. A separate receptacle shall be provided in and around outside eating areas for the non-deposit juice cans and for the 5 cent deposit soda and juice cans.
Provide receptacles in and around outside eating areas for purposes of collecting used soft drink cans.
Gather all cans on a regular basis at a centralized location to be mutually agreed upon by the Marriott Corporation and the distributor of origin, or LexRecycle (Lex. DPW) for purposes of weekly pickups and legal disposal.
Prominently display on all of its machines a redemption center where any person or persons may return cans for a financial redemption.

The High School, in conjunction with the distributorship of origin through whom it maintains machines in the main office and the locker room areas shall:

Provide receptacles adjacent to every soft drink machine for which it has sole vendorship responsibility at Lexington High School.
A separate receptacle shall be provided in and around outside eating areas for the non-deposit juice cans and for the 5 cent deposit soda and juice cans. These machines include the soft drink machine in the main office and the juice machines in the boys' and girls' locker room areas.
Gather all cans on a regular basis at a centralized location to be mutually arranged by the high school and the distributor of origin, or LexRecycle (Lex. DPW) for purposes of weekly pickups and legal disposal.
Prominently display on all of its machines a redemption center where any person or persons may return cans for a financial redemption.
***No person or persons shall be prevented by any proscription in this bill from securing a financial benefit from the redemption of cans from any machines maintained at Lexington High School.


3-89 Eighth Grade Senate Bill
[Replaced by the 1992 Freshman Assembly Bill]


4-89 Poster Bill
Students and faculty may post publicity posters for school or club related event and meetings on interior brick and concrete walls and on sections of lockers throughout the LHS campus. Such notices are to be hung with masking tape. Those who put up the posters will be responsible for their removal after the event. Posters must be approved by the activity's faculty advisor and/or student activities coordinator. Said advisor will ensure that only a reasonable amount of posters will be posted. All possible efforts will be made to recycle the posters.


5-89 Class Service Project Bill
Beginning in the Academic year 1990-1991, all class councils at Lexington High School shall be required to sponsor at least one event over the course of each academic year organized specifically for the purpose of contributing to a community service effort.

The activity that each class chooses as its community service project must be approved by the community service coordinator. No student may claim or credit any work done on a class sponsored project or event for their community service graduation requirement.

The Social Action Committee of the Senate shall monitor each class council annually to ensure that this requirement is fulfilled.


6-89 Student Schedule Bill
Requirements for Graduation shall not be added once students make their course selections for their freshmen year unless mandated by the State Department of Education or by Individual Education Plan (through the Special Needs Department).

Any additions in the graduation requirements can be made only for incoming classes. This bill shall take effect March 1, 1990.


7-89 Homeroom Announcement Bill (This bill has been replaced by Bill 2-98)
The Senate Communications Committee shall work in conjunction with Ms. Wendy Thompson and members of the Lexington News Exchange to hold auditions and select a student or students to read the announcements during homeroom.


8-89 Book Collection Bill
All teachers in a course with a final exam must allow the students to keep all texts for which they will be responsible. Students who fail to return texts on the day of the exam will receive an incomplete, pending the fulfillment of their obligations. This policy shall be included in all class expectations.


9-89 Graduation Bill
The Senior Class Council may invite graduation speakers consisting of the Class President as Master of Ceremonies, two student speakers, a faculty speaker, and a guest speaker. Student speakers shall be chosen by a graduation committee designated by the class council.

The Senior Class Council shall designate a separate committee made up of two students and two faculty members to review speeches before graduation with the speakers. Such review shall be mandatory.

The Senior Class Council will design and organize the Graduation.

Having tailored the graduation ceremony to their mutual liking, the Senior Class Council and the Assistant Principal for Special Services will present the project to the Principal for final approval.


10-89 Sense of the Senate (Not a bill)
The sense of the Senate regarding the exclusivity of X-block is that scheduling meetings during this time stands to infringe upon the integrity of the Senate as a governing power.
The constitution states in article IV, section 3 that:
C. The scheduling of practices, rehearsals, and other required meetings is strictly prohibited during Senate meeting times.
E. No teacher shall be assigned any involuntary professional duty while the Senate is in session.
It is the feeling of the Senate that, in order to protect the integrity of the Senate, clarification of Article IV, Section 3 C is necessary. Therefore we have stated that:
Any activity, extra-help or make-up session, detention, practice, rehearsal, or meeting which is regularly scheduled and/or offered only during X-block is considered in violation of the Constitution.


11-89 Snow Day Resolution
In order to ensure the safety of students and staff, decisions regarding school cancellations should be made based on the latest weather information and forecasts, road conditions in neighboring towns, and the Department of Public Works' assurance of cleared roads, sidewalks, and school parking lots.


1990 - 1991


1-90 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
The LHS Constitution was amended so that Article VIII, Section 3 shall have the following language added to it under new sections B and C:
B. The activities listed below shall be allowed to take place during X-Block, provided that these activities are not held exclusively during X-Block, and that no student shall be excluded from an activity because of his/her involvement in the LHS Senate. Students and faculty who are not members of the LHS Senate shall also be free to attend Senate meetings at any time in lieu of club meetings or other activities without penalty.
Allowed Activities:

Tutoring sessions, make-up work, make-up tests or quizzes.
Extra-curricular clubs, activities and organizations.
Other activities arranged by administrators, faculty members or students
C. The activities below shall not be allowed during X-Block under any circumstances

Required athletic practices or games
Required musical rehearsals or presentations
Required exams, contests, debates, or other academic competitions
Required staff meetings or other professional obligations


2-90 Issues-Based Election Bill
Candidates for Senate, class offices and class council will each write a short paragraph before the election. It will summarize what a candidate plans to do if elected and his/her views on issues concerning LHS. These paragraphs will be typed and distributed in home rooms to the proper constituencies.

Rationale
 

It may prevent elections from being solely popularity contests
It focuses attention on issues, giving voters actual reasons to vote for certain candidates
Voters should be given the opportunity to vote on character as well as opinion


3-90 Mandatory Assembly Bill
During the school year, if the administration and/or a particular department head or teacher wishes to make an assembly mandatory to all students of a particular grade or grades, they must first obtain the consent of the Student-Faculty Senate. Consent of the Senate shall be by majority vote. Teachers will retain the right to take their classes to a non-mandatory assembly. Students whose class as a whole is not attending an assembly retain the privilege of attending as an optional in-school field trip.

The high school administration retains the right to call a mandatory assembly in emergency and extraordinary circumstances when convening a meeting of the Senate is not feasible or would be logistically impossible.

Rationale
Mandatory assemblies should be held to further some generally goal accepted social or educational goal. The decision concerning these goals should be made by a broader group than the high school administration. Many teachers and students have objected repeatedly to certain mandatory assemblies without results. They feel that their voices have not been heard.

Non-mandatory assemblies which last two or more blocks can be treated as optional field trips.

"Administration" as used in this bill is intended to include both the high school administration and those at the central office.


4-90 Outdoor Eating Area Bill 

Students may, during lunch block only, eat their lunches outside in the grassy area between C-building and D-building.
This eating area excludes the blacktop and overhang areas between C-D-F and the Science building. Food will not be allowed in those areas.
Those utilizing this area during lunch block will be responsible for keeping the area clean.
A subcommittee appointed by the Senate moderator will evaluate whether those utilizing the area are respecting the property and controlling litter.
On the first school day of every month, this committee will report its findings to the principal, and the principal shall be empowered to determine whether the privilege granted in part one of this bill shall be continued or temporarily denied.
The area specified in this bill shall not be used as a gathering spot for students at any other time during the day.


5-90 Revised Substitute Bill 
Exclusively senior classes may be canceled by the classroom teacher provided that:

the teacher feels that student time would be more productively employed elsewhere
an assignment is left for the students

This process will be implemented for one semester, after which time a committee comprised of representatives of the LHS Senate, the principal, and the assistant principals shall meet to determine the future and possible expansion of this program.

Rationale
This bill provides the opportunity to test the idea of canceling classes rather than having substitutes. It is believed that this bill will save significant money for the Lexington school system, and avoid the unproductive use of time that substitutes can cause.


6-90 Substitute Evaluation Bill (repealed: Bill 6-96)
At least once during the school year, a substitute shall be evaluated following a substitution day. The evaluation will consist of a report from the classes the substitute taught in the form of a responsive questionnaire, and a report from the absent teacher as to how well the substitute fulfilled the teacher's plans. Upon completion, these documents will be forwarded to the office of the principal for review. This information shall be used as a basis for the continuing employment of that particular substitute.

The Senate recommends that permanent substitutes, or those who are hired on a regular basis by the system, also be evaluated by an assistant principal at least once a year.

Rationale
The current system of reviewing substitutes calls for a teacher who is unhappy with a substitute's performance to report it to the main office.This system will compel students and teachers to evaluate a substitute in a more complete fashion. It is the hope of the Senate that this bill will improve the process for hiring quality substitutes.


7-90 Enforcement Resolution
The Senate resolves that the administration should more vigilantly enforce and communicate policies passed by the Senate to the school community.

Rationale
The Senate has passed numerous bills that have not been enforced by the administration, the proper agent for enforcement. This lack of enforcement has, in all likelihood, diminished the importance and power of the Senate in the eyes of the school community. More importantly, the policies the Senate has created have not been implemented.


8-90 Poster Bill
Students and faculty may post publicity posters for school or club related events and meetings on interior brick and concrete walls and on the end sections of lockers throughout the LHS campus. Such notices are to be hung with Scotch or masking tape only. Those who put up the posters will be responsible for their removal within one school week after the event. Posters must be approved by the activity's faculty advisor and/or by the student activities coordinator. Said advisor will insure that only a reasonable amount of posters will be hung. All possible efforts will be made to recycle the posters.


1991-1992


1-91 Substitute Bill
Exclusively senior classes may be canceled by the teacher provided that: 1. the teacher feels that the student's time would be more productively employed elsewhere, and 2. an assignment is left for the students.

Special circumstances involving mixed classes may be granted exceptions by the principal.


2-91 Flag Salute Bill
No teacher shall compel or prevent any of his or her students from standing to salute the flag or from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.


3-91 Attendance Bill

Committee chairs shall take attendance at each committee meeting. Attendance will be reported to the Secretary.
Senators seeking excused absences shall present excuses to the Secretary no later than forty-eight hours after a Senate or committee meeting. The Secretary may excuse student absences only if the student was absent, excused, from school on that day. Faculty absences may be excused only if the faculty member was absent from school.
The Secretary shall request that the Musket publish records of Senate attendance twice each year. One of these requests will be made six weeks before the spring Senate elections.


4-91 Public Opinion Bill
The School Climate Committee of the Senate will create a system that will allow for the general opinion of the student body to be expressed to the Senate. This system will consist of random polling of homerooms representing all four grades in the high school. Polling will take place when the Senate requests information on a given topic. School Climate Committee members will run the polling, and results will be given at the following week's meeting.


5-91 Oversight Committee Bill
A standing committee shall be established to monitor the implementation, enforcement, and efficacy of policies passed by the Senate. This committee, the Oversight Committee, shall make periodic reports to the Senate concerning the status of said policies.


6-91 Enforcement Resolution
The Student/ Faculty Senate relies upon the Lexington High School administration to implement and enforce the policies that the Senate passes. Although this work is usually done in good faith, the administration has occasionally been lax in fulfilling its responsibility. Therefore, the Senate feels compelled to direct the administration's attention and that of the school community at large to the following bills, some of which have never been enforced, others of which demand renewed and constant vigilance. The Senate asks that these policies receive the attention that they merit:

Bill 3-1989, the Phone Privacy Bill, which precludes students from answering the telephone in administrative offices.
Bill 5-1989, the Skate boarding Bill, which prohibits skate boarding on school grounds from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Bill 2-1990, the Aluminum Can Recycling Bill, which calls for prominent receptacles next to each aluminum can vending machine on campus and other procedures designed to encourage recycling.
Bill 5-1990, the Class Service Project Bill, which calls for each class council to sponsor at least one event each academic year for the purpose of contributing to the school's community service effort.
Bill 1-1991, the Substitute Evaluation Bill, which delineates a procedure to be followed for the evaluation of substitutes by students and teacher.


7-91 Green Volunteers Bill
A voluntary group of students, the Green Volunteers, shall be established to encourage students eating outside to recycle and dispose of their trash in the appropriate bins. The students who participate in this activity shall receive community service credit by having a form signed at each lunch in which they participate in this activity. The monitoring faculty member shall sign the students' forms which are to be supervised by the assistant principal for student affairs. The students shall receive one hour of community service credit for every five lunches they monitor.


8-91 The Condom Bill
Should Condoms be made available at no expense to the school system, they shall be offered free of charge to any Lexington High School students. A receptacle containing condoms and a packet of educational material shall be placed in the nurse's office in an easily accessible location. When obtaining condoms in said office, students shall not be required to interact with the nurse or any other person.



1992-1993



1-92 The Freshman Assembly Bill
Within the first full week of school each year there will be a mandatory assembly for all freshmen to educate them about school government positions. Two members of the Senate, a Board of Appeals Representative, a School Committee representative, and two Class Council members will speak about their positions at this time. These speakers will be upper class persons who currently hold offices in these organizations. These groups will be comprised of seniors whenever possible. 


2-92 The Attendance Bill
Students will be allowed until 2:25 the next day following notification from a house secretary or building administrator of an alleged unexcused absence to submit an acceptable letter of excuse. Upon submission of this letter, the absence will be fully excused.


3-92 Snack Bar Resolution

The snack bar will be open all day.
It will be rotated.
The nutritional value of the food will be evaluated.
The fryolater should be eliminated.


4-92 Revised Community Service Bill

Each student will be required to perform twenty hours of approved community service during his/her four years at Lexington High School.
Community service will be required of each student for graduation. Students will be expected to complete ten hours of community service by the beginning of their junior year. If students have not completed ten hours by this time, their privilege of open campus will be withheld until they do so.
If a student arrives midway through the four years of his/her high school career (junior year), the student will be expected to complete ten hours of community service. After the first quarter of senior year, any new arrival to the high school will have the community service requirement waived.
All students will be provided with a list of approved volunteer opportunities compiled by the Social Action Committee of the Senate when they enter the high school. The list will include types of activities that are suitable as well as the names and phone numbers of organizations at which they can volunteer. This list will be periodically updated by the social action committee. Lists of suitable community service will also be available in the offices of all house secretaries, building administrators and guidance counselors. Lists will also be accessible in the Student Activities Center, the library and the Career Center.
Any activity for which one is paid or one receives accreditation for another service organization will not be considered valid for the community service requirement. In addition, activities such as personnel services and working in school offices will not be considered community service.
If the student wishes to do an activity that is not on the approved list, he/she must submit a description of the proposed activity to the Social Action Committee of the Senate. Two student members and one faculty member of the Social Action Committee will meet weekly to review questionable activities.
Upon finishing an approved service activity, students will be required to complete a form which must be formally verified by the sponsor activity. This form will then be submitted by the student to his/her guidance counselor who will then credit the hour(s) toward the student's community service requirement. In the event that an activity is not on the official list but is approved beforehand by the Social Action Committee, the committee will forward that approval to the student's guidance counselor.
The Revised Community Service Bill will go into effect in September, 1993. No student shall be required to adhere to the above criteria for community service hours performed by September, 1993. Item two will go into effect starting with the class of 1997.


3-92 Attendance Bill (amended 3.14.97)

Committee chairs shall take attendance at each committee meeting. Attendance will be reported to the Secretary.
Senators seeking excused absences shall present excuses to the Secretary no later than forty-eight hours after a Senate or committee meeting. All excused absences from Senate must be in accordance with the Student and Faculty Handbooks.
The Secretary shall request that the Musket publish records of Senate attendance twice each year. One of these requests will be made six weeks before the spring Senate elections.


1993-1994


1-93 Freshmen Assembly Bill:
The freshmen assembly to educate students about school government positions will be during A-Block on Thursday of the first full week of classes in September.
The format will consist of five (5 minute) presentations:
5 minutes for Senate
5 minutes for Class Council
5 minutes for School Committee Representative
5 minutes for Site-Based Council Representative
5 minutes for Board of Appeals

The responsibility for the assembly will fall to the Senate Elections Committee which will organize and select speakers. This planning and selection should take place the previous spring so the assembly will be ready to go upon return in the fall.


2-93 Senior Final Exam Bill
Final exams for senior courses will be administered during the last week of senior classes. The testing format will be the same as the format used for administering final exams for non-senior courses. Exam sessions will be one and one half hours in length. There will be two regular exam sessions on each of three days. Each exam session will be reserved for exams in a specific subject area/department. Two sessions will be devoted to foreign language courses to accommodate those students enrolled in two foreign language courses. Students who miss an exam due to an excused absence may make up that exam during and additional afternoon session on one of the three exam days or at a time agreed upon by teacher and student.


3-93 Condom Availability Program Committee Bill
The Senate will form and oversee a committee open to both Senators and non-Senators to coordinate the condom availability program at LHS. Responsibilities for this committee will include:

Stuffing packets and/or finding students to stuff packets.
Monitoring and replenishing the supply of condoms at the various areas of availability.
Periodically evaluating the use/abuse of the program as a whole and of each area individually.
Ordering condoms, brochures, envelopes, school committee notices, and fact sheets to fill the condom packets.


4-93 Community Service Program Revision Bill

Each student will be required to perform 40 hours of approved community service during his/her four years at Lexington High School.
Community service will be required of each student for graduation. Students will be expected to complete 20 hours of community service by the beginning of their junior year. If students have not completed 20 hours by this time, their privilege of open campus will be withheld until they do so.
If a student arrives midway through the four years of his/her high school career (junior year), the student will be expected to complete 20 hours of community service. After the first quarter of the senior year, any new arrival to the high school will have the community service requirement waived.
This community service program revision will go into effect with the class of 1998.

1994-1995



1-94 Special Senate Day Bill
(This bill was replaced by the Revised Special Senate Day Bill - 4-95)


2-94 Non Senator Minutes Bill
The information supplied to senators before Senate meetings should at the same time be made available to non-Senators. This will be accomplished by making available a reasonable number of copies of that information in a specified area of the Student Activities Center.


3-94 Homeroom Announcement Bill
Every Tuesday during homeroom announcements, time will be provided for the Senate's agenda and other important information concerning the following day's Senate meeting to be read.


4-94 Search and Seizure Bill
At the beginning of the academic year, the administration will hand out a detailed outline of their search and seizure policy to the student population which will also appear in the Student Handbook.


5-94 Referendum Bill
I. Every year, students and certified staff members will be allowed to put referenda questions on the ballot during the spring elections. Any Lexington High School student or certified staff member may request the placing of a referendum question on the ballot once the author has obtained the signed endorsement of 15% of the entire student body and one (1) certified staff member for every ten (10) student signatures.

II. Definition of signed endorsement:
A. The signed endorsement of 15% of the student body will be obtained in the form of a petition, which clearly displays the exact wording of the referendum.
B. The signed endorsement of one (1) certified staff member for every ten (10) student student signatures on the petition described in Part II Section A will be obtained by a third petition phrased exactly the same as the described in Part II Section A.

III. The petitions for referenda must be submitted to the Elections Committee at least 30 school days prior to the scheduled date of the spring elections.

IV. The Elections Committee will be responsible for checking the signatures on the petitions. The Elections Committee will be responsible for presenting the petitions to the author, the Student Activities Center and the Student Library.

V. The referendum questions must not:
A. Contradict State of Federal law.
B. Interfere with the allotment of school department funds.
C. Interfere with collective bargaining agreements.
D. Impinge upon individual administrative and teacher evaluation.
E. Impinge upon individual teacher's course organization and evaluation of students.

VI. A referendum question must first be submitted to Senate in the form of a bill, and be voted down, before it can be placed on the ballot.

VII. The Elections Committee will be responsible for tallying the votes and presenting the results to the author, to the school and to the School Committee.

VIII. The Elections Committee will be responsible for providing accurate information concerning the actual number of students in the percentages above (Part II Section A) to any interested student. All percentages will be rounded up to the nearest whole number.

IX. Voting procedure
A. The entire student body will vote on the referendum during the spring elections.
B. The entire certified staff will vote on the referendum during the same vote used to choose staff senators.
C. The two votes will be separate. Both the student body and the certified staff must pass the referendum separately for the referendum to pass.

X. Informed voters
A. The Elections Committee will explore methods that will allow supporters and opposers of each referendum question to speak before members of the school community, electronically or otherwise. Any method chosen will be subject to final approval by the whole Senate body.
B. The Elections Committee will see that the author of each referendum question is given the opportunity to write a statement is distributed to all students, and among all certified staff members.
C. The Elections Committee will see that one space for every supporting statement is provided for an opposing statement. The Elections Committee will be responsible for choosing which statements would be distributed if more than one are submitted.
D. The Elections Committee will be able to set reasonable and equal limits for the length of the statements.
E. The Musket will be asked to feature both an explanation of all referenda questions and pro and con arguments.

XI. Copies of the approved petitions described in Part II Sections A and B must be displayed in the Student Activities Center and in the school library until the referendum question has been voted on both by students and certified staff.

XII. If the referendum is passed according to Part IX Section C, then the referendum question will go to the School Committee. If the School Committee does not accept the passed referendum, it will not become school policy.


6-94 School Rules Bill
Every rule or policy regarding or relevant to Lexington High School must be displayed in the Student Activities Center and the school library.


7-94 Clean Rubbish up Day Bill
The Lexington High School Student/Faculty Senate will sponsor an annual advertised, school-wide clean up hour during X block every last Wednesday in March. The target of the clean-up hour, organized by the Executive Committee of the Senate, will be to clean up outdoor areas that are frequently used and frequently littered. The Senate will meet in "field trip" form outside. Attendance will be taken by the secretary of the senate in a headquarters decided on by the Executive Committee.


8-94 Proctoring Bill
During final exams period, teachers will be given the option of not being assigned to proctor during the session their own exams are being taken.


9-94 Closing Outdoor Eating Area Bill
The Senate will close the outdoor eating area between ABC and DEF buildings for the week of Monday, November 14, 1994.


10-94 Junior Substitute Bill
In the event a teacher is absent, classes consisting of exclusively seniors and juniors may be cancelled by the teacher provided that: 1. the teacher feels that the students' time would be more productively employed elsewhere, and 2. an assignment is left for the students. If the absence extends beyond two days, substitute coverage and plans should be provided.



1995-1996


1-95 Election Reform Bill
The Senate Standing Committee on Student Elections will oversee the running of (a) voting center(s). Students who wish to participate in the elections must state their student ID number. Once identified they will then have their name crossed off a list of all the student in the school to prevent ballot box stuffing and repeat voting. The student will then fill out a scantron ballot and place it in the ballot box marked for their class.
The voting center will open 45 minutes prior to the beginning of classes and will close 45 minutes after the end of classes on student election day. Announcements will be made during the day to remind students to vote. Elections for each class will be held separately. Students are not permitted to monitor the elections for their own class.


2-95 Revisions Bill
A copy of any revised bills that are currently being discussed will be included with the pending amendments with the minutes for the next meeting. After a bill is passed, a revised copy will be included with the minutes for the next meeting.


3-95 "Bills List" Bill
All Senators will have an updated copy of all bills passed by the Senate by the start of each school year. A copy of all bills updated yearly will also be available in the Student Activities Center. 


4-95 Revised Special Senate Day Bill

Each year, on the second Wednesday of December, the Student/Faculty Senate will sponsor a special open meeting to which all members of the community will be expressly invited to ask questions and/or provide ideas for the Senate body to consider.
Throughout the school day of the Special Senate Day and of the Tuesday preceding it, each senator must wear an item of identification indicating his or her status as a LHS senator. Senate tables will be set up on these two days to allow students and faculty to interact with senators.
The Special Senate Day will be advertised by the Communications Committee through announcements and posters.
Parts I, II, and III of this bill clarify and amend the procedures outlined in the Special Senate Day Bill of 1994. This bill must not be interpreted as nullification of the entirety of the previous bill.


5-95 Repeal of Substitute Evaluation Bill (See 6-90)


6-95 Course Selection Bill
Student signatures should be required on course selection sheets.


7-95 High School Add Drop Policy Bill (2/28/96)
I. Students will be allowed to drop or add a class only within the first four weeks of a term, or semester (for semester courses), except under one of the following conditions:

a. Both teacher and student agree that the course has been too difficult or too easy for the student and a change of levels is both warranted and requested.
b. The student has a medical reason for lightening or modifying his/her schedule.
c. The student has a scheduling conflict.

II. There will be no lateral transfers unless there is a scheduling conflict or if there is a mutually perceived conflict between the teacher and the student.

III. Students will not be allowed to officially drop a class unless all books and other course materials are returned to the teacher of the course being dropped.

IV. A student should not be allowed to add or drop a class unless a consultation is first made among the teachers involved, the department head/coordinator and the student's guidance counselor.

V. A teacher will not allow a student to enter his/her classroom unless the student produces a form signed by the teacher of the course being dropped, the teacher of the course being added, the department head/coordinator and the student's guidance counselor. This document should also indicate the current grade of the student in the course being dropped.


1996-1997



1-96 Parking Bill

 

In a given year, the number of parking spaces reserved for faculty and staff will equal the number of faculty and staff employed at the Lexington High School campus (including student teachers and LABB School employees). These spaces will be reserved and clearly marked for faculty and staff only.
The remaining parking spaces will be available for seniors only (juniors after the seniors graduate) who will be issued stickers. Student parking stickers will be available to juniors beginning on the first school day in May and will be valid beginning on the day after graduation. No more than 30% more stickers than spaces will be issued to students. Juniors and sophomores who wish to drive to school will park in legal spaces on Worthen Road and therefore will not be required to have parking stickers.
No student will be permitted to park in faculty / staff spaces and no faculty will be permitted to park in student spaces during school hours.
The School Climate Committee of the Senate will be responsible for obtaining the staffing figures from the administration by April 1 of each year in order to determine the projected number of spaces needed for faculty and staff and each year at that time will determine how many student spaces will be available the following year. The School Climate Committee will also work with the assistant principal for buildings and grounds to determine how the spaces will be designated.
The parking area behind C house will be designated as faculty/staff spaces.



2-96 Outdoor Eating Bill (amended version of 4-87)

Students may, during lunch blocks only, eat their lunches outside in theareas between D-E-F building and C-building.
Those utilizing the area during the lunch block will be responsible for keeping the area clean.
A subcommittee appointed by the moderator will evaluate whether those utilizing this area are respecting the property and controlling litter.
On the first school day of every month, this committee shall report its findings to the principal, and the principal shall be empowered to determine whether the privilege requested in part 1 of this bill shall be continued or denied.
The area specified in this bill shall not be used as a gathering spot for students at any other time during the day.
Building Administrators will remind teachers on lunch duty in C, D and F cafeterias to monitor outdoor eating area during the spring and fall for the purpose of keeping the area policed.


3-96 Attendance Bill (See Bill 3-92 as amended 3.14.97)

Committee chairs shall take attendance at each committee meeting. Attendance will be reported to the Secretary.
Senators seeking excused absences shall present excuses to the Secretary no later than forty-eight hours after a Senate or committee meeting. All excused absences from Senate must be in accordance with the Student and Faculty Handbooks.
The Secretary shall request that the Musket publish records of Senate attendance twice each year. One of these requests will be made six weeks before the spring Senate elections.

1997-1998



1-97 Principal's Instructional Council Bill
One student is elected at large to attend meetings with principal and teacher representatives every other Thursday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.


2-97 Policy Review Bill
I. Any proposed change to the written policy in the Student/Parent Handbook that fall under the scope and jurisdiction of the Senate (see Article VI Senate Constitution) must be submitted to the Senate for review prior to becoming official written policy.

II. Review will be defined as one of the following:

A. Consideration by the Senate of the proposed change as a bill;
B. Consideration by the Senate of the proposed change as a resolution.

III. Only the adminstration and the School Council may make changes to the handbook without the approval of teh Senate. However, these parties must submit such changes.


3-97 Student Announcement Bill
The Senate Communications Committee shall accept applications and hold auditions for the selection of two students who will read the morning announcements. Based on these auditions, the student body will vote during the next available homeroom period. The Senate Communications Committee will be in charge of the ballot distribution and counting process. The Senate Communications Committee reserves the right to dismiss announcers that are not fulfilling their duties.

Rationale
 

This would replace the outdated Homeroom Announcement Bill* .
Student body should have a voice in the selection process.
Homeroom doesn't meet every morning.
LHS News Exchange is no longer involved in announcements.

* [7-89 Homeroom Announcement Bill 
The Senate Communications Committee shall work in conjunction with Ms. Wendy Thompson and members of the Lexington News Exchange to hold auditions and select a student or students to read the announcements during homeroom.]


4-97 Lavatory Bill 
Soap, toilet paper, and paper towels will be available in all lavatories at Lexington High School.


Rationale
People should be able to wash their hands after using the lavatories. Lack of soap, toilet paper, and paper towels poses significant hygiene and health problems.


5-97 Policy Review Bill
I. Any proposed changes to the written policy in the Student/Parent Handbook the fall under the scope and jurisdiction of the Senate (see Article VI Senate Constitution) must be submitted to the Senate review prior to becoming official written policy.
II. Review will be defined as one of the following:

A. Consideration by the Senate of the proposed change as a bill;
B. Consideration by the Senate of the proposed change as a resolution.
III. Only the administration and the School Council may make changes to the handbook without the approval of the Senate. However, these parties must submit such changes to the Senate before they can become policy. Such a submission will be reviewed in the Senate as a resolution. The Senate reserves the right to amend, alter, or rescind such policies in the form of a bill.
IV. The Senate, if it chooses to discuss a proposed change as a resolution by a majority, will have only two meetings to discuss and vote on the resolution. A proposed change that is either ignored by the Senate or not voted on within tow Senate meetings may become policy.


Rationale
Senate was created to act as a voice for the students and faculty in the school community. While it is important for school administrator to maintain the ability to crate school policy, the opinions of students and faculty members reflected by the Senate should be heard before decisions are made. Because of the existence of other policy-making bodies, the Senate is often left out, or is left to discuss extraneous issues and not focus on concrete proposals for policy change. This bill facilitates communication through policy and allows for an official record of Senate opinions on all school decisions. In addition, this bill creates a precedent for interaction between the Senate and the School Council concerning issues that originate form the Council. Principal's Note The term 'policy' in this bill refers to legislative policy, not executive procedure. It will be up to the administration to decide whether the changes they initiate are in fact policies which must be reviewed by the Senate or merely executive revisions. It should also be noted that the areas with which the Senate is constituted to be involved or has been involved by practice may serve as a guideline for such as decision.



6-97 Extracurricular Activities Substance Use Policy Bill 
1. Students are strictly prohibited from actions involving drugs and alcohol during school hours or on school property or at any school-sponsored activity or event. Such prohibited activities include but are not limited to: a. Attempting to purchase b. Using or have used c. Possession d. Intention or attempting to sell or distribute e. Selling or distributing f. Possession of drug paraphernalia.
2. For purposes of this policy alcohol and drugs include not only alcohol, controlled substances as defined in Mass. Gen. Laws, Ch. (4C(including but not limited to marijuana, cocaine and heroin), but also restricted drugs which are misused; steroids; and products misused for the purposes of mind altering effects (aerosols, solvents, etc.)
3. Students who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion as set fourth in Discipline - School Guidelines.
4. The school will cooperate fully with the police to deal with violations of the law on school property.
5. In addition to the rules and regulations outlined in this policy governing all students at Lexington High School, students participating in interscholastic sports will be responsible to the rules and regulations of the MIAA.
6. Students who are suspected of being under the influence of a substance or in possession of a substance on school grounds will be referred to the Asst. Principal and in some cases to the school nurse for assessment. If the situation warrants, parents will be notified and requested to take the student home. Provisions related to search and seizure and student discipline will also be followed. 7. If any of the above regulations are violated either in school or outside of school, the student will be referred to the Student Assistance Team. However, the school is only allowed to take disciplinary action against students for violations on school grounds or school sponsored activities.


Rationale
1. Any policy that attempts to govern Lexington High School students should only be concerned with the governing of students on school grounds, thus the current policy is the school overstepping its jurisdiction of students.
2. It is the school's primary objective to educate students, not punish students. This policy undermines the educational integrity of the school in that it is not the school's responsibility to control, enforce or attempt to provide repercussions for events that occur outside of school or school related functions.
3. The current policy has created a double jeopardy issue in that there are both legal and academic penalties for actions in one's personal life outside of school.
4. As the current policy is now stated, it is unclear what constitutes a ìviolationî off-campus.
5. Academic and extracurricular competency have no connection with responsibility in students personal decision making. Until the personal decision making on the students' part, or lack thereof, enters into the extracurricular circle there should be no penalties of this nature [as stated in the current policy] imposed by the school.



7-97 Revised Aluminum Can Recycling Bill 
The food service provider shall:

1. Provide receptacles adjacent to every soft drink machine for which it has sole vendorship rights at Lexington High School. A separate receptacle shall be provided in and around outside eating areas for the non-deposit juice cans and for the five cent deposit soda and juice cans and bottles.
2. Provide receptacles in and around outside eating areas for purposes of collecting used soft drink cans.
3. Gather all cans and bottles on a regular basis at a centralized location to be mutually agreed upon by the food service provider and the distributor of origin, or LexRecycle (Lex. DPW) for purposes of collecting used soft drink cans.
4. Prominently display on all of its machines a redemption center where any person or persons may return cans and bottles for a financial redemption.

The High School, in conjunction with the distributorship of origin through whom it maintains machines in the locker room areas or any other location shall provide receptacles adjacent to every soft drink machine for which it has sole vendorship responsibility at Lexington High School.



8-97 Vote Count Bill 
For every bill or resolution that is passed by the Senate, there will be a hand vote and the votes will be counted. The secretary will then publish the results of the vote by number on the copy of the bill or resolution sent to the principal and on the final copy given to the Senate and published in the Bills List. If a bill or resolution fails to pass, the secretary will publish the vote count in the minutes.

Rationale:
It is important and useful to know what the results of a vote on a bill or resolution were by number. This way, a reader of the bill or resolution can have a better sense of the feelings of the Senate without consulting Senate minutes. The results of the vote can also help the principal in evaluating the feelings of the Senate when making a decision to approve or veto a bill or when considering a resolution.


9-97 Work Service Detention Bill 
Students assigned to regular after school detention by the high school administration may choose to use their detention time to perform work service in cleaning up the school instead of sitting in the detention hall.
This option will be available to students providing the following conditions exist:

1. The students in detention hall choose this option of their own free will. No student assigned detention shall be compelled to perform work service.
2. One of the two teachers assigned to proctor the detention hall volunteers to supervise said work service.
3. Weather conditions permit such service to be performed.
4. This service does not interfere with regular custodial tasks.
5. An outline of necessary services to be performed is provided either by the administration or the custodial staff to the teachers proctoring the detention hall.

Students who agree to perform these tasks shall have their detention time reduced by one half. Therefore, a student with one hour of detention need perform only a half hour of work service to satisfy his/her detention requirement. Those with two hours may perform up to one hour of work service, though no student with one hour of detention need perform only a half hour of work service to satisfy his/her detention requirement. Those with two hours may perform up to one hour of work service, though no student may perform more the one hour of work service on a given day. Any student who chooses this option but then does not fulfill the assigned tasks to the satisfaction of the supervising teacher will have his/her name given to administration for appropriate punishment. Work service shall consist primarily of activities related to cleaning the campus area of LHS either inside and/or outside depending on the weather and the environmental needs of the school. This service may also consist of activities designed to beautify our school environment. Clerical duties or personal services will not qualify as work service in place of detention.

Rationale
 

The serious shortage in the custodial staff has left the LHS campus in a deplorable condition in terms of cleanliness. The recent CRUD day was a good example of what student efforts can do to improve our school environment.
Detention hall is generally a waste of time and student energies there could be utilized in a more productive manner.
Since each study hall has two staff proctors it is feasible that one could supervise a work crew while the other remains to proctor the detention hall.


10-97 Senate Secretary Bill 
The secretary of the senate will keep a notebook of all agendas, minutes, and passed bills which will be submitted to the (student) librarian at the end of each school year. The executive committee will prepare an end of the year report listing the complete text of all passed bills, including dates of debate, passage, veto/override if applicable. In the fall the oversight committee will update the Bill List by adding the bills passed in the previous school year.

1998-1999


1-98 Principal's Instructional Council Bill
One student is elected at large to attend meetings with principal and teacher representatives every other Thursday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.


2-98 Student Announcement Bill
The Senate Communications Committee shall accept applications and hold auditions for the selection of two students who will read the morning announcements. Based on these auditions, the student body will vote during the next available homeroom period. The Senate Communications Committee will be in charge of the ballot distribution and counting process. The Senate Communications Committee reserves the right to dismiss announcers that are not fulfilling their duties.

Rationale
1. This would replace the outdated Homeroom Announcement Bill (below).
2. Student body should have a voice in the selection process.
3. Homeroom doesn't meet every morning.
4. LHS News Exchange is no longer involved in announcements.

(7-89 Homeroom Announcement Bill
The Senate Communications Committee shall work in conjunction with Ms. Wendy Thompson and members of the Lexington News Exchange to hold auditions and select a student or students to read the announcements during homeroom.)

 


3-98 Policy Review Bill
I. Any proposed changes to the written policy in the Student/Parent Handbook the fall under the scope and jurisdiction of the Senate (see Article VI Senate Constitution) must be submitted to the Senate review prior to becoming official written policy.

II. Review will be defined as one of the following:

A. Consideration by the Senate of the proposed change as a bill;

B. Consideration by the Senate of the proposed change as a resolution.

III. Only the administration and the School Council may make changes to the handbook without the approval of the Senate. However, these parties must submit such changes to the Senate before they can become policy. Such a submission will be reviewed in the Senate as a resolution. The Senate reserves the right to amend, alter, or rescind such policies in the form of a bill.

IV. The Senate, if it chooses to discuss a proposed change as a resolution by a majority, will have only two meetings to discuss and vote on the resolution. A proposed change that is either ignored by the Senate or not voted on within tow Senate meetings may become policy.

Rationale
Senate was created to act as a voice for the students and faculty in the school community. While it is important for school administrator to maintain the ability to crate school policy, the opinions of students and faculty members reflected by the Senate should be heard before decisions are made. Because of the existence of other policy-making bodies, the Senate is often left out, or is left to discuss extraneous issues and not focus on concrete proposals for policy change. This bill facilitates communication through policy and allows for an official record of Senate opinions on all school decisions. In addition, this bill creates a precedent for interaction between the Senate and the School Council concerning issues that originate form the Council.

 

Principal's Note
The term "policy" in this bill refers to legislative policy, not executive procedure. It will be up to the administration to decide whether the changes they initiate are in fact policies which must be reviewed by the Senate or merely executive revisions. It should also be noted that the areas with which the Senate is constituted to be involved or has been involved by practice may serve as a guideline for such as decision.


4-98 Extracurricular Activities Substance Use Policy Bill
1. Students are strictly prohibited from actions involving drugs and alcohol during school hours or on school property or at any school-sponsored activity or event. Such prohibited activities include but are not limited to:

a. Attempting to purchase
b. Using or have used
c. Possession
d. Intention or attempting to sell or distribute
e. Selling or distributing
f. Possession of drug paraphernalia.
2. For purposes of this policy alcohol and drugs include not only alcohol, controlled substances as defined in Mass. Gen. Laws, Ch. (4C(including but not limited to marijuana, cocaine and heroin), but also restricted drugs which are misused; steroids; and products misused for the purposes of mind altering effects (aerosols, solvents, etc.)
3. Students who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion as set fourth in Discipline - School Guidelines.
4. The school will cooperate fully with the police to deal with violations of the law on school property.
5. In addition to the rules and regulations outlined in this policy governing all students at Lexington High School, students participating in interscholastic sports will be responsible to the rules and regulations of the MIAA.
6. Students who are suspected of being under the influence of a substance or in possession of a substance on school grounds will be referred to the Asst. Principal and in some cases to the school nurse for assessment. If the situation warrants, parents will be notified and requested to take the student home. Provisions related to search and seizure and student discipline will also be followed.
7. If any of the above regulations are violated either in school or outside of school, the student will be referred to the Student Assistance Team. However, the school is only allowed to take disciplinary action against students for violations on school grounds or school sponsored activities.

 

Rationale
1. Any policy that attempts to govern Lexington High School students should only be concerned with the governing of students on school grounds, thus the current policy is the school overstepping its jurisdiction of students.

2. It is the school's primary objective to educate students, not punish students. This policy undermines the educational integrity of the school in that it is not the school's responsibility to control, enforce or attempt to provide repercussions for events that occur outside of school or school related functions.

3. The current policy has created a double jeopardy issue in that there are both legal and academic penalties for actions in one's personal life outside of school.

4. As the current policy is now stated, it is unclear what constitutes a "violation" off-campus.

5. Academic and extracurricular competency have no connection with responsibility in students personal decision making. Until the personal decision making on the students' part, or lack thereof, enters into the extracurricular circle there should be no penalties of this nature [as stated in the current policy] imposed by the school.


5-98 Revised Aluminum Can Recycling Bill
The food service provider shall:
1. Provider receptacles adjacent to every soft drink machine for which it has sole vendorship rights at Lexington High School. A separate receptacle shall be provided in and around outside eating areas for the non-deposit juice cans and for the five cent deposit soda and juice cans and bottles.
2. Provide receptacles in and around outside eating areas for purposes of collecting used soft drink cans.
3. Gather all cans and bottles on a regular basis at a centralized location to be mutually agreed upon by the food service provider and the distributor of origin, or LexRecycle (Lex. DPW) for purposes of collecting used soft drink cans.
4. Prominently display on all of its machines a redemption center where any person or persons may return cans and bottles for a financial redemption. The High School, in conjunction with the distributorship of origin through whom it maintains machines in the locker room areas or any other location shall provide receptacles adjacent to every soft drink machine for which it has sole vendorship responsibility at Lexington High School.


6-98 Vote Count Bill
For every bill or resolution that is passed by the Senate, there will be a hand vote and the votes will be counted. The secretary will then publish the results of the vote by number on the copy of the bill or resolution sent to the principal and on the final copy given to the Senate and published in the Bills List. If a bill or resolution fails to pass, the secretary will publish the vote count in the minutes.

Rationale
It is important and useful to know what the results of a vote on a bill or resolution were by number. This way, a reader of the bill or resolution can have a better sense of the feelings of the Senate without consulting Senate minutes. The results of the vote can also help the principal in evaluating the feelings of the Senate when making a decision to approve or veto a bill or when considering a resolution.


7-98 Work Service Detention Bill
Students assigned to regular after school detention by the high school administration may choose to use their detention time to perform work service in cleaning up the school instead of sitting in the detention hall. This option will be available to students providing the following conditions exist:
1. The students in detention hall choose this option of their own free will. No student assigned detention shall be compelled to perform work service.
2. One of the two teachers assigned to proctor the detention hall volunteers to supervise said work service.
3. Weather conditions permit such service to be performed.
4. This service does not interfere with regular custodial tasks.
5. An outline of necessary services to be performed is provided either by the administration or the custodial staff to the teachers proctoring the detention hall.

Students who agree to perform these tasks shall have their detention time reduced by one half. Therefore, a student with one hour of detention need perform only a half hour of work service to satisfy his/her detention requirement. Those with two hours may perform up to one hour of work service, though no student with one hour of detention need perform only a half hour of work service to satisfy his/her detention requirement. Those with two hours may perform up to one hour of work service, though no student may perform more the one hour of work service on a given day. Any student who chooses this option but then does not fulfill the assigned tasks to the satisfaction of the supervising teacher will have his/her name given to administration for appropriate punishment.

Work service shall consist primarily of activities related to cleaning the campus area of LHS either inside and/or outside depending on the weather and the environmental needs of the school. This service may also consist of activities designed to beautify our school environment. Clerical duties or personal services will not qualify as work service in place of detention.

 

Rationale
1. The serious shortage in the custodial staff has left the LHS campus in a deplorable condition in terms of cleanliness. The recent CRUD day was a good example of what student efforts can do to improve our school environment.

2. Detention hall is generally a waste of time and student energies there could be utilized in a more productive manner.

3. Since each study hall has two staff proctors it is feasible that one could supervise a work crew while the other remains to proctor the detention hall.


8-98 Senate Secretary Bill
The secretary of the senate will keep a notebook of all agendas, minutes, and passed bills which will be submitted to the (student) librarian at the end of each school year.

The executive committee will prepare an end of the year report listing the complete text of all passed bills, including dates of debate, passage, veto/override if applicable. In the fall the oversight committee will update the Bill List by adding the bills passed in the previous school year.

 

1999-2000

1-99 Lexington High School Honor Code

A core value of an institution that seeks to maintain high moral and ethical standards is the intolerance of cheating in any form. Cheating undermines both the integrity of the perpetrator as well as that of the school. In presenting a code of conduct based on individual integrity and ethics, we aim to create a vision of what we would like our community to be. The Honor Code intends to reduce the level of unhealthy competition in the school by shifting peer pressure away from cheating and toward ethical behavior.

1. The following will be considered cheating*:

a. The willful giving or receiving of an unauthorized, dishonest, or unscrupulous advantage in academic work.

b. The above may be accomplished by any means whatsoever, including, but not limited to, the following: fraud, duress, deception, theft, talking, signs, gestures, copying from another student, unauthorized collaboration, and the unauthorized use of study aids, memoranda, books, electronic programs, data or other information.

c. Attempted Cheating.

2. The following will be considered plagiarism*:

a. Presenting as one's own the words, the work, or the opinions of someone else without prior acknowledgement.

b. Borrowing the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgement.

3. If a student cheats or plagiarizes, she or he may receive zero for the entire assignment and may not qualify for make up of the assignment subject to the teacher's discretion. The School reserves the right to assign additional penalties based on the severity of the offense up to and including suspension or expulsion.

4. In order to prevent misunderstandings, at the beginning of each course the teacher will clarify what constitutes a violation of the Honor Code in his/her class. This should include an explanation of*:

a. The extent to which collaboration or group participation is permissible in preparing term papers, laboratory exhibits or notebooks, reports of any kind, tests, quizzes, examination, homework or any other work.

b. The extent to which the use of study aids, memoranda, books, data, or other information is permissible to fulfill course requirements.

c. Guidelines on what constitutes plagiarism, including requirements for citing sources.

*Adapted from the George Mason University Honor Code.

 
2000-2001

Report Card Bill (Passed January 26, 2001)

The printing of report cards shall not contain information regarding the distribution of grades within the classes taken by the student.

Rationale

a. The current system promotes competition between students and fosters a climate of stress.

Students spend enough time and energy trying to figure out where they rank amongst their peers, and stress over the competitive aspects of school and grades enough. We have already abolished class rank; this proposal would be analogous to that with regards to individual classes. Many students have confused achievement with self-esteem. The grades should be taken as they are, as fitting in with the student handbook definition of grades, and not as comparison with other students.

b. The current system helps to create and perpetuate reputations of teachers. Teachers' grading patterns are revealed, which has resulted in the creation of reputations. While granting that these tendencies would eventually become general knowledge anyhow, this provides a sense of factual backing for those assumptions. As such, based on these reputations, students try to get in or out of certain courses based on the relative ease or lack thereof of obtaining a high grade. This creates problems for teachers, students and guidance counselors. Teachers may be doing excellent work in challenging, inspiring, and educating students, but those students who focus on the grade focus on the results rather than the means. Nor are these reputations necessarily correct.

c. The current system leads to incorrect analysis. Each class is a unique entity with its own personality. Regarding the many classes at certain levels, it must be noted that some classes are stronger as a whole than others. For example, a Level I class taught by one teacher may have many A and B grades and no C/D/F grades due to the caliber of students placed into it, while another Level 1 class taught by the same teacher has a high number of B and C grades, with few A or D or F grades. Assignments, tests, essay assignments and the like may all be the same, as is the grading criteria.

d. The current system creates tensions between teachers. Upon being appraised of the grade breakdowns, teachers who are statistically revealed as being "easy graders'" or "hard graders" find themselves at odds with the rest of the teachers in the subject. The simple fact is that there is no standardized grading system, and that each teacher has his or her own requirements and criteria and system for grading. Teachers who give too many high grades may feel pressure from peers to tighten up on their criteria, while those who give few high grades may feel pressure from peers (as well as parents) to be more generous. When one teacher is more stringent or lenient than the rest of the peers, resentment may ensue. (Teachers are people too.)

e. The current system is incompatible with what is written in the Student Handbook. From page 96 of the LHS Handbook 2000-2001:

"We believe that grades should serve several goals:
1. They should record and communicate achievement within an instructional level.
2. They should serve as an incentive for students to work and achieve to their level of ability.
3. They should differentiate among students on some clearly established and educationally meaningful basis."
Clearly the first two items do not lend support to the current system. However, the last one conceivably could be interpreted as doing so. But all that statement does is point out that there is in fact a system of defining what each grade actually means, and in fact the bottom of page 96 and the top of page 97 lay out what the letter grades, as well as "P" and "I", stand for.

Teachers are required to tell students of their grading policies. Teachers are not, however, required to tell students of how many people fit the varying differentiations.

2001-2002

 

2002-2003

1-02 Student Announcement Bill

 

Extended announcements of school related activities and events will be presented over the public address system by student announcers each week during home room periods.

Important and time-crucial announcements may still be read in the morning at the beginning of school. Prospective announcers shall audition before, and be chosen by, the Senate Communications Committee.

Rationale

1. Communications about upcoming school activities and events at Lexington High School have reached an all-time low.

2. Home room periods this year have generally proven to be wasted time for students and staff alike.

3. In the interest of brevity, current morning announcements often omit informing students and staff of important school related activities and events. In addition, the announcements still unfairly encroach upon first block classes.

4. Lexington High School ha s long and colorful tradition of student reading announcements over the PA system. (Future student announcers should be encouraged to add some levity and even humor to the announcements.)

2-02 Senate Resolution on Recent Senior Pranks

We, the Lexington High School Student-Faculty Senate, deplore the recent series of senior pranks that have been perpetrated upon the Lexington High School community and specifically upon the privacy of our principal, Dr. Van Seasholes. We understand that there has been a long tradition of senior practical jokes each spring before graduation, but we find this year's actions to be extremely mean spirited. We are particularly upset at those which were directed against Dr. Seasholes seemingly as a result of his taking the necessary disciplinary action to punish the perpetrators of the pranks at the high school. Although the actions of a few should not reflect upon the upstanding behavior of most students at LHS, we believe that the recent pranks cross a serious line and ultimately reflect badly upon the student body as a whole at Lexington High School. Therefore, this resolution is intended to publicly condemn the actions of those students involved.

3-02 Senate Resolution on Approved Bills

It shall be the responsibility of the Senate Communications Committee in conjunction with the Senate Executive Committee to inform all members of the Lexington High School community when a bill has been passed by the Senate and either approved or not disapproved by the Principal. It will likewise be the responsibility of these committees to inform the school community when a bill passed by the Senate has been reinstituted over a principal's disapproval. Full text of such passed bills (with or without the rationale) will be read over the announcements and posted on the bulletin board in the main hall within ten days of its passage. In addition, full text and rationale of each passed bill will be e-mailed via the school-wide server to all staff members within ten days of its passage. In addition, each constituency shall be informed as to exactly when said bill shall officially become school policy.

Rationale

1. Although the Senate Secretary posts Senate meeting minutes on the school e-mail system not all staff members or students read these.

2. The Senate cannot and should not rely solely on the administration to inform members of the school community when a passed bill has instituted or changed a school policy.

3. It will be much easier to enforce a policy change made by the Senate if everyone in the school community is informed of such changes in a timely fashion.

4. Some policy changes made by the Senate have never been fully enforced due to lack of information about those changes.

 

Letter to the Minuteman regarding the override

6/11/03

At our June 12, 2003 meeting, we, the Lexington High School Student-Faculty Senate, passed the following resolution in response to votersí recent rejection of the tax override.

LHS will be impacted directly by the vote against the override in many ways. Presently, one projected budget cut is the equivalent of three existing teaching positions. Some classes, especially in the foreign language and social studies departments, are already filled to capacity. Losing teachers on top of being unable to hire new ones to meet enrollment increases will greatly affect teachersí workloads and studentsí classroom experiences. Among other cutbacks, LHS will lose a dean, a secretary, and a custodian next year. The physical education and art departments are particularly susceptible to cutbacks, and are likely to lose faculty positions.

Needless to say, the general opinion of the Senate on the vote is negative. We recognize that a tax increase during hard economic times is less than appealing to most voters, but the high quality of its public schools makes Lexington the valued community that it is. The students among us are deeply appreciative of the programs, teachers, administrators, and faculty that make our experience at LHS a valuable one. We regret our townís decision to reduce its support for our school and its faculty.

Sincerely,

The LHS Student-Faculty Senate

 

Senate Resolution on Approved Bills

It shall be the responsibility of the Senate Communications Committee in conjunction with the Senate Executive Committee to inform all members of the Lexington High School community when a bill has been passed by the Senate and either approved or not disapproved by the Principal. It will likewise be the responsibility of these committees to inform the school community when a bill passed by the Senate has been reinstituted over a principal's disapproval. Full text of such passed bills (with or without the rationale) will be read over the announcements and posted on the bulletin board in the main hall within ten days of its passage. In addition, full text and rationale of each passed bill will be e-mailed via the school-wide server to all staff members within ten days of its passage. In addition, each constituency shall be informed as to exactly when said bill shall officially become school policy.

Rationale
1. Although the Senate Secretary posts Senate meeting minutes on the school e-mail system not all staff members or students read these.

2. The Senate cannot and should not rely solely on the administration to inform members of the school community when a passed bill has instituted or changed a school policy.

3. It will be much easier to enforce a policy change made by the Senate if everyone in the school community is informed of such changes in a timely fashion.

4. Some policy changes made by the Senate have never been fully enforced due to lack of information about those changes.

 

2003-2004

1-03 Committee Attendance Reporting Bill

Commencing with the next scheduled Senate meeting, each committee chair (or designee) will formally report the attendance at the previous committee meeting. These reports of committee attendance will be communicated to the Secretary and placed in the official minutes of the Senate.

Rationale: Attendance at committee meetings is important and necessary in order for the Senate to properly attend to its responsibilities. Official, public reporting of a SenatorÌs attendance at both Senate and committee meetings provides the electorate the opportunity to have this information. This approach to committee attendance is public, straightforward, easy to administer, and not punitive.

Submitted by P. Bonnet/J. Harper 10/22/03

2-03 Honor Code Reporting And Awareness Bill

Teachers, in consultation with their department heads, will report substantial breaches of the Lexington High School (LHS) Honor Code for which a student incurs academic or disciplinary consequences to the student's dean and counselor. Each incident will be recorded and held in strict confidence by the dean and counselor except when necessary to report to the Board of Appeals.

The accumulation of more than one breach will be interpreted as a pattern of intellectual dishonesty and will result in an automatic one day suspension. Students have the right to appeal this ruling via the Board of Appeals as per the LHS constitution. The Board will determine if the student's record constitutes a pattern of intellectual dishonesty, where a pattern is defined as multiple breaches of the LHS Honor Code. In making its determination the Board will require input from both the reporting teacher(s) and accused student. If the board finds that there is such a pattern, it must recommend disciplinary action. The board will weigh heavily the character of the breaches when deciding what disciplinary action(s) to recommend.

This bill places no limits on the current LHS Honor Code, which allows for individual breaches of the code to be met with the full range of disciplinary consequences, up to and including expulsion.

At the beginning of each school year, in homeroom, every student will be furnished with a printed copy of the LHS Honor code and this bill. Students will be provided adequate time in a supervised environment to read the code and the terms of the reporting bill and ask questions about them. Then each student will be required to sign a form which indicates that he or she has read the code and understands the terms of it and the potential penalties as well a his or her rights of appeal if accused of a violation. This form will not be construed as an acknowledgment by each student that he or she will abide by the code, though it is the school's hope that they will. It will only be a formal certification that they understand the code and the consequences of violating it.

Rationale

Anecdotal evidence suggests that clear breaches of the LHS Honor Code are not incurring official disciplinary action. Additionally, student breaches of the honor code appear to occur with an unsettling frequency.

This bill provides for the collection of quantifiable data on student behavior and allows students with a pattern of intellectual dishonesty to be identified and appropriate action to be taken. Currently, many infractions of thehonor code are handled informally, by providing a zero on the assignment, etc.. this now means that no record of the infraction be taken. Currently, many infractions of the honor code are handled informally, by providing a zero on the assignment, etc. This now means that no record of the infraction exists. Without such a record it is conceivable that one could incur multiple infractions across classes and grade levels.

Acts of intellectual dishonesty adversely affect the entirely of the Lexington community. Therefore, the consequences for such behavior should be appropriately stern.

Although LHS has had an honor code on record for a number of years which is printed in the Student handbook each year, few students really know of its existence, understand the terms of it or have had an opportunity to ask questions about it.

Passage of this bill may result in serious consequences for violating the honor code. Therefore, students should have clear understanding of what is in the code and should formally acknowledge that they have read it and understand what may occur if they violate it.

No honor code can be effective unless that organization which adopts it (in this case the LHS Student Faculty Senate) does everything in its power to inform its constituency of the code's existence and the potential consequences for violating it.

Using the Board of Appeals as the mediating agent in any dispute over a potential honor code violation will serve to give that agency some long overdue power and responsibility.

3-03 Bill Billboard Bill

Students and faculty may place posters for school or club related events and meetings on interior walls and on the end sections of lockers throughout the LHS campus. Such notices are to be hung with masking tape only. Posters must be approved and initialed by the activity's faculty advisor or a dean, who will ensure that only a reasonable number of posters will be hung. All posters must have a date of removal on them unless they refer to a specific event, and posterers are expected to remove posters immediately after the event or on the specified date. All possible efforts will be made to recycle the posters.

It is the Climate Committee's responsibility to designate and maintain an area (or areas) for posters not related to school activities. Posters may be placed in this area by students, faculty and staff, and need no faculty or dean's signature or removal date. It is expected that the community will show good judgment in selecting the quantity and size of posters placed in this area so that all messages can be accommodated.

Rationale:
This bill amends, expands and replaces the 4-89/8-90 Poster Bill.

Postering is an important right of free speech which benefits the LHS community. This bill is intended to preserve that right to the greatest extent possible. It is expected that posters may be provocative and even offensive to some, but that no personal attacks will be tolerated.
Passed 4/7/2004

4-03 Homeroom Announcements Bill

Announcements regarding student activities will be posted to the school's electronic communications system. The Communications Committee will appoint moderators to post announcements and designate a faculty member of the committee to be responsible for their content. It is the responsibility of homeroom teachers to ensure that announcements are read or heard by their students.

The Pledge, if read, will be read over the PA during the first minute of homeroom.

When necessary, the administration may still choose to make special announcements over the PA, although this is expected to be kept to a minimum.

Rationale:
This bill eliminates announcements over the PA, except for vital and timely announcements the administration may choose to make. This allows homerooms to operate autonomously. Teachers and students may structure the homeroom period in whatever way they choose, both to deliver announcements and to carry out all the other activities for which this time is provided.

This bill replaces the 2-98 Student Announcement Bill and any lost announcement bills passed during the recent Dark Ages

Passed April 14, 2004

A survey conducted after a four week trial period showed that a majority of students and faculty supported a written announcement system.

This bill replaces the 2-98 Student Announcement Bill and any lost announcement bills passed during the recent Dark Ages of Senate Record keeping.

2004-2005
1-04 FirstClass Acceptable Use Committee Formation Act: (Passed December 1, 2004 by voice vote.)

An act to create the FirstClass Acceptable Use Committee.

Lexington High School is in the process of creating school email accounts for the entire student body so that students and faculty can communicate and share conferences within the FirstClass email and conferencing system.

At the earliest possible date following passage of this bill and thereafter at the beginning of each school year the Senate Communications Committee will appoint a body referred to as the FirstClass Acceptable Use Committee. This committee will, at a minimum, consist of one dean, one member of the technology staff, two members of the faculty and three members of the student body. The purpose of this committee is to oversee student use of FirstClass.

Duties will include but are not restricted to:

1. Establishing a timetable and procedure for the initial granting of student accounts.

2. Establishing policies for creating and controlling student and student/faculty conferences.

3. Defining or refining the acceptable use policy.

4. Educating students and faculty on matters of acceptable use.

5. Hearing grievances and ruling on alleged abuses of acceptable use.

6. Referring students to the administration for disciplinary sanctions when appropriate.

7. Working with the administrator of FirstClass for the purpose regulating student access to FirstClass.

The committee's oversight will be restricted to student use of FirstClass and may not rule on acceptable use by the faculty.

Rationale:

• Mandatory formation of such a committee is specified in the grant that funds student access to FirstClass.

• The duties of the committee meet a critical concern of the FirstClass administrator.

2005-2006
2005-1 Voting Records Bill


Voting records of senators on bills and resolutions are to be placed in the official minutes of the senate, as well as made available from all years of the senators’ tenure at election time each year.  

The secretary will be responsible for keeping voting records while in this role, as well as passing on all voting records in his or her possession to the next year’s elected secretary so that the voting records (over the entire tenure) of a senator can be made available at election time.  

Records of votes to call the question, approve the agenda/minutes, and other such matters are not required to be kept.

Rationale:

1.    This bill seeks to focus the attention of voters on the issues at hand, and give voters an idea of the views of senators elected in previous years.  As very few non-senators attend senate meetings, it provides students information they otherwise would not have known, and helps ensure that the senators elected each year are representative of students’ views, and not elected solely based on popularity.

2.    Providing the text of senate bills, as well as records of how each senator voted on all bills during his or her tenure, may lead to increased non-senator participation in the senate, increased dialogue between the student body at large and the senators elected from each class, and heightened awareness of the existence and purpose of the senate.

3.    Records are only required to be kept of votes on resolutions and bills as these are the most important actions the senate takes, and are typically more controversial and have a greater affect on LHS than do the more minor votes mentioned in paragraph three of the bill.

4.    While this method of recording who votes for and against which bills and resolutions may increase slightly the time it takes to count the votes, it is worth doing in order to have a more informed student and faculty body and elections that are more issue-based.



2005-2 Resolution on Community Service

The Lexington High School Student-Faculty Senate hereby supports the recommendations of the April 5th, 2006, Community Service Committee Report, and asks the administration, with the cooperation of the faculty and students of LHS,  to implement these recommendations and work expeditiously to correct the faults in the current community service program.  The Oversight Committee should report to the Senate on the implementation of the Committee's recommendations by the end of September, 2006.

[Passed April 5, 2006]

2007 - 2008

2007-1 Poster Bill 
Passed on October 24, 2007 
Students and faculty may place posters for school or club related events and meetings on interior walls and on the end sections of lockers throughout the LHS campus. Such notices are to be hung with masking tape only. Posters may not be placed on glass, in stairwells, or on, or within five feet of, any egress door (all classroom exits, doors to halls, stairwells and the outside). Posters must be approved and initialed by the activity's faculty advisor or a dean, who will ensure that not more than fifty posters will be hung. All posters must have a date of removal on them unless they refer to a specific event, and posterers are expected to remove posters immediately after the event or on the specified date. All possible efforts will be made to recycle the posters. 
It is the Climate Committee's responsibility to identify and maintain an area or areas, approved by the Administration, including the current free postering area in Commons I, for posters not related to school activities. Posters may be placed in this area by students, faculty and staff, and need no faculty or dean's signature or removal date. It is expected that the community will show good judgment in selecting the quantity and size of posters placed in this area so that all messages can be accommodated. 
In addition, the Climate Committee will promote good poster behavior throughout the school and communicate when possible with violators of this bill. 

Rationale 
1. This bill modifies the 2004 Bill Billboard Bill in three ways. 
a. It specifies a maximum number of posters allowed in the halls and commons areas. There are twelve main halls in the school and two commons areas. Three or four posters per hall and in each of the commons areas are sufficient to guarantee that all students will see a poster often. Within this limit students may choose to spread their allotment of posters in a non-uniform manner. Generally fewer posters will be sufficient. 
b. It restricts placement of posters in conformance with fire code. 
c. It directs the Climate Committee take leadership in maintaining the provisions of this bill throughout the school, not just in the free postering areas. 
2. The 2004 Bill Billboard Bill was never inserted into the Student Handbook, although it was written by the Climate Committee in consultation with the principal and, in accordance with the Senate Constitution, approved by him as school policy. In spite of this oversight the current administration operates with the understanding that the Bill Billboard Bill is current school policy. 
3. The 2004 Bill Billboard Bill and this improved bill include certain student rights which the former policy does not, and these rights should be made manifest each year. We update here the rationale of the 2004 bill: "Postering is an important right of free speech which benefits the LHS community. This bill is intended to preserve that right to the greatest extent possible. It is expected that posters may be provocative and even offensive to some, but that no personal attacks or hate speech will be tolerated." 
2008 - 2009

2008-1 Transcript Bill 
On student transcripts the number of hours of community service completed will no longer be recorded. Instead transcripts will read "Community Service graduation requirement completed: yes/no" indicating whether the student has completed the required hours of community service. 

Rationale 
1. The community service requirement states a minimum number of hours of service. The school has no basis for evaluating whether more hours represent better or more socially useful service. Students should not be encouraged to add more and more hours to their transcripts simply because the transcript records these hours. 
2. Students who perform the minimal number of hours should not be made to look inferior to those who have performed more than the minimum hours, yet admission officers may draw this conclusion in comparing students from this high school. 
3. Students who feel that their service is extraordinary can tell this to admissions officers in their application process. 
2009 - 2010


2009-1 Popularity Police Bill 
Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, students may not simultaneously hold two elected positions. 
Rationale: 
When a student holds two elected positions one student body may suffer at the expense of another. 
[Passed: March, 2010]
2009-2 Smoking Corner Bill


A trash can and an ashtray will be placed and maintained at the Smoking Corner. 
Rationale: 
The Smoking Corner is currently unsightly, unsanitary and encourages students to litter. 
[Passed: March, 2010]
2009-3 New Senator Orientation Bill


The Executive Committee will hold a voluntary, informal orientation for all new senators on the Tuesday afternoon immediately preceding the first Senate meeting which newly elected Senators will attend. The Executive Committee will inform new senators of typical senate procedures, provide an overview of each senate committee, and answer questions. 
Rationale: 
Currently, new senators are given no instructive information before attending their first senate meeting. This lack of information causes new senators unnecessary confusion and unfamiliarity with the senate. 
If new senators are informed, prepared, and feel comfortable before attending their first senate meeting, they will be more likely to contribute their opinions. 
[Passed: May 5, 2010] 
2010 - 2011



2010-1 Arts and Humanities Fundraising Access Bill 
To allow for more access to fundraising opportunities, the Arts and Humanities Hallway will be available for after-school fundraising activities (i.e. bake sales, etc) as follows: 
I. Student organizations will comply with the fundraising policy in the Student/Parent handbook and the District Activities Manual: 
"All fund-raising activities...involving students, individual classes or school-connected organizations, for whatever purpose, must be discussed fully with a Dean and advisor of the organizations before they begin." 
II. All other student organizations may schedule no more than one after-school fundraiser per week and will submit requests for fundraiser spots at least one week in advance and no more than four weeks in advance. 
III.	To promote accessibility, student organizations that have scheduled fewer prior fundraisers that year will have priority. 

Rationale: 
As reported in the Social Action Committee's Fundraising Opportunity Report for 2009-2010, a small handful of clubs account for a majority of the fundraisers. Currently, it is difficult for some groups to schedule fundraisers mid-way through the school year due to certain groups scheduling fundraisers months in advance. 
This bill intends to formalize the process of scheduling fundraisers in the arts and humanities hallway. 
Article II promotes easier access for groups that want to start fundraising midway through the year. 
Article III will prevent excessive 'monopolizing" of fundraising spots. 
[Passed September 17, 2010] 

2010-2 Discussion Efficiency Resolution
Let it be resolved that when new bills and documents are to be presented before the Senate, they will:
-Be distributed in print to all Senators at the Senate meeting at least one week before they are intended to be discussed.
-Even after the bill is distributed, the author retains the right to amend the bill as necessary prior to formal discussion of the bill.
-Bill authors will be able to explain the bill and its rationale briefly during open comments on the date of distribution.
-Have the author's e-mail address (or some form of contact information) documented at the bottom of the bill draft.
-Be submitted to the Policy Committee for consideration the Monday of the week before the date of distribution of copies of the bill to the Senate.

Rationale:
-The current system of having bills and documents distributed to Senators through the FirstClass system has proven to be an ineffective means of allowing Senators to ponder topics before the actual Senate meeting.
-Having a week to consider a discussion item on one's own time or with committees before it is to be officially discussed in a Senate meeting is a vital part of the discussion process, as forethought allows for Senators to develop discussion points to make meetings more efficient and effective.
-The author's e-mail address on documents will allow Senators to contact each other outside of meetings.
-Lastly, the Policy Committee's primary function of bill review has been previously neglected, and should be practiced. Providing a copy of the bill the Monday two weeks before scheduled Senate discussion date will give the Policy Committee ample time to review and refine the bill.
[Passed October 20, 2010] 

2010-3 Notification of Tardiness Resolution
When a student is late to class, the teacher of the class will notify the student, on the same day, that they have been marked tardy.
[Passed November 3, 2010] 

2010-4 Teacher Computers Resolution
Resolved: The Student-Faculty Senate encourages teachers to allow students to use their computers during free blocks or study halls.

Rationale:
1. Opening up classroom computers would reduce traffic and occupancy in the library.
2. Teachers can have greater control over their students' use of free blocks/studies because they can choose to monitor them in their own classroom.
3. Students will have greater work efficiency with easier access to computers.
4. It should be made clear that there are no security risks associated with student use of computers. Grades, tests, etc. will remain on the teacher's account, and the student must use their own in order to access the computer.
[Passed November 17, 2010] 

2010-5 Cafeteria Advisory Board Bill
The Student-Faculty Senate hereby creates a Student Cafeteria Advisory Board. The board will consist of two students per grade. It is required to meet once a quarter with any additional meeting at the board's discretion. The committee will create its mission statement and will be required to report back to the Student-Faculty Senate annually. The head of the high school's food service will serve as advisor.

Rationale:
A cafeteria advisory committee is in the best interest of the food provider and the students. Because students are the customers of the food provider, the food provider can expect increased business as a result of increased student input. Students gain from having a greater voice of cafeteria matters, as the committee will facilitate improvements of the dining experience of students. Having the advisory committee as an elected body ensures that its spots will be filled and that its members will take their positions seriously.
[Passed January 5, 2011] 

2010-6 Snowstorm Resolution
The Student-Faculty Senate feels school was opened on Thursday, January 13 under conditions that were dangerous to students and staff. Town sidewalks and sidewalks on the campus of LHS were not yet cleared of deep snow and many students and staff were forced to walk in the streets to get to school.

The Senate respectfully requests the district administration to answer the following questions:

Is there a school policy regarding opening schools when campus and/or town sidewalks are not clear?

If so, has this policy been changed recently?

The Senate reiterates its concern for safety following snowstorms as expressed in its 1989 Snow Day Resolution, which reads as follows:

"In order to ensure the safety of students and staff, decisions regarding school cancellations should be made based on the latest weather information and forecasts, road conditions in neighboring towns, and the Department of Public Works' assurance of cleared roads, sidewalks, and school parking lots."
[Passed January 19, 2011] 

2010-7 Lunch Duration Bill
Lunch periods may not be shortened from their current lengths, either due to a special schedule such as an extended homeroom, or due to a permanent change in the master schedule.

Rationale:
Lunch is important to ensure the health and general well being of students and faculty. Students and faculty need adequate time to eat lunch.
[Passed January 26, 2011] 

2010-8 Ad-Hoc Cafeteria Advisory Committee
Senate hereby creates an ad hoc Cafeteria Advisory Committee to exist to the end of the 2010-2011 school year, after which time the elected committee will succeed it. Members will be chosen from Senate and the student body at large by the Climate Committee.
[Passed January 26, 2011] 

2010-9 Represenation Bill
After the election, every student Senator will be assigned 2-4 homerooms of the same graduation year (when possible including their own HR). They will be expected to make monthly visits to each of their assigned homerooms during their following term as Senator, where they will solicit ideas for bills and share what Senate is doing/has done.

Senators will be able to be excused from their own homeroom for this purpose 2-3 times per month.

Rationale:
Student Senators tend to be highly connected, motivated and capable. However, they represent their entire class, so they should be given the time and expectation to meet with a constituent group of classmates. This will also improve Senator name recognition, and awareness and efficacy of the Senate as a whole.
[Passed April 13, 2011] 

2010-10 Community Service Improvement Bill
The Senate requests that homeroom teachers and counselors, at least twice a year, discuss with each of their students his or her progress in meeting the school goal of ten hours of Community Service a year and in filing paperwork according to the deadlines stated below. Students should state specific plans for achieving their yearly goals. Community service should be celebrated in homerooms and students should be encouraged to help each other to complete their obligations.

Completed Community Service forms must be submitted to the Community Service Secretary within the quarter following the last date on which the service was performed. Hours completed in the summer must be submitted by the end of the first quarter.

Hours rejected solely due to late filing will be credited if the following occurs:
 1. The student appears at a meeting of the Board of Appeals no later than the quarter following the rejection of the service, with paperwork approved for the type and hours of service.
 2. The student, in discussion with the Board, reflects on the service performed and its meaning to the student.
 3. The Board votes to grant the credit, based on the satisfactory completion of 1. and 2.

In order to facilitate a transition to a consistently enforced school policy, all students have until the end of Quarter 1, 2011-2012 to submit to the Community Service secretary paperwork for service performed at any prior time during their high school career, and this service will not be rejected for lateness.

It is suggested that the Board of Appeals meet on the same day as Attendance appeals for the convenience of scheduling and announcements. The Board of Appeals will establish any procedures necessary to carry out this new task.

The Community Service secretary shall keep a record of student hours rejected for late filing and each student's homeroom teacher and guidance counselor shall be informed of these hours.

The Student Handbook should be updated to describe the relevant provisions of this bill.

The Senate will provide quarterly reminders through homeroom announcements to students to fulfill their Community Service and file their paperwork in a timely fashion.

The Senate will evaluate the success of this new policy in one year.

Rationale
1. The Senate commends the administration and counselors for working with upper class students in danger of failing to complete their community service, and commends the Community Service Secretary for posting periodic reminders of deadlines in homeroom announcements.

Nevertheless, this is insufficient support for students. The community service requirement and firm deadlines for filing forms are justified only if the faculty supports students in their efforts. This support must be ongoing so that students perform their service in a meaningful and reflective way and report their service in a timely fashion.

The Senate created the Community Service requirement and the faculty voted to continue it when it created the current school Mission Statement. The Senate cannot command the faculty to support students but it is the intent of this bill to suggest that it has a moral obligation to provide the same level of support that is given to students who have long term assignments in academic courses, namely with:
 A requirement for students to have a plan for achieving their goals.
 Periodic check-ins.
 Recognition of ongoing success.

This obligation falls naturally upon homeroom teachers and counselors and time for them to carry out their work should be provided by the administration, perhaps with extended homeroom periods.

2. From the recommendations of the Community Service Report of 2006:
"..., the committee believes the program cannot be successful without the voluntary commitment of faculty and students. Specifically, faculty and students must seek out students who are disengaged from this process, and encourage timely group participation in service to the community."

3. Senate Bill 4-88 specifies certain procedures for the Board of Appeals to follow which may need to be modified to hear Community Service appeals. The Board is hereby authorized to exercise its judgment in making these modifications.

4. The Social and Civic Expectations of the LHS Mission Statement.
Students at Lexington High School will . . .
learn to make appropriate and healthy choices that foster their personal well being, and will seek support when needed for academic, social, physical, mental, and emotional issues.
demonstrate self-awareness, tolerance, and respect while cultivating social skills that reflect self-assurance, kindness, and tact.
act with integrity and be accountable to themselves, to the school, and to the community at large.
participate in meaningful community service activities that expand their life experience and benefit others.
act as responsible citizens, recognizing the important stake they have in the school community while finding constructive opportunities to influence its direction.
[Passed May 4, 2011]
2011 - 2012



2011-1 Open Campus Bill 

There will be no community service requirement for a student to be eligible for open campus. 

Rationale: 
Community service has no connection to open campus.


2011-2 Class Council Community Service Bill 

All class councils at Lexington High School shall be required to sponsor at least one event over the course of each academic year organized specifically for the purpose of contributing to a community service effort and open to class members. The activity chosen by each class may be used to meet the community service graduation requirement. Class Councils must submit a plan to meet this requirement to the Senate Social Action Committee by February 1 of each year, and must complete the project by June 1 and submit a report to the Social Action Committee by that date. 

This bill replaces the 5-89 Class Service Project Bill. 

Rationale: 
The Senate currently feels that community service should by rewarded by community service credit. 
[Passed December 7, 2011]


2011-3 Substitute Teacher Testing Resolution 

Recognizing the constitutional restriction forbidding the Student/Faculty Senate from legislating how teachers organize their courses and evaluate their students, but observing the need for all students to have equal and fair opportunities for evaluation, 

The Student/Faculty Senate hereby resolves that faculty members should not give major exams or tests on days when they are absent and the class is being taught by a substitute teacher. 

Rationale: 
When teachers choose to postpone tests, they often begin teaching curriculum that will be included in the next assessment, aware that students need to continue working even if their evaluation is delayed. If a substitute teacher is present, the teacher could leave alternative work for the students, with the assumption that they will check the work upon their return and/or that the students will be responsible for that material on the next unit's assessment.
When substitute teachers are responsible for giving tests, they are often not aware of special testing accommodations given to individual students, and are less able to make decisions regarding a student's need to take the assessment on a different day or receive other accommodations (e.g. typing an essay instead of handwriting it).
Substitute teachers are unable to answer students' inquiries regarding confusing test questions covering material the student comprehends. Substitutes therefore cannot give the clarification that a teacher might provide, and so the student might not receive credit for material they understand.
Cheating is more likely to occur when a teacher is not present to supervise as a class takes a test. The presence of a teacher during administration of an assessment greatly discourages violations of the LHS Honor Code.
The Student/Faculty Senate's Junior-Senior Substitute Bill (10-94) allows for teachers to cancel classes composed solely of upperclassmen in the event of the teacher's absence, provided they feel students could use the time productively and the teacher leaves an assignment for the students. While teachers may sometimes feel it is not advantageous to cancel class, this option provides teachers with an additional alternative to giving a major assessment in a class taught by a substitute.

[Passed December 15, 2011]

2012-2013

2012-1  Homeroom Visit Bill

Following elections, every student Senator will be assigned 2-3 homerooms of the same graduation year, including their own homeroom.  After the Senate calls a homeroom visit Senators will be expected to visit each of their assigned homerooms over the course of the next three homeroom periods.

The following will be placed at the end of homeroom announcements beginning on the Thursday after the Senate calls a homeroom visit.  This announcement will run for the following three homeroom periods:

"Student Senators will be visiting homerooms for the next two weeks.  Expect a Senator from your graduation year to come into our homeroom to present Senate-related information and solicit feedback."

Calling a homeroom visit
A committee may call a homeroom visit when specific feedback or information is required from the general student population.  A homeroom visit may also be called to notify students after a bill or resolution has been passed or as need arises.

The committee that calls the visit must write a set of guidelines that will be distributed to all Senators before the visits begin.  These guidelines will structure discussion and ensure uniformity in information related by Senators and in type of student response.  Senators are encouraged to take notes based on these guidelines or otherwise record information received in their assigned homerooms.  Guidelines must be submitted to either the Policy or Executive committee for approval prior to distribution.

Discussion of homeroom visits
Homeroom visit discussion must be inserted into the agenda of the first Senate meeting after homeroom visits have been completed.  This discussion will be limited to fifteen minutes but may be extended upon a suspension of the rules.  One the discussion is completed, Senators are expected to submit any notes taken in their assigned homerooms to the chair of the committee that called the visit.

Rationale:
Student Senators represent their entire class, so they should be required to meet with a constituent group of classmates at certain times.  This will spread awareness of Senate's actions while providing the Senate with useful information about student opinions.

Having specific guidelines will make Senators more comfortable speaking to homerooms and will ensure that collected information is relevant to issues at hand. Taking notes makes it easier to present this information to the Senate.  Approval by the Policy or Executive Committee makes certain that the guidelines are sufficiently specific and pertinent.

Including time to discuss homeroom visits during Senate meeting allows information to be related and effectively used.  Limiting discussion prevents an excess of repetitive or irrelevant information.  Giving any notes to the correct committee chair ensure that all information recoded by Senators, whether or not it was discussed by the Senate as a whole, is received by those who requested it.

Announcements in homerooms alert students and teachers to the visits before hand.  This will reduce Senator disruption of homeroom periods and will encourage Senators to visit homerooms on the assigned dates.


2012-2 Extended Homeroom Bill

If an extended homeroom takes place on Tuesday, there will be an announcement in the homeroom meeting on the Thursday before the extended homeroom alerting students that an extended homeroom will take place.  If an extended homeroom takes place on Thursday, there will be an announcement in the homeroom meting on the Tuesday before the extended homeroom alerting students that an extended homeroom will take place.

Rationale:
1.  When an extended homeroom takes place during the day, the first couple of blocks lose time and only last fifty minutes instead of fifty-five.  Students who have first block free on an extended homeroom day have it shortened as well, but usually do not know that their free block ends five minutes earlier.  As a result, they arrive to their next scheduled class five minutes late (assuming they plan on coming to school after their free block ends).
2.  Even though extended homerooms are announced on the school website, only a few people regularly check the website.  An announcement in homeroom spreads the news more efficiently.

2012-3 Voter Registration Drive Bill

1.  Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, the Student Faculty Senate Social Action Committee shall undertake a voter registration drive lasting no less than five full school days and ending no later then September 30, occurs in years with a scheduled election in November, and shall ensure that the completed registration forms are delivered to the town clerk no later than the Massachusetts registration deadline, which falls twenty days before the Election Day in November.

2.  Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, the Student Faculty Senate Social Action Committee shall undertake a voter registration drive lasting no less than five full school days and starting between the second-to-last Monday in January and the first Monday in February.  Again, it shall ensure that the completed registration forms are delivered to the town clerk no later than the Massachusetts registration deadline, which falls twenty days before the Election Day in November.