Trillium+Constitution

= Trillium Charter School Constitution =

This Constitution was ratified by the Trillium All School Meeting on March 13th, 2008. The final vote count was 328 in favor and 18 opposed. This 3rd version of The Constitution was the result of a Constitutional Convention held between November 30th, 2007 and February 29th, 2008. This Constitution is the guiding document that establishes how decisions are made within our school as well as the rights and responsibilities of community members. The following Trillium members were selected as representatives for the Constitutional Convention by their advising groups. While all staff and students participated in discussions about the creation of this document, the members listed below met on a regular basis and contributed to the ironing out of all the small details. **__Staff Members__**: Billy Menz David Ayers Rob van Nood Holden Hindes Django Jacobsen-Fein Niko Danko Morgan Gritz Logan Watkins Dolly Alexander Eli Boudouris Terran Inman Isaac Drewes Deontay Lukes-Williams Alex Liljenquist Sasha Trujillo Chris Pearson-Nichols Sarah Rosenthal Marcus Breyne **Preamble ** **Preamble:** We, the people of Trillium Charter School, through the power of the Trillium Charter School Board, in order to create and promote a safe, peaceful, respectful, and democratic learning environment have created this Constitution. We hereby take responsibility for the governance and general welfare of the school, and promise to uphold the ideas and ideals of this document. **Articles**  Section 1. The All School Meeting has the power to address issues and make decisions that affect the school as a whole and are within the laws set forth by the state of Oregon, Portland Public School district and the articles and bylaws of the Trillium Charter School board. The decision making powers of the All School Meeting are set forth as follows: Section 2. Trillium students and staff can attend, speak, bring proposals or discussion topics, and vote at All School Meeting. All currently enrolled students and employed staff of Trillium Charter School are considered "voting members". Each student and staff has one vote. Any other Trillium community member may attend and speak. However, non-student or non-staff members can only bring a proposal or discussion topic with the sponsorship of a voting member at which time they can speak but not vote. Section 3. Voting procedures and All School Meeting rules, regulations and meeting times will be decided on by the All School Meeting. Records of meeting decisions shall be kept and made available to all Trillium Community Members. Section 4. All School Meeting shall have established positions and committees. Section 5. There shall be an annual All School Meeting in the first month of the school year to orient and establish consistency throughout the school. All staff and students must attend this meeting. This meeting shall take place during regular school hours.   Section 1. Age Group, Advising Group and Class Meetings shall be held to address issues and make decisions that affect individual Age Groups, Advising Groups and Classes and are within the rules of the school and the laws set forth by the state of Oregon and the Portland Public School district. The decision-making powers of the Age Group, Advising Group and Class Meetings are set forth as follows: Section 2. Advising Group and Age group voting members include students, staff and advisors of Advising or Age groups. Each member has one vote. Section 3. Voting procedures and Advising Group and Age Group rules, regulations and meeting times will be decided on by the Advising Group and Age Group meetings. Records of meeting decisions shall be kept and made available to all class and age group members.   Section 1. **The Director.** The Director of Trillium Charter School is hired and fired by the Trillium School Board. The Board has final control of the decision making power of the Director. The decision-making powers of the Director are set forth as follows:
 * __Student Members:__**
 * Article I: All School Meeting **
 * Article II. Age Group, Advising Group and Class Meetings **
 * Article III. Staff **
 * Article IV. Judicial Committee **
 * Article V. Ratification **
 * Article VI. Amending the Constitution **
 * Article VII. Bill of Rights and Responsibilities **
 * Article VIII. Mediation **
 * 1) The power to decide how the physical space of the school shall be used, both inside and out.
 * 2) The power to spend the All School Meeting budget which is determined by the school Director. This budget will come from the schools general budget.
 * 3) The power to create rules and regulations that help promote a safe, peaceful, respectful, and democratic learning environment that align with the Rights and Responsibilities.
 * 4) The power to create, and regulate, committees that help run the daily life and activities of the school.
 * 5) The power to make recommendations for the hiring and termination of staff. This includes full time staff, part time staff and substitutes for the substitute pool.
 * 6) The power to review and change decisions made by Advising Group and Age Group meetings which conflict with those made at All School Meeting or which negatively impact the school as a whole.
 * 7) The power to review and recommend changes to decisions made by the staff. (When such recommendations are made by the All School Meeting they need to be submitted to the staff meeting agenda in writing and the staff need to review and respond back to the All School Meeting in writing about these recommendations in writing within 15 school days.)
 * 8) The power to set rules and procedures for the Judicial Committee.
 * 9) The power to make recommendations for, and about, the educational program of the school. (When such recommendations are made by the All School Meeting they need to be submitted to the staff meeting agenda in writing and the staff need to review and respond back to the All School Meeting in writing about these recommendations within 15 school days.)
 * 1) The following positions need to be filled for an All School Meeting to proceed: Moderator, Note taker and Time Keeper. The roles and responsibilities regarding these positions will be set by the All School Meeting.
 * 2) The following committees shall be permanently created by the All School Meeting: Judicial Committee, All School Meeting Budget Committee, Hiring Committee, Building Maintenance Committee, and Social Activities Committee. Each committee will need to be chaired by a staff or student and have record keeping of members, agendas, and decisions made.
 * 1) The power to recommend, and collaborate with staff in deciding, how the physical space of the individual advising and class spaces shall be used.
 * 2) The power to create rules and regulations that help promote a safe, peaceful, respectful, and democratic learning environment within the individual age groups, advising groups and classes and don't affect the school as a whole. These rules and regulations cannot conflict or override All School Meetings decisions.
 * 3) The power to create, and regulate, committees that help run the daily life and activities of the individual age groups, advising groups and classes.
 * 4) The power to suggest and create classes. Student created classes require a student selected adult advisor from the permanent staff. The role of the selected advisor shall be determined by the student and the selected adult advisor.
 * 1) The power to establish the budget and regulate finances for the school with approval from the Board.
 * 2) The power to hire staff based on All School Meeting recommendations.
 * 3) The power to fire staff members.
 * 4) The power to establish clear guidelines when a Rights and Responsibility violation results in suspension and expulsion. These guidelines should fall within the laws and guidelines set forth by the state of Oregon and the Portland Public School district.
 * 5) The power to implement Portland Public School policies and requirements.
 * 6) The power to assure that Trillium policies and procedures comply with district, state and federal laws.
 * 7) The power to strike down decisions made by the All School Meeting, Age Group Meetings, Advising Group Meetings, Class Meetings, Staff Meetings, and All School meeting committees if they are deemed illegal or violate the school's charter or bi-laws. If this power is used a written explanation must be submitted to the All School Meeting or individual committees stating the reason within 5 school days.

Section 2. **Advisors, Teachers and additional staff.** The decision-making powers of Advisors, Teachers and additional staff are set forth as follows:   Section 1. A Judicial Committee shall be established to deal with conflicts that cannot be solved through mediation. This committee shall have the power to settle disputes and solve conflicts based on the rules and regulations established by the All School Meeting. Section 2. Each advising group shall have the opportunity to select one student to join the Judicial Committee. Each advising group shall determine how, and if, a member of their advising group is selected to sit on the Judicial Committee. The staff shall determine which staff member sits on the Judicial Committee. There will be no more than 17 Judicial Committee members present at any Judicial Committee hearing, and no less than 5. Section 3. The Judicial Committee shall have the power to review and strike down decisions made by the All School Meeting, Age Group Meetings, Advising Group Meetings, Class Meetings and Staff if they are deemed unconstitutional. In order to hear such a case, a petition of unconstitutionality must be presented by a member of the students or staff to the Judicial Committee. This petition must obtain signatures from 20 All School Meeting voting members. Two thirds of all elected Judicial Committee members must be present for a petition of "unconstitutionality" to be heard and ruled on. Section 4. The Judicial Committee shall have the power to recommend suspension, expulsion or other disciplinary action regarding serious and consistent violations or the Rights and Responsibilities. This recommendation is made to the Director and must be submitted within 24 hours of the decision. [|Click here for more about Judicial Committee]   The ratification of this document requires approval two thirds of All School Meeting voting members.   Section 1. The All School Meeting can propose amendments to this Constitution. To make changes to the Constitution two thirds of All School Meeting voting members must agree. Amending the constitution is defined as making any changes to the document. Section 2. The All School Meeting can convene a Constitutional Convention which will be made up of at least one member of each age group (no more than four) to amend the constitution. Representatives from each age group, and at least one staff member, shall be sent to the convention to make amendments. Section 3. Amendments must be submitted to each Advising Group for review. Any suggested changes by Advising Groups shall be reviewed and evaluated by the person or people (or convention representatives) making the proposed amendment. Any accepted changes shall then be resubmitted to the All School Meeting voting members to be voted on.     Section 1. The first step in dealing with a conflict is to attempt to solve the problem peacefully and non-violently on your own using the language of mediation. Section 2. A mediation process shall be established by the staff to deal with conflicts that cannot be solved on a one-on-one basis. Mediators can be any student, teacher, staff, parent, intern or volunteer who understands and can successfully use the mediation process to solve a conflict non-violently in a non-biased manner.
 * 1) The power to establish classroom rules and procedures.
 * 2) The power to establish and run the educational program(s) of the school. Any substantial changes to the educational policy must be approved by the All School Meeting.
 * 3) The power to set the schedule for classes and other staff led activities.
 * 4) The power to create, and run, classes and other staff led activities.
 * 5) The power to decide how the physical space of the individual advising and class spaces shall be used if no recommendations are made by the Age Group, Advising or Class Meetings.
 * 6) The power to impose off-campus limitations when violations of Rights and Responsibilities occur.
 * 7) The power to strike down an All School Meeting decision, or a decision by one of its committees, if it is deemed unsafe or overly disruptive. This power may only be used when passed by two thirds of the staff present at a staff meeting. Staff not present at a meeting may cast a "proxy" vote. If this power is used a written explanation must be submitted to the All School Meeting or individual committees stating the reason.
 * 8) The power to create and implement policies and forms within the structure of the school to support the school's operations (these include, but are not limited to: student pick up policy, accident reports, visitor policy, office work, lunches, cleaning schedules, admissions, emergency procedures, etc).
 * 9) The power to make judgment call decisions when there is a significant disruption to the learning environment or an unsafe or destructive action that violates another person's rights. Judgment call decisions are those decisions made to keep the learning environment safe and non-disruptive. In all cases staff should act in a reasonable way when making these decisions. Students must adhere to the judgment call. If any student feels uncomfortable with the judgment call, they should attempt an individual conversation or mediation. If mediation is unsuccessful they can bring their complaint to Judicial Committee.
 * 10) The power to call a "stop rule" both individually and upon request from a student or student(s). A "stop rule" is defined as an emergency meeting which calls for the immediate attention and action of Advising Groups, Age Groups, or All School. The individual staff calling the stop rule shall make the determination at which level this meeting shall be held. The "stop rule" requires all members, both staff and students, to attend.
 * 11) The power to make decisions relating to staff training and staff review.
 * 12) The power to hire emergency substitutes not listed in the substitute pool. Emergency substitutes shall be defined as substitutes who can fill a short term position when no substitutes are available from the substitute pool.
 * 1) All members have the right to pursue their curiosities, interests, and passions with the responsibility to demonstrate what they have learned.
 * 2) All members have the right to learn and teach in a way that works best for them with the responsibility to learn and teach in a way that is safe, non-disruptive and productive.
 * 3) All members have the right to have their body, space, beliefs, property and feelings respected with the responsibility to respect the body, space, beliefs, property and feelings of others.
 * 4) All members have the right to speak freely with the responsibility to speak without harming others.
 * 5) All members have the right to be listened to with the responsibility to listen to others.
 * 6) All members have the right to have a turn with community items with the responsibility to share community items with others.