Alvord Unified School District 
Alvord Continuation High School 
ENGLISH LEARNER ADVISORY COMMITTEE 
  
BYLAWS  
2020-21 

Article I. Name 
 
The Name of this committee shall be the Alvord Continuation High School English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC).     
 
Article II. Purpose 
 
The purpose of this organization shall be to advise the school administration and the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) in matters pertaining to the schools and their educational programs, to perform duties that have been or may be assigned to ELAC by the local School Site Council or District Board of Education and to make other recommendations that the school ELAC believes would be of benefit to the Alvord Unified School District. 
 
In accordance with state and federal guidelines, the school English Learner Advisory Committee will achieve its purpose by advising to: 
A. The School Site Council (SSC) regarding development of the Single School Plans for Student Achievement, related to identified needs of English Learners.
 
B. The Principal and staff on the school’s program and services for English Learners. 
            
C. Assist in the development of the school’s needs assessment, to foster ELAC members’ understanding of their legal roles and responsibilities, as ELAC participants, to increase achievement of English Learner students.  

D. Assist in the development of the school’s language census (R-30LC), to advise the school on any needs related to changing census demographics. 
            
E. Assist in the development of the school’s efforts to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance. 
            
F. Receive training and training materials, planned in full consultation with ELAC committee members, to assist all ELAC members in carrying out their legal responsibilities.  
 
Article III. Representation 
 
Section 1. Composition of Committee and Mode of Selection 
                                                       
                                                A. This Committee shall be composed of elected members chosen by eligible voting members of the school ELAC.  “Eligible” voting members means parents of English Learner (EL) students on file as previously elected members to ELAC.  School staff or community members may be elected as ELAC members, but are not permitted voting rights.  Only parents of EL students who are elected as ELAC members may vote.
                                               
                                               B. The majority of ELAC membership shall be composed of parents of English Learner (EL) students not employed by the District.  “Majority” means that the membership of parents of EL students shall be made up of at least the same percentage as that of the EL students enrolled in the school.  
  
C. Citizens who reside in the community are welcome to attend public meetings of the school English   Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC). 
 
D. The school administration shall appoint a certificated employee of the school to serve as an advisor to the school English Learner Advisory Committee. This certificated employee shall act as a non-voting member of this Committee.  The site advisor shall be appointed before October of the current school year. 
   
E. An elected school ELAC member representative shall be voted to serve as the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) representative to the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) by the end of September of the current school year.
 
F. The school site shall make every effort to elect/appoint a site DELAC representative that is a parent of an EL student.  DELAC representatives that are not parents of EL students may not have DELAC voting rights. 
 
 Section 2. Term of Office 
     
A  All ELAC members will be elected for a minimum one year term.     
 
B All ELAC officers will be elected a minimum of one year.  ELAC officers will be alternately elected so that half the elected officers will be newly elected officers and will serve with officers elected the previous year. 

Section 3. Voting Rights at Site/District English Learner Advisory Committee Meetings 
     
A. Each ELAC member shall be entitled to one vote on the site English Learner Advisory Committee.  
 
B. Site proxy voting by a non-elected member when the ELAC member cannot attend the site meeting, shall   not be permitted.   
 
C. School staff or community members may be elected as ELAC  members, but do not have voting rights.   

D. Proxy voting at the District DELAC meeting shall be permitted under the following conditions: The site DELAC alternate must have been previously chosen through school ELAC elections. Voting results must be approved in school ELAC minutes. The DELAC alternate may not be chosen through absentee ballots by site ELAC members. 
. 
Section 4. Termination of Site ELAC members or DELAC Representation 

A.  Elected ELAC members or the school DELAC representative may not participate in ELAC or DELAC if they cease to reside in the Alvord Unified School District area.    
 
B.   ELAC membership shall terminate when a site member misses five consecutive ELAC meetings without good cause. 
 
C.  A new DELAC site representative shall be voted or appointed to replace the terminated DELAC representative for the remainder of the school year. 
 
 Section 5. Alternates 

A.  A site DELAC representative may send an alternate to the DELAC meeting.  A DELAC alternate shall have proxy voting rights only as listed in Article III Section 3.  
 
Article IV. Officers and Their Duties 
 
The officers of the school English Learner Advisory Committee shall consist of any of the following:  President, Vice-President, a Secretary, and any other officers as the ELAC decides necessary.  Selected officers shall be elected by the ELAC on an annual basis for a two-year term and may be re-elected.  ELAC Officers will be alternately elected so that half the elected officers will be newly elected officers and will serve with officers elected the previous year.  ELAC Officers shall be elected from the eligible elected EL parent membership of ELAC.  Election of ELAC Officers will occur prior to October of the current school year. 
 
 Section 1. President 
   The President shall preside at all meetings and shall sign all letters,     reports, assurances and other communication of the school ELAC.  In addition, he/she shall perform all other duties related to the Office of ELAC President. 
 
 Section 2. Vice-President 
   The duties of the vice-president shall be to represent the president in assigned duties and to substitute in   the absence of the president.  He/she shall also perform all other duties assigned to him/her by the president or by the school English Learner Advisory Committee. 
 
  Section 3. Secretary 
   The secretary shall take minutes of the meetings and shall make them available at each subsequent    meeting.  In addition, the secretary shall perform the following duties:

   A. Monitor that all notices concerning meetings, etc., are sent out in accordance with the provision of   these Bylaws, by the school.
 
B. Monitor that the school maintains the group’s records, including attendance 

C. Monitor that the school maintains the membership list with addresses and telephone numbers of representatives. 

D. Perform other duties as prescribed by the ELAC President or the school English Learner Advisory Committee. 
 
 Section 5. Agenda/Decorum 
                      The ELAC will operate by consensus approval of agenda items.  When consensus cannot be reached or decorum is in question, refer to Robert’s Rules of Order. 
 
 Section 6. Vacancy 
A vacancy in any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification or otherwise shall be  filled by appointment of the ELAC chairperson and approved by the school voting ELAC members. 

Article V. Subcommittees 
  
The school English Learner Advisory Committee may establish and abolish subcommittees as it may desire on an ad hoc basis. 
 
 Section 1. Subcommittee Membership 
   The President shall appoint members to the various subcommittees. 

 
 
Article VI. Meetings of the school English Learner Advisory Committee 
 
 Section 1. Regular Meetings 
                      The school English Learner Advisory Committee will meet at least eight (8) times during the school year.  The Committee will designate dates of meetings for each school year by May 24th of the current school year.   
 
 Section 2. Special Meetings 
   Special meetings may be called by the President or by a majority vote of the school ELAC. 
 
 Section 3. Notice of Meetings 
Notice of meetings, including time, date and location, will be sent to each   school ELAC member prior to the date of such meetings.  All notices will be translated.  All meeting notices will be posted two days before the meeting in a public location.  
Section 4. Quorum 
   A quorum is not required to hold a vote during a meeting. 
   A majority of one (1) more than fifty percent (50%) of the elected site 
Representatives, in attendance, shall constitute a quorum.  A majority vote of the quorum shall be considered an affirmative approval of any decision brought before the school English Learner Advisory Committee.  The majority vote will be implemented in any case of tie votes. 
 
 Section 5. Meetings Open to School Staff and Other Parents 

                                     Meeting of the school English Learner Advisory Committee shall be open to the public. 

Section 6. Alvord High School’s ELAC will operate by Consensus Approval of agenda items, in the event that consensus cannot be reached or decorum is in question, then meetings will revert to “Robert’s Rules of Order”. 

 
Article VII Amendments 
  
These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the school elected (EL parent) ELAC members present at a meeting of the school English Learner Advisory Committee.  Amendments must conform with state and federal guidelines and must be presented to the ELAC members one month prior to voting.  Final approval of all Bylaws rests with the Alvord Unified School District Board of Education.