By Laws

NEW JERSEY STATE SCHOOL NURSES ASSOCIATION

BYLAWS

Article I: Name and Affiliation

The name of the Association shall be the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA), herein after known as the Association or NJSSNA. The Association is unified with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).

New Jersey county school nurses associations whose memberships are comprised of professional registered nurses who are also school nurses shall be eligible to become a county affiliate of the Association upon approval of the executive board of NJSSNA.
All County Presidents and County Representatives to the Association shall be members of the Association during their tenure in those positions.

Article II: Objectives

The objectives of the Association shall be:

To operate as a non-profit professional school nursing association;
To promote professional collaboration with health and education stakeholders;
To promote evidence- based practice and high standards in professional school nursing and school health services through on-going professional learning, advocacy, and leadership; and,
To serve as a voice for school nursing at the local, state, and national levels.

Article III: Membership

Membership dues paid to NASN will apply to membership in both NASN and NJSSNA. Membership will be on a rolling basis to coincide with the NASN membership schedule. Annual dues will be set by NASN and approved by the NJSSNA Executive Board.

Section 1. Regular: All members in this classification shall possess a current license to practice as a registered professional nurse in the State of New Jersey and a New Jersey School Nurse certificate. Regular members shall have full privileges including voting, holding office and serving on committees. Annual dues shall be approved by the Executive Board.

Section 2. Associate: Any registered professional nurse licensed in the State of New Jersey who is not eligible for Regular Membership shall be eligible for Associate Membership provided he/she:

Is employed in a New Jersey public school as a non-certified nurse or a substitute school nurse; or
Is employed in a New Jersey private or parochial school as a school nurse; or
Holds a New Jersey provisional certificate as a school nurse.

Associate members shall enjoy the privileges of the Association and may serve on committees, but shall not vote nor hold office.

Section 3. Student: Nurses matriculated in a college or university program leading to a permanent New Jersey School Nurse Certificate who are not employed part- or full-time as school nurses shall be eligible for Student membership. Student members shall enjoy the privileges of the Association, but shall not vote, hold office, nor serve on committees.

Section 4. Retired: Regular members upon retirement shall be eligible for Retired membership. Retired members shall enjoy the privileges of the Association, may serve on committees, but shall not vote, nor hold office. However, a retired member may be appointed chairperson of a committee by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board. A retired member appointed chairperson of a committee shall be a member of the Executive Board but shall not have any voting privileges.

Section 5. Members-at-Large: Those persons who hold a special interest in or who are working with the Association and who do not fit into any other Association membership classification shall be eligible for membership, but may not vote, hold office, nor serve on any committees.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1. The officers of the Association shall be a President, President- Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. The President, President-Elect, and Treasurer shall be bonded at the expense of the Association.

Section 2. The President shall be the official representative of the Association, preside at all meetings and shall be ex-officio member of all committees. The President or designee (appointed by the Executive Board) shall attend the NASN Annual Conference and General Membership meeting representing the Association and assisting the NASN Director, as needed.

Section 3. The President-Elect shall, in the absence or disability of the President, perform the duties of the President. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the President-Elect who shall serve for the unexpired term of the President and the term of office as President to which he/she was elected. The President-Elect shall have signatory authority in the absence of either the President or Treasurer.

Section 4. The Secretary shall record and file the minutes and reports of all meetings and shall be the custodian of these records for his/her term of office. The Secretary shall be responsible for official correspondence of the Association, as assigned by the President.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds for the Association, receive dues and revenue, deposit funds in a bank approved by the Executive Board, sign all checks together with the President, submit an annual budget, pay all bills, file required tax documents and submit an annual report from the auditor.

Article V: Meetings
Section 1. Executive Board Meetings: Unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Board, regular meetings of the Executive Board shall be held monthly from September to June, inclusive. Special meetings of the board may be called by the President and shall be called upon the request of three members of the Executive Board. A quorum shall consist of two thirds (2/3) of the Executive Board members, at least two (2) of whom must be Association officers.

Section 2. General Meetings: General meetings of the Association shall be held twice a year one of which may be the Annual Meeting. The Executive Board shall determine the date and location of all meetings. Twenty-one (21) regular members of the Association shall constitute a quorum at general meetings.

Section 3. Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting will be held in May. Election of officers, budget approval, standing and special committee reports and all appropriate business shall be conducted at the annual meeting. Twenty-one (21) Regular members of the Association shall constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting.

Section 4. Special Meetings: The President, and/or with the written request of ten (10) regular members, shall call special meetings.

Section 5. Electronic Meetings: With the approval of the Executive Board, the Executive Board and standing and special committees may meet by telephone conference or other electronic communication media as long as a quorum is present and all members simultaneously hear each other and can participate during the meeting. A committee quorum is defined as a majority of committee members.

Article VI: Executive Board

Section 1. The governing body of the Association, known as the Executive Board, shall consist of the Officers including the President, President-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary; the Chairpersons of Standing Committees; the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Director; and the Immediate Past-President.

The Immediate Past President shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Board.
The NASN Director shall function as a liaison between NJSSNA and NASN and report to the Executive Board.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall transact all business of the Association between general meetings and shall perform other duties as specified in the Bylaws and job descriptions.

Section 3. Executive Board members are required to attend all Executive Board and general meetings. Absence without cause from three meetings in one business year (September through June) shall constitute a resignation. The President with the approval of the Executive Board shall fill such vacancies until the next election.

Section 4. The President shall appoint a Research Advisor who is responsible for pursuing and developing research opportunities that advance the objectives of the association. The research advisor shall have the right to be present at meetings and to be heard but shall not have voting privileges. The Research Advisor shall work with the chair of Standards and Practices to identify research priorities.

Article VII: Committees

Section 1. Standing committees shall be known as County Liaison, Education, Communications, Legislation, Marketing, Membership, and Standards and Practices. Each committee shall consist of a chairperson from the Regular or Retired membership category and committee member(s) from the Regular, Retired or Associate membership categories. Standing Committees will function as follows:

The County Liaison shall communicate with county president and representatives.
The Education Committee shall plan professional development opportunities to advance the practice of school nursing in New Jersey.
The Communications Committee shall promote the purpose and work of the association by utilizing a variety of media to disseminate information, including but not limited to the Association’s newsletter and website.
The Legislation Committee shall review proposed state and federal legislation and regulations that pertain to children’s health and the practice of school nursing, and assist the Executive Board to develop official positions.
The Marketing Committee shall promote the “brand” of the NJSSNA through merchandise sales, public relations and distribution of promotional brochures as developed by the association.
The Membership Committee shall work closely with NASN membership representative to maximize membership in NJSSNA.
The Standards and Practices Committee shall develop position papers and provide guidance to members regarding practice issues. The chair shall work closely with the research advisor to establish research and best practices priorities.

Section 2. Special Committees

Special Committees may be appointed, as needed, by the President and are approved by the Executive Board. Special committees are short-term, task oriented, and exist to address specific needs. They may be disbanded when their work is completed by a vote of the Executive Board.

Article VIII: Elections

Section 1. All officers and committee chairpersons are elected to office by a majority of the members voting. Newly elected and installed officers and chairpersons will assume their position responsibilities on the first day of June.

Section 2. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President prior to the November meeting. The Chair shall recruit a committee of a minimum of three (3) and maximum of five (5) persons representing a geographically diverse sampling of the voting membership. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates to the Executive Board at the February meeting and at the next General Meeting of the Association. The slate of nominated candidates shall be sent to the membership with the notice of the May meeting.

Section 3. The following persons shall be elected every odd year:

President
President- Elect
Four (4) committee chairpersons: Education, Communications, Marketing, and Membership

The following persons shall be elected every even year:

Secretary
Treasurer
Three (3) committee chairpersons: County Liaison, Legislation, and Standards and Practices.

Section 4. In the event of a vacancy in an office or the resignation of an officer or committee chairperson, the President, in consultation with the Executive Board, shall appoint a successor.

Section 5. Officers shall be elected for a term of two years. The President and President- Elect shall not succeed themselves. The Secretary may succeed herself/himself for one additional term. The Treasurer shall remain in office for no longer than three consecutive terms. All chairpersons shall be appointed by the President, with the approval of the Executive Board, for a term of two years and may succeed themselves for one additional term.

Section 6. The NASN Director shall be appointed by the President, with the approval of the Executive Board, every four years and must have served as a member of the Executive Board within the previous four years.

Article IX: Executive Director

An Executive Director shall be a member employed by the Association as recommended by the Executive Board. The Executive Director shall advise and assist the Executive Board and the Membership to execute the programs of the Association. The Executive Director shall have the right to be present and to be heard, but shall not have any voting privileges.

Article X: Professional Consultants

Section 1. Auditor: A professional auditor may be retained as designated by the Executive Board to audit the books of the Association.

The fiscal year of the Association shall be June 1^st to May 31^st.

Section 2. Accountant: A professional accountant shall be retained as designated by the Executive Board to prepare tax forms required by State law and perform an annual review of the Association’s financial records.

Section 3. Insurance Broker: An Insurance Broker shall be retained as designated by the Executive Board to secure insurance policies for the Association to cover general liability, directors and officers liabilities and bonding.

Section 4. Legal Issues: An attorney may be retained, as needed and as designated by the Executive Board, to review contracts and any other legal issues that may arise.

Article XI: Rules of Governance

The Parliamentarian shall be a regular member appointed annually by the President to serve at all meetings of the Executive Board and all General Membership meetings. The Parliamentarian shall act as a consultant and advise the President and other officers, committees and members on parliamentary procedures. The Parliamentarian shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Board.

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.

Article XII: Amendments

These Bylaws shall be amended at any General or Annual meeting of the Association by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast provided notice of the amendment had been submitted at a previous General or Annual meeting of said Association.

Article XIII: Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of NJSSNA, all assets less liabilities shall be donated to NASN or other appropriate nursing organization as determined by action of the Executive Board.

Revised: 6.20.03

Revised: 4.17.07

Revised: 5.19.10

Revised: 12.10.10

Revised: March 17, 2011 and approved by the Executive Board on March 19, 2011