The CFA Constitution
The Constitution
The Civics Field Academy Constitution: A proposed guiding document for a school without grades, without grade levels, and without walls... a school that should exist.
This is a constitution for a charter school concept in which students run the school, design the courses, and self assess. It is modeled after the US Constitution and is designed to empower students to become active citizens and learners by allowing them to be participants in their own education and follow their own passions. But how to do this? My friend Matt Gross and I have designed this Constitution as a framework for how students would manage this seemingly enormous task. As a note, there are no grades (first grade, second grade, etc.) and there is no grading (A, B+, 90%, etc.). Students design and take courses based on interest and skill level. Teachers facilitate this and keep records of knowledge, understandings, and skills on a heat map and/or portfolio that corresponds with local and state standards.
Keep an open mind about what could be... and enjoy!
Preamble
The Civics Field Academy (CFA) facilitates participants in a life-long journey to become competent and productive global citizens. To this end, we focus on analyzing and engaging our individual and community experiences for the purposes of reflection, understanding and action. The curriculum is the conversion of our experiences into academically measurable assessments as per the CFA Constitution. The CFA will use research based and data driven ideas to maximize the health, well being, and self actualization of each CFA Active and Inactive Member as well as the community at large.
Article I: General Assembly (GA)
Section 1: GA Members – The GA Members will include all staff and students of the respective institute who are in good standing, except those serving on the Executive Board (EB), and a limited number of parents or guardians. The EB may attend GA meetings and participate in debate, but may not vote.
Section 2: GA Role – The GA meetings will be scheduled and take place on a regular basis to address, among other things, the election of GA Officers and EB Representatives, the creation of a diverse pool of courses for upcoming study with corresponding schedule, as well as current issues of concern to the local and CFA community, including additions/changes to the CFA handbook and Constitution. The agenda will be set by GA Officers prior to GA meetings. (Note LI5, MI1)
(a) Elections of GA Officers and EB Representatives. No person may hold or run for more than one office at a time.
(i) GA Officers
GA Officers will be President, Staff Delegate, Secretary and 3 Student Delegates. Any continuing GA Member may be elected to the office of President or Secretary. Staff Delegates may only be staff members and Student Delegates may only be students.
Declaration of candidacy will be scheduled and take place with enough time for consideration prior to the elections assembly.
All campaign contributions must be made to the CFA campaign fund. All declared candidates have equal access to the campaign fund.
Declared candidates will be given an opportunity to make a statement before the GA prior to assembly vote.
Presidential Candidates win with a majority (fifty one percent) of votes and second place candidates become Secretary. If there is no majority, a runoff between the top three candidates will be decided with the candidate receiving the plurality becoming President. The second place candidate will be secretary.
Student Delegates will be the three Student Delegate candidates receiving the most votes
The staff delegate will be chosen by a plurality vote of the staff at the elections’ assembly. Staff EB Representatives may vote
Elections’ assembly will be held on final GA meeting of every academic period
GA Officers will serve only the subsequent academic period. (notes: LI7, MI2)
(ii) EB Representatives
There will be an equal ratio of Student EB Representatives to Staff EB Representatives. Any student or staff member may serve, provided they have completed a reasonable number of academic periods to know the culture/protocols of the CFA
Declaration of candidacy and other campaign processes will be handled as in elections for GA Officers (Article I, Section 2a.i)
EB Representatives will be the candidates receiving the most votes.
EB Representatives will serve only the subsequent academic period. (LI7, MI2)
(b) Course Work
(i) CFA members will individually or collectively create a pool of suggested topics for study through active and passive means during the academic period of the CFA.
(ii) During the first GA meeting of an academic period, GA members will select a course pool of the appropriate size based on the number of teachers and their assigned teaching load as well as considerations from the projected schedule plus some number for backup. Suggested topics will be selected to move to course creation committees through a plurality vote. Each GA member will vote for a number of courses equal to the pool size and the courses receiving the most votes will become the course pool for the subsequent academic period.
(iii) The approved course pool will be investigated by course creation committees and organized by scheduling committee during the upcoming academic period.
(iv) During the last GA meeting of an academic period, after course creation committees and the scheduling committee have posted their work, students will select their courses in order of seniority.
(c) Changes to the CFA Handbook and Constitution
(i) Three possible rounds of voting will be scheduled and take place. The first two will be separated by ample time for sponsors to rephrase bills not voted on in the first round. Bills passed with a majority are then sent to the EB for approval directly following the second round. GA may override an EB veto in the third round with a seventy percent majority directly following the EB session except in cases where the EB Chairperson and/or CFA Director deem the decision illegal, immoral, or unsafe for the CFA, its members, or the community at large.
(ii) First Legislative Round
Any CFA member may sponsor a bill before the GA by submitting the appropriate forms prior to a public deadline. Upon submission, sponsors are allocated speaking time before the GA, which will be followed by an open forum. Any CFA member may speak in the open forum until they relinquish the floor.
At the conclusion of the open forum, sponsor(s) may request a vote on the bill in question. If the sponsor does not request a vote, the bill moves to the second legislative round. This allows sponsor(s) to make adjustments to the bill based on feedback from the open forum.
(iii) Second Legislative Round
Sponsors with second round bills will be allocated time to address their changes.
Any CFA member may speak once in the second round open forum for thirty seconds.
The GA President will call for a vote on the bill in question.
(iv) Third Legislative Round only occurs if the bill in question passes with a majority vote in the GA but is vetoed by the EB. At this point, the bill requires a seventy percent majority to pass. Voting occurs after a statement from the EB is read aloud to the assembly
(v) Changes to the Constitution require both a seventy percent majority in the GA as well as a majority in the EB
Section 3: GA Officers Role – GA Officers will meet to create and publish the agenda for GA meetings, ballots, voting guides, course selection booklets, and other such GA documents. All published GA documents will be distributed with enough time for consideration preceding the GA meeting in which they will be addressed. All declarations of candidacy, bill proposals, and course topic suggestions are submitted to the GA Officers in time for publication. GA Officers will publicly count and announce results of GA decisions.
(a) President will act as a facilitator to both GA and GA Officer meetings. In the event that the GA Officers or the GA are evenly split regarding an issue in an GA Officers meeting, the President will break the tie.
(b) Secretary will take minutes for GA and GA Officer meetings. Secretary also stands in when the President is not present. (notes: LI teacher role)
(c) Staff and student delegates will share the responsibilities of the Secretary when the Secretary is acting as President and will decide among themselves who will fill those roles when both are absent.
Article II: Executive Board (EB)
Section 1: EB Representatives
(a) During the first GA meeting of an academic period, staff members will vote on Staff EB Representatives not to exceed six or be less than two. If the staff is divided equally, the staff delegate to the GA will break the tie. Declaration of candidacy and other campaign processes will be handled as in elections for GA Officers (Article I, Section 2a.i) with the additional requirements set out in (Article I, Section 2a.ii
(b) The same procedures listed in Article II, Section 01a will be utilized by students to select their Student EB Representatives and the number of Student EB Representatives will be equal to the number of Staff EB Representatives
(c) An additional staff member, with administrative licensing, will be elected to the EB by a majority vote of the GA and EB combined. This member will act as the EB Chairperson, potential CFA Board Chairperson and CFA Director, as well as the tie breaking vote on the EB.
Section 2: EB Role
(a) Implement the State Charter in alignment with the CFA Constitution, and in conjunction with the wishes of the GA as well as the other institutes as moderated through the CFA Board.
(b) Be allotted time in the GA agenda to meet after the second round legislation to vote on GA legislative motions
(c) Organize committees for the execution of GA resolutions
(d) Pass temporary executive orders regarding day to day running of the CFA and administration
(e) Select delegates to the CFA Board, the majority of which must be comprised of Active CFA members.
Article III: Committees
Section 1: Committee Members – Committees of students and staff will be formed by the EB.
Section 2: Committee Roles
(a) Research and enact the charter and GA resolutions that have been approved by the EB.
(b) Meet regularly in designated time slots according to the weekly schedule and produce reports of the appropriate format.
(c) Construct courses, in particular, follow a pre-designed format that ensures curriculum coverage and appropriate skill development.
(d) Reports to the EB for review and approval
Article IV: Tools – In order to develop a sense of community and individual strength among members of the CFA, the CFA will also require the following at each Institute level.
Section 1: A minimum of two community field trips per year
Section 2: A community service requirement in the weekly schedule
Section 3: A daily physical and mental exercise requirement in the weekly schedule
Section 4: A Handbook to help guide CFA Members
Article V: CFA Board will exist only in the case of a CFA that has more than one Institute.
Section 1: CFA Board Members – CFA Board Members will be comprised of one staff and one student delegate from each of the GA’s in the institutes selected at random.
Section 2: In addition to the CFA Board Members, there will be one licensed administrator who must also be an EB Chairperson from one of the institutes to act as a CFA Director. The CFA Director is a tie breaking vote on the CFA Board and is selected by plurality by the CFA Board Members or at random if there is a tie vote.
Section 2: CFA Board Role – The responsibilities of the CFA Board will be to oversee the day to day running of the office and to facilitate communication between the CFA's institutes. If a vote is required to resolve an issue between institutes, the Board Members will cast one vote together as directed by the majority of their respective EB.
(a) CFA Board Members are simply delegates of the various EB’s and have no voting power beyond the vote authorized by their respective EB but may take temporary executive action when necessary to preserve the safety and well being of the CFA.
Note: Articles I-III describe the framework for independent governance of the Upper Institute, corresponding to grades 9-12. Notes have been added to make adjustments for the independent governance of the Lower and Middle Institutes. Lower Institute (LI) corresponds (roughly) to grades pre-K – 4. Middle Institute (MI) corresponds (roughly) to grades 5-8.
This Civics Field Academy Constitution is designed to empower young people in their own education, their communities, and their lives. However, the CFA is obligated to follow all laws, educational and otherwise. The CFA is obligated to respect the legal rights of students, teachers, and community members. This Constitution is authorized to empower students as much as is possible without breaking the law or infringing on the rights of others.
Lower Institute Notes
Phase 1:
AM course selection
PM wrap up
Logic: students learn to plan their day – selecting activities to fill their schedule
Phase 2:
Intermittent exposure until student is comfortable with forward planning
PM wrap up followed by PM course selection
Students graduate to planning their day a day in advance
Logic: exposing students to a longer wait time for their desires and goals by selecting activities to fill their schedule the day before they will occur
Phase 3:
PM wrap up and followed by PM course selection
Students may select and plan for projects up to 3 days long
Logic: graduating to a longer term planning and introducing self assessment
Phase 4:
Monday AM weekly plan
Daily PM wrap up
Friday full week wrap up
Logic: exposure to longer term planning and self assessment
Phase 5:
GA meetings every week or two with Staff Officers
Logic: exposure to moderated discourse and formalized group decision making
Phase 6:
GA meetings every week or two with Student Officers
Student Officers may serve a particular role once so that others may run and serve as well
Logic: exposure to leadership rights and responsibilities
All references to phase are not based on age but rather ability and desire of the student to take a step forward. After having achieved Phase 6, a student will graduate to the Middle Institute (MI)
Middle Institute Notes
Three or Four Phases similar to the Lower Institute and meant, as a whole, to bridge the gap between Lower and Upper Institutes while providing a safe place for a certain time in the development of the child.
GA meetings just as they are run in the UI but with greater frequency, on the order of 1-3 meetings per month and gradually reducing to typical UI protocol by the end of the MI.
First exposure to the EB.
EB Representatives and GA Officers serve terms that will bridge the duration that the students serve in the LI to those that are served in the UI. This means that students' service time and responsibilities to these roles will increase over their time in the MI until they match those of the UI, at which point and with sufficient MI credits, the student graduates to the UI.
Course length, difficulty, depth, and breadth are determined on a case by case basis but should generally tend to bridge the gap in knowledge, concepts, skills, duration, and other facets between the LI and UI.
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