CONSTITUTION
North Carolina Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities
​
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (NC DADD).
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
Section 1: The principle purpose of the North Carolina Council for Exceptional
Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities shall be to work
collaboratively with others to enhance the quality of life of individuals, especially
children and youth, with autism, intellectual disability, and other developmental
disabilities. The Division seeks to further the knowledge base of the field, thus
ensuring the continued advancement of positive educational and life outcomes for
those with autism and developmental disabilities.
Section 2: This organization shall serve as a subdivision of the State Council and
unifying body of all North Carolina local chapters of the International Council for
Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CEC DADD)
Section 3: The North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and
Developmental Disabilities shall cooperate fully with the state and International
Council for Exceptional Children.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership in the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division
on Autism and Developmental Disabilities for Exceptional shall consist of professional
personnel and other persons in North Carolina interested in the education of students
and/or youth with autism and developmental disabilities. All members of the
International Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental
Disabilities (CEC DADD) in North Carolina are members of the North Carolina Council
for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (NC
DADD)
Section 2: Total North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism
and Developmental Disabilities (NC DADD) membership shall be at least 25 persons.
Section 3: With the exception of student and life-members, a regular member is a
person, who is concerned with the education of students and/or youth with autism and
developmental disabilities or in a field closely associated therewith, and who have paid
dues.
Section 4: A student member may be any student who is enrolled in a college or a
university at either the undergraduate or graduate levels and has paid dues. Any
salaried person engaged in full-time work is not eligible for student membership.
Section 5: All members shall be entitled to participate in all activities of the
organization.
ARTICLE IV – ORGANIZATION
Section 1: Six regional divisions are established in conjunction with the six regional
divisions determined by the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children.
Section 2: The North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and
Developmental Disabilities will work cooperatively with North Carolina Council for
Exceptional Children and its subdivisions to in accordance with the stated purpose of
the organization.
Section 3: The appointed and elected officers of the Council will utilize the email and
Google drive document storage associated with the NC DADD board position.
Officers are expected to use the email for professional communication, store key
documents in the google drive folder and share the current password with the
president to ensure the account will be in good standing and inherited by subsequent
NC DADD officers.
ARTICLE V – DUES
Section 1: The International Council shall determine annual dues for Council for
Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities Dues in
addition to the minimum annual dues that may be assessed at the option of the North
Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental
Disabilities.
Section 2: Student and retired members are exempt from any additional annual
assessment by the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism
and Developmental Disabilities.
ARTICLE VI – MEMBERSHIP, FISCAL & TERM OF OFFICE YEAR
Section 1: The membership year shall be the calendar year originating from the most
recent date that dues are validated.
Section 2: The fiscal year of this organization shall be from January 1st to December
31st .
Section 3: The administrative term-of-office shall be from January 1st to December
31st for a one year term.
Section 4: Annual reports of the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children
Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities shall be transmitted to the North
Carolina Council for Exceptional Children and the International Division on Autism and
Developmental Disabilities as appropriate.
ARTICLE VII - OFFICERS
Section 1: Elected officers of the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children
Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities shall consist of a President/Co-
President, President Elect, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary,
Treasurer. These positions require current CEC DADD membership and active
participation in numerous virtual board meetings and at least one face-to-face board
meeting throughout the year. Beginning in 2020, election of officers shall occur by
electronic mail ballot. Elected officials shall begin their terms at the end of the annual
conference and serve the duration of their term.
Section 2: Appointed officers of the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children
Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities shall consist of Parliamentarian,
Membership Chair, Student Representative, Communications/Publications Chair,
Professional Development Chair, and Regional Representatives. These officers shall be
nominated by a committee and appointed by the President. These positions require
current CEC DADD membership and active participation in virtual board meetings and
at least one face-to-face board meeting throughout the year. Appointed officers shall
serve for one year. They will begin their terms at the end of the annual conference and
serve until the end of the next annual conference.
Section 3: The President shall:
1. Serve as the chief executive officer of the subdivision with the powers and duties
usually belonging to such a position.
2. Give leadership to general policy making and carrying out the directives of the
membership.
3. Call and preside at the annual business meeting and all meetings of the Executive
Committee.
4. To recommend chairs of standing committees with the exception of the
nominations and elections committee.
5. To recommend to the Executive Committee the types of ad hoc committees and
other appointive bodies needed.
6. To prepare an annual report as required by the subdivision.
7. Plan, organize, and facilitate board meetings (at least four meetings) throughout
the year.
8. This position requires current CEC membership and active participation in
numerous virtual board meetings and at least one face-to-face board meeting
throughout the year. Candidates interested in serving in this position should
complete the board nomination and/or application form.
Section 4: The Immediate Past President shall:
1. Chair the standing committee on Nomination and the Committee on Awards.
2. Serve as an advisor to the Executive Committee.
3. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
numerous virtual board meetings and at least one face-to-face board meeting
throughout the year.
Section 5: The President Elect shall:
1. Serve in the place of and with the authority of the president in the case of the
absence or disability of the President.
2. Develop the program and plan other meetings according to policies and directives
of the Executive Committee.
3. The President Elect shall succeed to the office of the president as soon as a
vacancy occurs. If such a vacancy occurs prior to the term for which he or she was
elected/appointed, the president elect shall fill both the unexpired term to which he
or she succeeded and the term for which he or she was elected.
4. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
numerous virtual board meetings throughout the year.
Section 6: The Vice President shall:
1. Serve in the case of absence or disability of the President Elect, act in his/her place
and with his/her authority.
2. He/she shall serve and work cooperatively with and get to know and understand
the responsibilities of the President Elect as deemed appropriate by the President
Elect. Candidates interested in serving in this position should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
3. The Vice President shall succeed to the office of the President Elect as soon as a
vacancy occurs. If such a vacancy occurs prior to the term for which he or she was
elected/appointed, the Vice President shall fill both the unexpired term to which he
or she succeeded and the term for which he or she was elected.
4. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
numerous virtual board meetings throughout the year.
Section 7: The Secretary shall:
1. Be responsible for recording the minutes of the annual business meeting, for
correspondence of the Council, keeping miscellaneous records, and maintaining the
Secretary’s copy of the minutes.
2. Carry on correspondence as necessary for the operation of the subdivision.
3. Keep accurate lists of Executive Committee and committee members.
4. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
numerous virtual board meetings throughout the year. This is a one year, elected
term. Candidates interested in serving in this position should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
Section 8: The Treasurer shall:
1. Serve as the custodian of the funds of the subdivision.
2. Be responsible for transacting all financial business of the Council, and for
preparing an annual financial report.
3. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
numerous board throughout the year.
4. Desired skills: financial literacy, attention to detail, timeliness in completing tasks,
clear and accurate record keeping (reconciling bank statements, and managing cash
flow), preparing the annual budget, as well as regularly monitoring and comparing
the actual revenues and expenses incurred against such budget. This is a three year,
elected term. In year one, the treasurer will work cooperatively with the existing
treasurer to learn the responsibilities of the role. In year two, the treasurer will work
cooperatively with other members of the board to conduct financial transactions and
prepare the annual financial report. In year three, the treasurer will work cooperatively
with the treasurer-elect to prepare the new treasurer elect.
5. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
at least two board meetings throughout the year. This is a one year, appointed term.
Candidates interested in serving as the membership chair should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
Section 9: The Parliamentarian shall:
1. Familiarize themselves with the rules of order and the proper procedures for
meetings.
2. Assist the organization in the drafting and interpretation of bylaws and rules of
order, and the planning and conduct of meetings.
3. Ensure that the bylaws are legislatively compliant.
4. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
at least two board meetings throughout the year. This is a one year, appointed term.
Candidates interested in serving as the membership chair should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
Section 10: The Membership Chair shall:
1. Maintain communication with all members of the Council and maintain a roster of
the NC DADD members-at-large.
2. Work cooperatively with regional representatives, membership chairs in other
subdivisions and the state division to recruit, retain, and advocate for the
membership to the Executive Board.
3. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
at least two board meetings throughout the year. This is a one year, appointed term.
Candidates interested in serving as the membership chair should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
Section 11: The Communications/Publication Chair shall:
1. Support the board by addressing the board's strategic needs as determined by
the President and/or executive board.
2. Work cooperatively with other board members, CEC subdivisions etc. to promote
the mission of the NC DADD.
3. They may write news releases for the NC DADD website and share those with the
nc.cec.secretary@gmail.com, NC DADD/NC CEC social media, etc.
4. Nominees for these positions should have demonstrated knowledge and/or
experience with the Council and its various activities. This is a one year, appointed
term. Candidates interested in serving in this position should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
5. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
at least two board meetings throughout the year. This is a one year, appointed term.
Candidates interested in serving as the membership chair should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
Section 12: The Student Representative shall:
1. Work cooperatively with the NC CEC Student Coordinator faculty in higher
education to meet the needs of student members.
2. Work cooperatively with CEC regional representatives, NC DADD
officers and CEC officers other subdivisions to assess/address/advocate for the needs
of the student members.
3. Participate in various board meetings throughout the year. This is an appointed
position. Candidates interested in serving in this position should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
4. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
at least two board meetings throughout the year. NC DADD Regional representatives
work actively to support members and other stakeholders in special education within
their region.
Section 13: The Regional Representative(s) shall:
1. Work cooperatively with the NC DADD membership chair to support and serve
members in their respective region.
2. Work cooperatively with CEC regional representatives in other subdivisions to
assess/address/advocate for the needs of the members in their respective region.
3. Work cooperatively with other regional representatives and CEC members to
gather contact information of K-12 institution contacts in their region and share
information about NC DADD events or resources with your region and work with
other regional representatives to identify and address the needs of NC DADD
members in the region/state.
4. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
at least two board meetings throughout the year. NC DADD Regional
Representatives work actively to support members and other stakeholders in special
education within their region. This is a one year, appointed term. Candidates
interested in serving as the Regional Representatives should complete the board
nomination and/or application form.
Section 14: The Professional Development Chair shall:
1. Work cooperatively with NC DADD regional representatives, other council
members, NC CEC subdivisions and other interested parties to identify appropriate
educational needs to promote continued learning or information designed to
enhance the quality of life of individuals, especially children and youth, with autism,
intellectual disability, and other developmental disabilities.
2. The Professional Development(Resources) Chair should support/promote the
knowledge base of the field, thus ensuring the continued advancement of positive
educational and life outcomes for those with autism and developmental disabilities.
3. Work cooperatively with others to generate professional development resources
aligned with our mission statement. Share information about relevant professional
development opportunities/resources with the membership via our website,
newsletters and/or listserv messages.
4. This position requires current CEC DADD membership and active participation in
at least two board meetings throughout the year. This is a one year, appointed term.
Candidates interested in serving as the Regional Representatives should complete
the board nomination and/or application form.
Section 15: An officer who resigns his/her office shall submit a letter of resignation to
the NC DADD President at least two weeks in advance.
Section 16: Within sixty days of receipt of the letter of resignation, the NC DADD
President shall call a special meeting of the Executive Committee to consider filling
the vacancy.
Section 17: The Executive Committee, with a two-thirds majority vote of the members
present, provided there is a quorum, shall elect the new officer.
ARTICLE VIII – REMOVAL OF COUNCIL OFFICERS
Section 1: A petition for the removal of a Council officer shall be signed by at least five
members of the Council and submitted in writing to the President. If the President is
the subject of the petition, it shall be submitted to the President Elect.
Section 2: The President or President Elect shall, within seven days, notify each
Executive Committee member in writing of the receipt of such a petition, solicit
relevant evidence from all parties concerned, and call a special meeting of the
Executive Committee to consider the matter within thirty days following the receipt of
the petition.
Section 3: At the Executive Committee meeting, an opportunity shall be made
available to all interested parties to present any relevant evidence. A two-thirds
majority vote of the members present, provided there is a quorum, is necessary for the
removal of the officer. Removal from office is effective immediately.
Section 4: The officer being considered for removal shall be provided with the results
of the Executive action in writing within seven days.
Section 5: Upon receipt of written notification of removal, the officer concerned shall
have fifteen days to submit to the President or President Elect written notice of appeal.
Section 6: Within seven days following receipt of a valid written notice of appeal, the
President or President Elect shall call, in writing, for the appointment and meeting of
an Appeal Board. The Appeal Board shall consist of two representatives from each
local chapter, selected by the respective chapters’ membership, and shall meet within
thirty days following receipt of the notice of appeal. The President or President Elect
shall serve as the non-voting Chairman of the Appeal Board.
Section 7: At the meeting of the Appeal Board, an opportunity shall be made available
to all interested parties to present any relevant evidence. A two-thirds majority vote of
the members present is necessary to overturn the Executive Committee’s decision and
reinstate the removed officer. Reinstatement is effective immediately.
Section 8: The officer whose appeal has been considered shall be provided with the
results of the Appeal Board actions in writing within seven days.
ARTICLE IX – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1: The President, President Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary,
Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Membership Chair, and Student Representative shall
constitute the Executive Committee.
Section 2: The Executive Committee shall carry out the policies established by the
Board of Directors (Article XI).
Section 3: The President, as necessary to assure the efficient operation of the Council,
shall call Meetings of the Executive Committee.
Section 4: At least one member of the Executive committee shall be a teacher of
exceptional children.
Section 5: There shall be at least four meetings annually of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE X – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1: The Board of Directors shall be comprised of the Executive Committee, one
Director elected by the membership of each local chapter in North Carolina, one
director (President or designee) elected by the membership of each organization
Council of Exceptional Children Division in the state, one Member-at-Large, not a
member of a local chapter.
Section 2: The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Council.
Section 3: The term of office of each Director from a local chapter shall be for one year
unless re-elected, and there will be no limit to the number of terms a member may
serve.
Section 4: The Member-at-Large may succeed himself/herself for no more than two
successive years.
Section 5: A simple majority of the Board of Directors present shall constitute a
quorum to transact business.
Section 6: Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held on call of the President, or
at the request of three members of the Board of Directors, provided that there shall be
at least one meeting held per year.
ARTICLE XI – COMMITTEES
Section 1: Standing Committees shall be Nomination/Awards/Constitution,
Finance/Membership, Professional Development/Regional Representatives.
Section 2: All members of the board will actively serve on at least two committees.
Committees will meet at least twice yearly prior to board meetings. Committees will
generate reports to the Executive Committee prior to the board meetings.
Section 3: Other committees shall be established and their functions assigned at the
discretion of the President. Such establishment must clearly indicate the purpose and
length of service of the committee.
ARTICLE XII – MEETINGS
Section 1: The North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and
Developmental Disabilities shall hold at least four meetings per year to address both
professional and business concerns.
Section 2: The President, with the consent of the Executive Committee, may call
special meetings.
ARTICLE XIII – MEDIA
Section 1: The North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and
Developmental Disabilities shall create and maintain a website.
ARTICLE XIV – DISSOLUTION In the event of dissolution of the Association, the Executive Board shall, after payment of all liabilities of the Association, dispose of all assets of the Association by:
1. Forwarding them to the Headquarters of the International CEC DADD, a non-profit
corporation, with a request that they are retained in a non-interest bearing account
and made available to the Association should it ever be reorganized, or
2. Contributing them to the Foundation for Exceptional Children, a non- profit, tax
exempt public foundation which operates to advance the education of exceptional
children, or
3. Contributing them to a North Carolina non-profit organization or activity, the
purpose of which is to serve the needs of exceptional children.
4. Under no circumstances shall any of the property or assets of the Association during
the existence or upon the dissolution thereof be distributed to any officer, member,
employee, or subsidiary of this Association. This constitution of the North Carolina
Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
has been ratified (or amended) by the board of directors on 4/15/18; revised 2/26/20