Constitution

Constitution and Organizational By-Laws

Approved November 2, 2024

Article I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Kentucky Association of Physics Teachers.

Article II: OBJECTIVES

1. Purposes This organization shall endeavor to advance the knowledge of physics; to improve the teaching of physics; to interest an increasing number of young people to make a career of physics; and to further the appreciation of physics in our culture.
2. Limitations Notwithstanding any other provision of these By-Laws, this organization shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on 
• by an association exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law (the “Code”), or 
• by any association contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c)(2) of the Code.
3. Nondiscrimination The Kentucky Association of Physics Teachers shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Article III: MEMBERSHIP

1. Members Any person with a vested interest in the teaching of physics and/or related subjects in the Commonwealth of Kentucky is eligible for regular membership. The KAPT recognizes three major institutional groupings -- secondary schools, two-year colleges, and four-year colleges and universities.
2. Dues The dues of the Section shall be determined by the Executive Board, payable at any time. Benefits for payment of dues are outlined in Article VI below.  Dues are waived for students.

Article IV: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Executive Committee shall consist of the current elected officers and the two most recent past-presidents. Any KAPT member may attend Executive Committee meetings, but such a member shall have no vote.

Article V: ELECTED OFFICERS

1. The membership shall elect officers to run the organization’s business. These shall consist of a president, a secretary-treasurer, a webmaster, and a Section Representative to the American Association of Physics Teachers. As the membership sees fit, there may also be one or more vice-presidents to better represent high schools, two-year colleges, research universities, and/or four-year colleges. Office-holding power and the ability to nominate candidates for election to any officer position shall be vested in regular members in good standing.
• Candidates for all offices will be determined by the following method:
• An announcement of offices to be elected will be emailed to all members at least one month prior to the annual fall meeting. Nominations will be accepted by the executive committee until two weeks prior to the meeting. The executive committee will contact each person nominated to ensure that they are willing to serve if elected.
•  In the event that no nominations are received for an office, the executive committee will nominate a candidate
•  Once nominations are closed, election of officers will be conducted by electronic vote as directed by the executive committee
• In the event that an officer cannot fulfill his or her full term, the executive committee shall appoint a member in good standing to serve the remainder of the term.
2. The term of office for all elected officers shall be two years. During the fall meeting for odd years, a president and vice-president(s), and webmaster shall be elected. During the fall meeting for even years, a secretary-treasurer and Section Representative shall be elected. Special elections may be arranged by the Executive Committee.
3. Description of Officer Positions
•  President: Responsibilities include: construct an agenda for and supervise the executive board meetings at the fall and spring meetings; organize and oversee the fall and spring meetings with duties as appropriate to meet the needs of the meeting; coordinate with the Kentucky Academy of Science to run the joint KAS/KAPT annual fall meeting  (e.g., contacting sectional members to encourage them to submit abstracts, selecting judges for the oral and poster presentations, and overseeing elections for new officers); choose the site and date for the spring meeting; keep the “how-to-run a meeting book”; solicit candidates for elected offices; compile and print abstracts for the oral presentations to be distributed during the meeting and work on long-term section issues. The President should attend both fall and spring section meetings, as well as the American Association of Physics Teachers national winter and summer meetings.  
• Secretary/Treasurer: Responsibilities include: keep an up-to-date list of postal and email addresses for all paid members; welcome and orient new members; track lapsed and prospective members; provide up-to-date email address (or mailing list if necessary) to the president for the purpose of meeting notification; deposit all membership dues and other sources of section income (e.g., proceeds from a meeting); keep track of and write checks for section expenses and report the financial status of the section at the two yearly executive board meetings (fall and spring). It is incumbent upon the secretary/treasurer to take notes at the executive board meetings; to produce a draft of the minutes of the meetings and distribute that draft to all board members for factual revision and editing; distribute the final version of the minutes to all members once revisions and edits are complete; and keep a running history of the section.  The Secretary/treasurer should attend fall and spring meetings.
• Section Representative: The Section Representative serves as the official liaison between the KAPT and the American Association of Physics Teachers. Responsibilities include: attend the AAPT annual winter and summer meetings and actively participate in the AAPT Council meeting and the Section Representative meeting and Section Officers’ exchange. When unable to attend an Annual Meeting, a substitute should be found. Partial funding for travel and lodging is available only for the attendance at the AAPT winter meeting. The Section Representative should also attend the KAPT meetings to present a concise report of AAPT issues to the Executive Board. The Section Representative is also required to submit to the AAPT Announcer a summary of the activities of the section, including reports of the fall and spring meetings.
• Vice President(s): Responsibilities include: assist the President in planning, organizing and running the fall and spring meetings; be the advocate for the membership bloc associated with that office. The Vice President(s) should attend fall and spring meetings.
• Webmaster: Responsibilities include: maintain/create content of the website, update the website in a timely fashion, ensure the website is aesthetic, functional, and user-friendly, troubleshoot issues with the website, promote KAPT on social media sites, monitor and moderate interactions through discussion boards or comments and posts on website and social media platforms, procure a domain name and hosting site, make sure hosting and domain name charges are paid on time (work with the Treasurer), manage the email accounts that go with the site, if any, as well as any mailing list associated with it (work with the Secretary).

Article VI DUES

The dues of the Section shall be determined by the Executive Board, payable at any time. Payment of dues entitles a member to attend/participate in the regular spring meeting and vote on KAPT business. Participation in the fall meeting is contingent on registration and attendance of the KAS/KAPT joint conference, as long as that remains in place.  Dues are waived for students.

Article VII MEETINGS

Two regular meetings shall be held each year.  An annual fall meeting shall be held each year at the time and place of the annual meeting of the Kentucky Academy of Science or at such other time and place as the Executive Committee may decide, and the other in the spring, at a time and place which are designated by the Executive Committee. Special meetings may also be arranged by the Executive Committee. Members in good standing shall be notified of meetings by the secretary-treasurer.

Article VIII AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this constitution must be approved by two-thirds of those voting in a ballot of the membership conducted by the Executive Committee.

Article IX PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

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.