WACHUSETT REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL BY-LAWS
Table of Contents
Article I: Name of Organization 1
Article III: Mission Statement 1
Article IV: Purpose and Duties 1
Article V: Terms of Membership 2
Article VII: Officers of the SEPAC 3
Article IX: Removal of any SEPAC Member 5
The name of this organization shall be the Wachusett Regional School District Special Education Parent Advisory Council, also known as WRSD SEPAC (hereinafter referred to as “SEPAC”).
The SEPAC receives its statutory authority from Chapter 71B, Section 3 of the Massachusetts General Laws. General Law - Part I, Title XII, Chapter 71B, Section 3 (malegislature.gov)
This authority is also codified in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR), 603 CMR 28.07(4). 603 CMR 28.00: Special Education - Education Laws and Regulations (mass.edu)
Article III: Mission Statement
The mission of the SEPAC is to promote understanding, respect, and support for children with disabilities by advising the School Committee on matters related to the education, health, and safety of these students.
The purpose and duties of SEPAC shall be to:
Promote a support network of parents/guardians of children with disabilities and provide the forum to share information.
Provide an effective link between parents/guardians and school administration regarding issues around special education.
Improve communication among parents/guardians, staff, administrators, and the School Committee on special education issues.
Serve as a resource and support network for parents/guardians of children disabilities regarding procedures, educational, and non-educational issues.
Advise District Administration and the School Committee on issues related to the education and safety of students with disabilities and participate regularly in the planning, development, and evaluation of the district’s special education programs.
Promote and support an innovative educational environment where children with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities, and a school and community environment where all children are encouraged to reach their full potential.
Provide direct input to the local school district about policies, programs, practices and services that have an impact on students with disabilities, and their families.
Meeting regularly with school officials.
Participating in the planning, development, and evaluation of the school district’s special education programs; and
Assist the district in coordinating the presentation of at least one annual rights workshop.
The SEPAC strives to cultivate a membership that reflects the linguistic, religious, racial, cultural and socio-economic diversity of the district and intends to include members from the preschool, each elementary school, the middle school, high school (inclusive of alternative and transition programs) and out-of-district placements.
Section One: General membership
General membership shall be open to any interested person.
Section Two: Voting membership
Voting membership shall be limited to any general member who is a parent or guardian of a student with a disability receiving services or attending school in Wachusett Regional School District.
Voting members can vote in the election of SEPAC officers or any other business requiring a vote of the membership.
Section One: The Officers of the SEPAC shall be comprised of a Chairperson, two Vice Chairperson(s), Secretary, and Treasurer. All Officers of the SEPAC shall be voting members. Officers of the SEPAC are elected according to the election procedures detailed in Article VIII- Elections.
Section Two: Officers may delegate any of their responsibilities to other Voting Members as needed.
Chairperson responsibilities shall include:
Setting the agenda for each general meeting in consultation with other Officers of the SEPAC.
Presiding over all meetings of the SEPAC.
Recommending the creation of subcommittees and monitoring their activities.
Directing discussions to the business at hand, limiting discussion to relevant issues, and restricting arguments which are unnecessarily repetitive to ensure the orderly and timely conduct of business at meetings. The Chairperson may limit discussion on any topics or agenda items.
Vice Chairperson(s) responsibilities shall include:
Preside at meetings in the absence of the Chairperson, or at the request of the Chairperson.
Chairperson and Vice Chairperson(s) responsibilities shall include:
Acting as liaison between parents of students with disabilities and district administration and the school committee.
Representing and speaking on behalf of the SEPAC at school committee meetings.
Advising District Administration and the WRSD School Committee on matters pertaining to the education, health, and safety of students with disabilities.
Meeting regularly with district administration and the School Committee to participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the district’s special education programs.
Transition knowledge and expertise to the next Chairperson/Vice Chairperson upon end of term.
Promote communication between SEPAC members, local, State and National organizations, councils, and groups.
Secretary responsibilities shall include:
Attend SEPAC meetings, take minutes, and keep a record of minutes.
Share copies of SEPAC meeting minutes upon request.
Draft any communication upon request by the Chair.
Coordinate the dissemination of all communication.
Maintain a list of members interested in receiving SEPAC communication.
Collect and maintain all correspondence of the SEPAC.
Count and record all vote results.
Maintain the organization’s records, including a current membership list.
Treasurer responsibilities shall include:
Managing and accounting for funds collected, donated, and spent for SEPAC.
Preparing and presenting a financial report at SEPAC meetings upon request.
Coordinating efforts to apply for grants, donations, reimbursements, fundraising, or any other funds for which the SEPAC may be eligible. However, specific activities can be done by any SEPAC member as approved by the Officer of SEPAC.
Arrange disbursements as authorized by the Officers of SEPAC. More than $100 must be approved by majority vote of Officers and more than $500 must be approved by majority vote of general membership.
Section Three: Voluntary positions shall also support the SEPAC and are appointed as needed throughout the year. Voluntary positions are not elected but rather appointed by the Officers of the SEPAC. Voluntary positions may include but are not limited to Director of Parent Education, Director of Membership Outreach, Director of Fundraising and Family Activities, Director of Social Media, and School Liaison.
Director of Parent Education responsibilities shall include:
Identifying topics of interest to the SEPAC membership and securing educational resources (workshops, printed materials, etc.) to promote education.
Recruiting and coordinating subcommittees and/or volunteers as appropriate.
Coordinate parent information sessions with administration.
Host or designate a host for each session.
Work with Administration and Communications Coordinator to advertise these sessions.
Reach out for feedback from members about what topics are of interest.
Director of Membership Outreach responsibilities shall include:
Identifying and executing avenues to connect with SEPAC members and to support a network of members.
Recruiting and coordinating subcommittees and/or volunteers as appropriate.
Coordinating public communications (if needed), not including those communications that are the responsibility of the Secretary.
Director of Fundraising and Family Activities responsibilities shall include:
Identifying fundraising events and opportunities of interest and benefit to SEPAC membership.
Identifying educational or recreational activities of interest to SEPAC membership and their families.
Plan and coordinate community activities.
Liaison with community partners and school district personnel to plan and facilitate activities for SEPAC families
Identify opportunities for SEPAC to join town planned events to increase visibility.
Recruiting and coordinating subcommittees and/or volunteers as appropriate.
Director of Social Media responsibilities shall include:
Working closely with the officers to determine what will make the website informative and engaging and work to implement this vision.
Creating, curating and managing social media content, including text, audio, visual and multimedia formats.
Maintaining the SEPAC web page, FaceBook page, etc. Social media webpages should be updated on a quarterly basis, at minimum (more frequent updates are strongly encouraged).
School Liaison responsibilities shall include:
Fostering connections among parents to improve family engagement and learning opportunities.
Helping families navigate the special education system.
Sharing information about special education with the school community.
Connecting families and schools; Acting as a neutral advisor to families, community members, and other stakeholders.
Organizing community activities and informal meetups throughout the district to build a stronger, more connected community.
The Officers of the SEPAC are elected by the voting membership and hold office until the next election. Elections shall occur annually at the last business meeting in May with new officers taking office on July 1st. All members are eligible to make nominations.
Elections shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the voting membership present at the meeting. New officers shall take office immediately following their election.
Any officer may resign by delivering a written notice of resignation by mail, in person, or by email to the Chair of the SEPAC or current remaining SEPAC officer or to the School Committee Chair. Resignation shall be effective immediately upon such delivery unless the resignation is slated to be effective at another time.
If any office becomes vacant, an election for that office shall be held by special meeting or at the next monthly meeting provided notice is posted, with term to expire July 1 or the next scheduled election, whichever comes first.
The SEPAC will inform the school district of the outcome of the annual elections and the names and contact information of the new board by July 1st of each year.
Any officer of the SEPAC may be removed by a majority vote of the general membership at a regularly scheduled meeting for behaving in a manner unbecoming a representative of the organization or for taking actions counter to the goals/purposes of the organization, provided the individual in question is given written notice of the concerns and an opportunity to make the appropriate changes prior to initiating action to remove the individual.
A SEPAC officer, who is removed from membership by forgoing procedure may appeal such removal by sending written notification to the SEPAC within thirty days. The committee’s response to such an appeal shall be an opportunity for the removed member to address the general membership at their next scheduled meeting and a vote to reinstate the removed member will occur. The member may be reinstated to office by a majority vote of the general membership.
The Officers of SEPAC may appoint an interim officer to fill a resulting vacancy until the next election is held at which time a permanent replacement will be elected by the voting membership of the SEPAC.
Before any vote may be taken to amend these bylaws, a 15-day written notice of the proposed amendment(s) shall be distributed to all voting members. Bylaw changes/amendments require a majority vote of the voting members present.
Last Approved 3/3/25