School councils have been created to enhance students’ learning through the cooperative efforts of parents, students, staff members and others in the community. Your school council is an advisory body of volunteers who work together to provide ideas and opinions to help the principal and sometimes the school district, make the school a better place for learning.
Accepting the role of school council member carries with it certain responsibilities. Each school council will define the roles and responsibilities of its members in its Constitution and By-Laws. The following roles and responsibilities for specific positions are suggestions only. A school council’s operating by-laws may outline other specific duties for the chair/co-chairs as well as for other officers of the council, such as a secretary or treasurer. For details please see Section D of Halton School Council Handbook.
Chair/Co-Chairs:
- Arrange for meetings, minimum of four (4) per school year
- Prepare meeting agenda in consultation with the principal
- Chair council meetings
- Regularly keep up-to-date with information on the board website and share at council meetings
- Use technology effectively, e.g. establish e-mail distribution list etc. to stay connected with council members
- Ensure that minutes of council meetings are recorded and kept for 4 years and posted to school website once they have been approved.
- Report regularly on the status of council recommendations
- Communicate regularly with school principal, council members, school community
- Facilitate the resolution of conflict
- Participate as ex-officio member of all school council committees
- Communicate with school principal on behalf of the council
Parent Representatives:
- Bring a wealth of experience and diversity to council and help create a culture of sharing, communicating and dealing with issues and challenges
- Participate on any committees established by the school council
- Contribute to the discussions of the council
- Maintain a school-wide perspective on school council issues and seek to achieve consensus
- Solicit views of other parents and members of the community to share with council
- Observe the council’s code of ethics and established by-laws
Staff Representatives (teaching, non-teaching):
- Contribute to the discussions of council
- Solicit views from their staff groups to share with council
- May participate on any committees established by council
- Communicate information back to their staff groups
- Observe the council’s code of ethics and established by-laws
School Principal:
- Non-voting member of council
- Distributes material from the Ministry to council members
- Acts as a resource to council on laws, regulations and board policies
- Attends all council meetings unless a vice principal has been so designated
- Considers each recommendation made by council and returns to council with the action taken in response to a recommendation
- Support, promote and communicate council’s activities
- Solicits views on matters pertaining to establishing or amending school policies/ guidelines relating to student achievement, accountability of the education system to parents and the communication of those plans to the public.
- Assists council with annual goal setting and the establishment of operating norms
Community, Student, Home & School Association Representatives:
Community, Student, Home & School Association Representatives:
- Contribute to the discussions of council
- The community representative represents an organization, social service agency or other group present in the community and is a person not employed at the school or if employed by the board, has declared this to council members before being appointed.
- The community rep. does not have children attending the school.
- Student representative(s) are appointed by the school principal; this is mandatory for secondary schools and optional for elementary schools
- Home & School Association representative is chosen by that organization if the organization is represented at the school
- Solicit views from their respective groups to share with council
- May participate on any committees established by council
- Communicate information back to their representative groups
- Observe the council’s code of ethics and established by-laws
- Help build partnerships and links between the school and the community, student body, and organizations, respectively.