Earlier this month, Trustees of the Halton School District Board unanimously approved a new
Student Senate Constitution, designed to provide the
HDSB Student Senate with important governing rules and guiding principles.
The HDSB Student Senate Constitution, started by former Student Trustees Kevin Meng and Connor Clark in 2018, was approved on June 5 to guide all aspects of Student Senate function such as the selection process for senators, the structure of subcommittees and administration of Student Trustee elections.
“The constitution was created to provide a clear structure for the Student Senate and serve as a point of reference for Student Senators and HDSB Stakeholders,” says Ethan Ruggiero, Student Trustee for the 2022-2023 school year. “We often hear many questions related to the Student Senate including our purpose, when we meet and what we do. The constitution holds the answer to these questions and helps people gain a clearer picture of what the Student Senate is and how they can get involved.”
“The constitution consultation committee brought together stakeholders from across the HDSB to revise the original document created in 2018,” says Cindy Wang, Student Trustee for the 2022-2023 school year. “Over the past several months we have been working alongside our Trustee and Staff Advisors, Student Senate, along with our Board Governance Manager to create and finalize the HDSB Student Senate Constitution.”
The constitution will serve as the foundation for students, staff, parents and trustees to reference the inner workings of the Student Senate moving forward, says Ruggiero.
“For incoming and outgoing student trustees, the constitution is a guidebook for efficiently operating a Student Senate that is reflective of the diverse student body present within the HDSB."
“The Student Senate changes leadership every one or two years depending on who their elected Student Trustees are, and having a constitution such as this ensures that it has consistent structure year by year with opportunities for change and evolution,” says Wang.
