School Council Constitution | York Region District School Board

Article 1: Name and Address

The organization will be known as Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council. The members of the school council shall be responsible for maintaining the constitution.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School

90 Bur Oak Avenue

Markham, Ontario

L6C 2E6

Phone: 905-887-2216, Voice: 905-887-2356, Fax: 905-887-7783

Article 2: Mission Statement

Our council is committed to support quality learning in a safe environment through a partnership with staff, students, parents and the community to provide the highest standard of education.

Article 3: Objectives

The objectives of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council shall be:

To serve as an advisory body to the school principal and to the York Region District School Board on matters relating to the school's Vision and Mission Statements, and to the review, development and implementation of the School Improvement Plan(SIP).
To facilitate communication among parents/guardians, administrators, teachers, and students in the school community by providing a forum for both input and support, and where appropriate, by making recommendations to the York Region District School Board and to the Minister of Education and Training.
To support school staff members in their efforts to focus time and resources on the essential tasks of teaching and learning.
To promote the building of a vibrant school community, which will have as its common interest the education of students, served by Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School.

Article 4: Procedures and Operating Guidelines

The operational procedures of this council are outlined in the YRDSB Policy and Procedure #262, available on the Board's website. All recommendations and activities of the Council shall comply with all Ministry of Education Acts, York Region District School Board Policies and Procedures and Staff Collective Agreements.

Article 5: Membership

5.1: Only one parent per household shall be a voting member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau School Council

5.2: Parent Members

The number of parents on the school council may include up to 16.

5.3: Community Representatives

The numbers of community representatives will be no more than 2.

5.4: The Principal is to be a member.

5.5: Teaching Staff

The number of Teaching Staff will be up to 2. One teaching staff is to be from each of the two streams of courses, one teacher from the French language and one from the English language.

5.6: Non-Teaching Staff Members

The numbers of non-teaching staff members will be up to 4.

5.7 Student Representative

The number of student representatives will be up to 3.

Article 6: Elections (see Appendix 1)

6.0: Parent elections shall be made public through notice in La Pirouette and the PETHS website.

6.1: Acclamations

Parent elections shall be by acclamation when the number of candidates is equal to, or less than the number of parent member positions on the council.

6.2: Election Procedures for Parent Members

Each parent/guardian seeking election must be nominated or self-nominated in writing, must have a child registered at the school, and must declare if he or she is employed by the Board.
Each parent/guardian of a student enrolled in the school shall be entitled to one vote for each vacant parent/guardian membership position on the council.
The school council shall strike an election committee in May, to help plan the election process, the gathering of nominations, and the running of the election. No one standing for election, or the spouse of anyone standing for election, shall be a member of the election committee.
The election committee shall:
1. provide nomination forms;
2. ensure that the school community is notified of election procedures and election date(s), location, and time, at least fourteen days in advance of election;
3. request a profile from all candidates and make these available to the electorate;
4. conduct the elections by secret ballot;
5. count the ballots;
6. help the principal notify all candidates of the results;
7. keep all the results and related information confidential.
8. only release the names of successful candidates. A list of candidates and the vote results will be kept on file for use in the event of vacancy on the council.
9. shall notify all individuals standing for election of the results before the results are released to the school community.

6.3: Terms of Office

Elected and appointed members may seek additional terms of office.

6.4: Vacancies in Membership

Should a position become vacant during the year, or if vacancies already exist, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council may appoint individuals to fill the position(s) effective until the next Annual General Meeting.

6.5: Resignations

Resignations shall be in writing to the Chair or Co-Chairs.

6.6: Removal

The Council may choose to remove from council any member who misses three consecutive meetings and shall undertake to replace that person according to article 6.4: Vacancies. The Chair or Co-Chairs shall notify a member in writing of a motion for removal at the next School Council meeting.

Article 7: The Executive

The Executive of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council shall be composed of the Principal, and parents/guardians who serve in the capacity of 1 Chair or 2 Co-Chairs, 1 Secretary, and 1 Treasurer.

7.1: The Chair or Co-Chairs

At the first meeting, after the elections, the council will elect a Chair or 2 Co-Chairs

7.2: Other Officers

At the first meeting of the school year, the council will elect a Secretary and Treasurer.

7.3; Chair / Co-Chairs Responsibilities

Schedule school council meetings and prepare the agenda in consultation with the principal.
Chair the meetings.
Communicate with the school principal, senior Board staff and trustees, as required.
Ensure that meeting minutes are recorded,
Distribute the minutes by email to all Council members
Schedule school council meetings and prepare the agenda in consultation with the principal.
Chair the meetings.
Communicate with the school principal, senior Board staff and trustees, as required.
Ensure that meeting minutes are recorded,
Distribute the minutes by email to all Council members

7.4: Secretary Responsibilities

Record attendance and minutes of the meetings of the Council
Maintain a binder of key Council documents (minutes, constitution, flyers, etc.) so any parent can review them if desired
Ensure that all records are kept in a safe place

7.5: Treasurer Responsibilities

Prepare a Treasurer’s report and update the account status to attendees at each Council meeting
Prepare the Annual Council Treasurer’s report as required by the York Region District School Board
Keep full and accurate accounts, receipts, disbursements and books belonging to the Council
Distribute the funds of the Council as instructed by the Council

7.6: School Council Voting Member Responsibilities

The members of the school council are accountable to the parents they represent and it is mandatory that they:

Maintain a school-wide perspective on issues.
Attend school council meetings.
Participate in information and training programs
Act as a link between the school council and the community.
Encourage the participation of all parents within the school community.
Participate on sub-committees and assist with tasks of the school council.

7.7: School Council Communications

An email distribution list will be created at the first meeting after Council is established
All members will acknowledge that the email list is to be used for School Council related business only

Article 8: Sub-Committees

Committees, standing or ad hoc, may be formed by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council at any time in response to need. Each properly endorsed committee shall include a coordinator and a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council.
Each committee shall be accountable to and report regularly to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council.
The co-ordinator shall:
1. Consult with the Chair or the Co-Chairs on a regular basis.
2. Organize committee participants and solicit their views and support.
3. Delegate areas of responsibility to committee participants.
4. Keep and submit upon request to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council written records of pertinent information, meetings, and budgetary matters.

Sub-committees must include at least one parent member of council and may include persons who are not members of the school council.

Article 9: Conflict

9.1: Conflict of Interest

If individual council members perceive themselves to be in conflict of interest, they are honour bound to declare their conflict at the earliest possible opportunity and at the time of the meeting, so the minutes may reflect this declaration.

9.2 Conflict Resolution

The council will undertake to resolve all internal conflicts within its' mandate in a timely manner.

Article 10: Meetings and Governance

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council is a non-profit organization operating without financial gain for its members. Any monetary-income shall be used in promoting the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council's stated objectives. Any fund-raising activities shall be in strict accordance with the policies of the York Region District School Board and conducted under the supervision of the school administration.
There will be at least 6 regular meetings during the school year. The dates of each meeting shall be determined at the first meeting in the fall.
All meetings of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council are open to the school community; however, the right is reserved to hold an in camera session should a situation warrant.
Upon written request of 3 voting members to call an extraordinary meeting of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council, the Chair or Co-Chairs shall ensure that such a meeting is held within 14 days of the receipt of the request.
Normally, only 1 Chair or one of the Co-Chairs will chair each meeting.
A quorum for a regular meeting of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council shall be 7 persons: 1 administrator, 1 staff member (teaching or support), and 5 others, at least 3 of whom must be parents/guardians
The proposed agenda for each meeting will be set by the Chair or Co-Chairs and the Principal, and will be made available in advance of the scheduled meeting. Additional items for inclusion are to be given to the Chair or Co-Chairs and the Principal 7 days prior to each meeting. Request for further items to be added to the agenda may be made to the Chair or Co-Chairs at the beginning of each meeting.
Meetings will generally be held from 7 - 9 p.m. on a day determined by the members.
Records of the minutes of all meetings, resolutions and correspondence of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council and its sub-committees shall be maintained and be made available to any member of the school community upon request.
Barring exceptional circumstances (which may include ill health), should a member be absent from 3 consecutive meetings, that member's voting privileges shall be revoked.
Decisions at meetings will normally be reached by consensus and shall be recorded as such in the minutes.
Should a decision by consensus not be possible the Chair or Co-Chairs shall advise the meeting that a motion shall be formulated and that a vote, following established protocol and procedure, will be required. The motion shall pass or fail by simple majority. On a recorded vote, the administrative team shall be accorded 1 vote with teaching and support staff members being accorded 1 vote per constituency.

Article 11: Constitutional Amendments

a) The Constitution and Bylaws of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council shall remain in effect unless or until amended.
An opportunity shall be provided for an annual review of the Constitution and the Bylaws of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council.
Any proposed amendment to the Constitution or the Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the secretary of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council at least 30 days prior to the meeting called for that purpose. Notice of proposed amendments shall be circulated with the notice of meeting 14 days in advance of that meeting. (approved June 17, 2003)

Article 12: Annual Report

Pursuant to Section 4(c) of the York Region District School Board Procedure P262.0 (School Councils) the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council shall submit an annual report to the Director of Education including:
1. a list of members;
2. a summary of meetings held and attendance at those meetings;
3. a summary of the Councils' activities for the past year.
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council shall make the annual report available to any member of the school community upon request. (approved June 17, 2003)

Article 13: Records

Copies of all records/documents shall be deposited with the secretary of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council and will serve as official copies for the record. The Chair or Co-Chairs and the Principal shall be responsible for the oversight of record keeping. (approved June 17, 2003)

Article 14: Protection of School Council Members

All school councils; consequently, members of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School Council, when acting in good faith and in accordance with the above guidelines, shall not be held personally or corporately liable for the decisions and activities of its members. (approved June 17, 2003)