School Council Constitution | York Region District School Board

1. Name of School and Address

Keswick Public School

25 The Queensway North

Keswick, ON

L4P 1E2

905-476-4377 (phone)

905-476-8261 (fax)

keswick.ps@yrdsb.ca (email)

www.keswick.ps.yrdsb.edu.on.ca

2. Mission Statement

Our School Council is a partnership with parents / guardians, staff, community and students. Its goal is to actively promote a positive, healthy and safe learning environment in both French and English, which will enhance the quality of the students’ education.

3. Purpose and Objectives

Working within the framework of its mission statement and constitution and governed by the policies and procedures of the York Region District Schoo! Board and The Education Act, the Keswick Public School Council shall be responsible for:
1. supporting and promoting family and community engagement in advancing student achievement and well-being in an equitable and inclusive manner;
2. participating in the development and implementation of the school improvement plan;
3. communicating with and providing ongoing advice to the principal on school-related matters
4. collaborating with the principal to coordinate community resources that support student learning, achievement and well-being; and
5. understanding and communicating with members of the community about the roles and responsibilities of school councils as outlined in the School Councils policy and procedure and appropriate guidelines and legislation, as required.

4. Membership

Community representative:

The community representative is appointed by school council members. The representative cannot be employed at the school as a member of a bargaining unit, an administrator or a manager. If the individual is employed as a member of a bargaining unit, an administrator or a manager elsewhere in the Board, they must inform other members of the council of this before the appointment.

School council chair, co-chairs and officers:

These members of the school council must;

be elected by members of the school council,
be parent(s)/guardian(s) members of the school council, and
not be a person who is an employee of the Board or who is a member of a bargaining unit at the school, School assistants are exempt from the limitations of this provision.

Parent Members:

Any parent / guardian with a child enrolled in the school are eligible;

for election to school council,
for acclamation to a position on the school council when the number of candidates is equal to, or less than the number of parent(s)/guardian(s) member positions on the council, and
to be appointed to the school council if additional vacancies exist.

Support staff member representative:

The support staff member representative is a member of the school council. This representative must be;

employed at the school,
not be the principal or vice-principal, and
elected by support staff members employed at the school.

Teacher representative:

The teacher representative is a member of the school council. This representative must be employed at the school and is elected by teachers employed at the school.

5. Elections

Elections shall occur within the first thirty days of the start of each school year.
Acclamations - Parent / Guardian elections shall be by acclimation when the number of candidates is equal to; or less than the number of parent / guardian member positions on Council. 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 school board.
There shall be no more than one member, from any one household, on the School Council; however, nothing in this Constitution precludes the spouse of a School Council member from attending a School Council meeting to observe its activities.
Members of the School Council are expected to attend all regularly scheduled meetings and participate actively in a minimum of one fundraising and / or community engagement activity.
When a member of School Council is unable to attend, they shall notify the Chair / Co-Chair in advance of the meeting.
The number of parent / guardian members shall be no more than 20.
When an election for the position of parent / guardian membership is not by acclimation the following process shall be followed:
1. The election committee shall ensure nomination forms are provided to all parents / guardians / families through the opening day Book of Forms.
2. nominations for parent / guardian membership shall be read aloud by the outgoing Council Chair;
3. ballots shall be distributed by the outgoing Chair to all parents / guardians present during the meeting of the election and made available to any parent / guardian who has expressed an interest in voting;
4. 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;
5. ballots will be collected by the outgoing Council Chair and counted by the Principal
6. the Principal shall announce the results to the School Council and make public the successful candidates names by one, or all of, the following methods; posting on the school website, exterior bulletin board, newsletter or special notice emailed to each family.
In the event there is a dispute arising from the voting process, the principal shall enlist the assistance of a teacher and / or staff member to recount the ballots.
Terms of Office
1. School Council members are elected for a term of one year that lasts from the date of elections to the date of elections in the following school year. Members may seek additional terms of office.
Vacancies of Membership
1. A vacancy in membership does not prevent the School Council from exercising its authority.
2. If parent / guardian member positions remain vacant after the election, the School Council may appoint members.
3. Positions that become vacant due to resignation or removal shall be filled as soon as possible by opening the nomination and election process for the vacant position.
4. Vacancies will only be filled until June of the current school year, at which time the vacant positions will be filled through an election the following school year.
Resignations
1. Any Council member, except the Principal, may resign their position by writing a letter of resignation to the Chair / Co Chairs.
2. Vacancies will be filled as outlined in section 5.10 of this Constitution.
Removal
1. The School Council may choose to remove from Council any member who misses three (3) consecutive meetings, without notice or explanation, and shall undertake to replace that member in accordance with section 5.10.

6. Executive

Officers of the School Council shall consist of a;
1. Chair; or
2. Co-Chairs;
3. Vice-Chair in the event there is only a Chair;
4. Secretary
5. any other Officer the School Council deems necessary to carry out the activities of the School Council.
An employee of the Board cannot be Chair. School assistants are exempt from the limitations of this provision.
Officers of the School Council shall be elected by School Council members.
Each member seeking a position of Officer shall be given the opportunity to address the School Council for a maximum of five minutes prior to the election.
The election of Officers shall follow the process outlined in section 5 of this Constitution.
Nothing in this Constitution precludes a member from holding more than one office when circumstances require it; however, all efforts should be made to avoid it.
School council chairs/co-chairs shall:
1. carry out tasks in accordance with Board policies and procedures and the school council’s constitution and by-laws;
2. call a minimum of four school council meetings per year in consultation with the principal;
3. ensure that parents/guardians are consulted about matters under consideration by the council;
4. in collaboration with the principal, undertake fundraising and decisions about the management and expenditure of such school-generated funds in accordance with School Fundraising and Administration of School Generated Funds and other relevant Board policies and procedures;
5. prepare the agenda for school council meetings in consultation with the principal;
6. ensure meeting minutes accurately reflect the discussion and recommendations made by the committee;
7. ensure meeting agendas and minutes are accessible to members of the public;
8. chair school council meetings according to the agenda;
9. ensure that minutes of school council meetings are recorded and communicated with members of the school community;
10. communicate with the school principal;
11. communicate with senior Board staff members and trustees, as required;
12. and ensure that the school council constitution and/or by-law are reviewed annually and are in compliance with all applicable Board policies, procedures and guidelines.
School council vice-chairs shall:
1. assist the chair/co-chairs in carrying out their responsibilities;
2. and act on behalf of the chair/co-chairs in the event of their absence.
The Secretary shall:
1. take minutes during each meeting;
2. forward the minutes to the Chair / Co-Chairs and Principal no later than two weeks following each meeting; and other duties as required.
Parents / Guardians of students enrolled in the school shall:
1. each have one vote in the election of school council members.

7. Sub-Committees

At the first meeting of the School Council following the selection, or the first meeting of the year with Principal authorization, sub-committees may be formed to:
1. conduct more in-depth work than is possible during council meetings;
2. make recommendations to the School Council;
3. and keep School Council informed of issues and developments in its particular area.
Establishment
1. Sub-committees may be formed by the School Council as the need arises including, but not limited to, sub-committees for:
  1. Fundraising
  2. Community Engagement Initiatives
  3. Capital Improvements
  4. Healthy Schools
  5. Policy and Procedure; and
  6. Communications
Sub-Committee Membership
1. Each sub-committee must contain at least one parent / guardian member of council.
2. Persons who are not members of the School Council may be members of sub-committees.
Chairs of Sub-Committees
1. Each sub-committee will appoint its own Chair
2. The sub-committee Chair shall provide regular status updates to the Chair / Co-Chairs of the School Council

8. Meetings

At the first meeting of the school year, a schedule of meetings set by the school Principal will be disbursed.
It is understood that the scheduled meeting dates are subject to change as circumstances require.
Special / emergency meetings may be called to meet specific deadlines (e.g. elections) or to respond to time sensitive issues.
A motion to vote may be madevia e-mail to address an issue that arises between meetings and requires an immediate response that cannot be delayed until the next regularly scheduled meeting. The motion shall be made by the Chair / Co-Chairs and voting tabulated by them and communicated to the Council members.
The motion and the results of the vote shall be included as an agenda item and read at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Motions proposed and voted on via e-mail are no less binding than those made during a regularly scheduled meeting.
Quorum shall be deemed to have been achieved when the majority of the School Council members, or a minimum of six members, are present and the majority of those present are parent / guardian members.
A meeting of the School Council may be held if quorum is not achieved; however, decisions requiring a consensus shall be tabled until the next regularly scheduled meeting, or if urgent, made via e-mail in accordance with section 8.4 of this Constitution.
Decision Making
1. The preferred method of decision-making is by consensus. A consensus is a collective opinion or general agreement by ALL School Council members.
2. If consensus cannot be achieved, then a motion shall be made, by the Chair, outlining all the issues at hand. All motions are required to be seconded.
3. If consensus cannot be achieved, and a vote is required, fifty-one percent of attending members shall carry the motion.
4. A vote of all motions shall be made with agree mentor dissent noted by show of hands.
5. Each School Council member present is entitled to one vote,
6. The Principal is not entitled to vote on a motion made by the School Council or by a committee of the School Council. [This also applies to the teacher and student representatives.]
7. A tie vote defeats the motion.
8. If the School Council cannot achieve consensus and does not wish to proceed by vote, the matter can be deferred until a subsequent meeting.
8.11 Conflict of Interest
1. If an individual member perceives 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 the minutes may reflect this decision.
2. School Council members cannot receive any remuneration for their work as a member of Council.
Conflict Resolution - The School Council will undertake to resolve all internal conflicts within its mandate in a timely manner.

9. Financial

All funds raised by the Council are the property of York Region District School Board.
Funds will be distributed by the Principal in accordance with Board School Fundraising and Administration of School Generated Funds policy and procedure.
The Principal shall ensure that school council financial records are maintained and available for examination for a seven-year period.
Council members shall receive remuneration for items approved by, and purchased on behalf of, Council. In order to receive funds a form must be completed and signed by Chair / Co-Chair.

10. Agendas and Minutes

Agenda items must be submitted to the Chair / Co-Chair no later than two weeks before the scheduled meeting.
The Chair / Co-Chair will set the Agenda, with the Principal, prior to the meeting.
Minutes shall be made available to the Council prior to the next meeting of the School Council.
The minutes shall include motions, decisions and actions taken.
Minutes shall be maintained by the school for a period of four years.

11. Code of Conduct

Meeting Disruptions
1. If a council member or members become disruptive during a meeting, the chair shall ask for order.
2. If all efforts to restore order fail or the unbecoming behaviour continues, the chair may direct the individual council member(s) to leave the meeting, citing the reasons for the request.
3. The removal of a member for one meeting does not prevent the council member from: participating in future meetings of council.
4. The incident shall be recorded and submitted to the Superintendent of Schools within one week of the meeting.
5. When the chair has requested the removal of a member or members from a meeting, the chair shall request that the disputing members of council participate in a special meeting, the purpose of which will be to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to the dispute. Such a meeting may be a private meeting and shall not be construed as a meeting of the council.
6. The chair may request the intervention of an independent third party to assist in achieving a resolution to the dispute.
7. An independent third party may be a board official or another individual mutually agreed on by the parties involved in the dispute.
8. Any resolution reached at the meeting to resolve the conflict shall be signed and respected in full by all parties to the agreement.
Social Media. All members of Council are to maintain a sense of decorum when acting on any social media sites associated with the School. Slanderous, malicious and otherwise negative commentary directed towards the school, school staff, administration or students will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate removal from Council.
Code of Ethics. As derived from Ministry guidelines, privacy and legal consultations made by the Board.
1. A member shall consider the best interests of all students.
2. A member shall be guided by the school and the Board’s mission, vision and values.
3. A member shall act within the limits of the roles and responsibilities of a school council, as identified in the Education Act, its regulations, and the applicable constitution and/or by-law(s) and procedures.
4. A member shall become familiar with the school’s policies and operating practices and act in accordance with them.
5. A member shall maintain the highest standards of integrity.
6. A member shall recognize and respect the personal integrity of each member of the school community.
7. A member shall conduct themselves in accordance with the Board’s Equity and Inclusive Education policy and procedure.
8. A member shall treat all other members with respect and allow for diverse opinions to be shared without interruption.
9. A member shall encourage a positive environment in which individual contributions are encouraged and valued.
10. A member shall acknowledge democratic principles and accept the consensus of the council.
11. A member shall respect the confidential nature of some school business and respect limitations this may place on the operation of the school council.
12. A member shall not disclose confidential information.
13. A member shall act in accordance with relevant laws, including Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), and relevant Board policies and procedures.
14. A member shall advise the principal immediately if the member believes that there may have been a privacy breach.
15. A member shall abide by applicable laws and policies with respect to access, use or disclosure of Board data and information.
16. A member shall limit discussions at school council meetings to matters of concern to the school community as a whole.
17. A member shall use established communication channels when questions or concerns arise.
18. A member shall promote high standards of ethical practice within the school community.
19. A member shall declare any conflict of interest.
20. A member shall not accept any payment or benefit financially through school council involvement.

12. Constitutional Amendments

The School Council will review the Constitution every year or as the need arises.
Amendments to the Constitution must be presented to the School Council.
Constitutional amendments require 2 / 3 majority to be passed.

Dated: Monday, March 25, 2024

Location: Keswick Public School