Parent Involvement Committee BY-LAWS

Adopted by Committee Resolution on September 27, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS PROCEDURAL BY-LAWS

Page Education Act

i

Purpose

ii

By-Law Number

Description

1

Composition of Committee / Appointment or Election of Members

1

2

Term of Office / Vacancies

2

3

Chairperson / Spokesperson

3

4

Meetings

3

5

Voting

4

6

Minutes and Financial Records

4

7

Remuneration

4

8

Conflict of Interest

5

9

Summary of Activities

5

Education Act

Ontario Regulation 330/10 made under the Education Act Made: July 13, 2010 Filed: September 1, 2010 PART III – Parent Involvement Committees

i

PURPOSE

The purpose of a parent involvement committee is to support, encourage and enhance parent engagement at the board level in order to improve student achievement and well-being. O. Reg. 330/10, s. 6. A parent involvement committee of a board shall achieve its purpose by, (a) providing information and advice on parent engagement to the board; (b) communicating with and supporting school councils of schools of the board; and (c) undertaking activities to help parents of pupils of the board support their children's learning at home and at school. O. Reg. 330/10, s. 6. A parent involvement committee of a board shall, (a) develop strategies and initiatives that the board and the board's director of education could use to effectively communicate with parents and to effectively engage parents in improving student achievement and wellbeing; (b) advise the board and the board's director of education on ways to use the strategies and initiatives referred to in clause (a); (c) communicate information from the Ministry to school councils of schools of the board and to parents of pupils of the board; (d) work with school councils of schools of the board and, through the board's director of education, with employees of the board to, (i) share effective practices to help engage parents, especially parents who may find engagement challenging, in their children's learning, (ii) identify and reduce barriers to parent engagement, (iii) help ensure that schools of the board create a welcoming environment for parents of its pupils, and (iv) develop skills and acquire knowledge that will assist the parent involvement committee and school councils of the board with their work; and (e) determine, in consultation with the board's director of education and in keeping with the board's policies, how funding, if any, provided under the Education Act for parent involvement as described in section 27 and clauses (a) to (d), is to be used. O. Reg. 330/10, s. 6. ii

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 1 COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEE / APPOINTMENT OR ELECTION OF MEMBERS

1.1

Any parent of a student in the Ottawa Catholic School Board is eligible to be a parent member on PIC. Parent members will be appointed by the Catholic School Parent Association (CSPA) and are not limited to CSPA members. Parent membership appointments to this committee will be reviewed regularly by CSPA to ensure continued parent involvement.

1.2

The committee shall appoint the following people to the committee: 1. Minimum of four parent members 2. The director of education / designate of the board 3. One board trustee 4. One member of administration, appointed by administration 5. The number of community representatives, up to three, the committee determines appropriate. 6. One or more of the following individuals may be appointed: a. One principal of an elementary and /or secondary school of the board b. One teacher employed, other than the principal or vice-principal of an elementary and / or secondary school of the board.

1.3

A person is qualified to be appointed by the committee as a parent member of the committee if he or she is a parent

1.4

Community representatives appointed to the committee shall not be employees of the board and shall become members of the committee when the majority of committee members deem necessary.

1.5

In appointing members to the committee, the parent members shall constitute a majority of the members of the committee.

1.6

Trustees shall become members of the committee after a recommendation to the board.

1.7

Principal / teacher members of the committee shall become members of the committee when the majority of committee members deem necessary.

1

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 2 TERM OF OFFICE / VACANCIES

2.1

The term of office of some of the parent members shall be one year and the term of office of some of the parent members shall be two years based on the needs of the committee.

2.2

A parent member of the committee may be reappointed or re-elected to the committee for more than one term.

2.3

The term of office for the director of education and member of the administration appointed to the committee shall be on-going.

2.4

The term of office for all other members shall be one year.

2.5

A member of the committee may be reappointed or re-elected to the committee for more than one term.

2.6

In the event that an individual appointed to the committee vacates his or her position on the committee, the committee shall appoint another individual to the position. However, should this position be a trustee this person shall be appointed after board approval.

2

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 3 CHAIRPERSON / SPOKESPERSON

3.1

The committee shall have a Chair or Co-chairs and must be a parent member of the committee and shall be elected for a two-year term by the parent members of the committee at the first meeting of the committee in each school year that there is a vacancy in the office of Chair or Co-Chair.

3.2

Only parent members with a two-year term are eligible to be elected to the position of Chair or Co-chair.

3.3

An individual may not serve more than two consecutive terms as Chair or CoChair unless otherwise decided by the committee.

3.4

The Chair or Co-chairs of the committee will be elected by the parent members by November 1st. The Chair or Co-chairs should be the CSPA Chair or another CSPA Executive member.

3.5

The Chair or Co-chairs shall act as spokesperson for the committee in communicating with the director of education.

3.6

The Chair or Co-chairs shall set the agenda with the Director, governs the meetings, and ensures minutes and financial reports comply with committee policy and are posted to the Board website in a timely manner.

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 4 MEETINGS 4.1

The committee shall meet at least four times in each school year whether in person or electronically.

4.2

A meeting of the committee cannot be held unless a majority of the members present are parent members, the director of education / designate and one trustee.

4.3

All meetings shall be open to the public and shall be held at a location that is accessible to the public.

4.4

The Chair shall ensure that notice of each meeting is provided to all members of the committee at least five days before the meeting

4.5

Committee meeting date, time and location shall be publically advertised at least five (5) days in advance of the meeting. 3

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 5 VOTING

5.1

When the committee votes on a matter, only parent members and community representative members are entitled to vote.

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 6 MINUTES AND FINANCIAL RECORDS

6.1

The committee shall keep minutes of all meetings and records of all financial transactions.

6.2

Minutes and financial transactions shall be retained in accordance with the policies of the board.

6.3

The minutes of the committee shall be posted on the board’s website

6.4

The minutes and records of its financial transactions shall be available for examination at the board’s office.

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 7 REMUNERATON

7.1

A parent member shall not receive any remuneration for serving as a member of the committee.

7.2

Expenses incurred as members of the committee shall be reimbursed and an honorarium provided for approved extenuating circumstances.

4

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 8 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

8.1

The parent committee member shall excuse themselves from the meeting when the matter being discussed is a conflict of interest.

PROCEDURAL BY-LAW 9 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES

9.1

The parent committee member shall annually submit a written summary of the committee’s activities to the Chair of the board and to the board’s director of education.

9.2

The summary of activities shall include a report on how funding was spent.

5