School Councils bring together the parent community and enhance the communication between the school and the school community. This is accomplished by providing feedback and advice to your school principal and the school district on significant education issues, and by planning activities that support the active participation of parents/guardians and your school community.
The responsibilities of School Councils are established provincially in the Ontario Education Act under regulations 612/00 and 613/00. At the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, our policy, P.014.SCO: School Councils and procedure PR.509.SCO: School Council Elections, Constitution, and By-Laws outline the responsibilities of School Councils in the Board’s jurisdiction.
Your School Council constitution further describes the responsibilities of your School Council that are specific to your school community.
Key Duties of School Councils
Through meaningful consultation, your School Council will work directly with the school principal to provide advice and comments on your school’s overall performance and to support parent engagement. Some of the key duties of a School Council include:
School Councils build a sense of community and enhance the home–school relationship by:
- Organizing extra-curricular activities in the school
- Coordinating school-based services and community partnerships related to social, health, recreational, and nutrition programs
- The local coordination of services for children and youth
- Establishing school–community communication strategies
- Developing methods of reporting to parents/guardians and the community
- Planning and fundraising for extracurricular activities
- Reporting to parents/guardians and the community
- Hosting workshops and/or seminars for parents/guardians
School Councils provide advice and comments on areas such as:
- The school-year calendar and local school calendar
- The school code of student conduct
- Curriculum and program goals and priorities
- The responses of the school or District to achievement in provincial and District assessment programs
- The preparation of the school profile
- The principal profile — provision of input as to the qualities, skills, attitudes, and training/education for the District and administration to consider in the selection of school principals
- Community use of school facilities
- School-based services and community partnerships (e.g. lunch programs)
- The school budget priorities, including local capital improvement plans
- The development, implementation, and review of Board policies at the local level
School Council Members
Membership on the School Council is open to all parents/guardians of students enrolled in the school, as well as community members, intermediate and secondary students, the school principal (non-voting), teachers, and administrative and support staff. The composition of the School Council should reflect the diversity of the community it serves. Members of the council are elected annually by their peers, and parents/guardians must hold the majority of seats.
Elementary School Councils (minimum of 9 members):
- A minimum of 5 parents/guardians of students who attend the school (elected by their peers)
- A minimum of 1 community representative who is appointed by the School Council
- The school principal (non-voting)
- A teacher elected by their peers
- An administrative staff member elected by their peers
- Upon consultation with the School Council, a student may be appointed by the principal
Secondary School Councils (minimum of 11 members)
- A minimum of 6 parents/guardians of students who attend the school (elected by their peers)
- A minimum of 1 community representative who is appointed by the School Council
- The school principal (non-voting)
- A teacher elected by their peers
- An administrative staff member elected by their peers
- A student elected by their peers
A School Council may choose to appoint additional members or establish a maximum number of members in its constitution.
Your constitution will describe the responsibilities of the officers and members of your School Council. These responsibilities may include:
- Arrange for meetings, prepare agendas, and chair meetings
- Ensure that meeting minutes are recorded and kept in a safe place for five years, plus the current school year
- Participate as ex-officio member on Council committees
- Communicate with the school principal on behalf of Council
- Maintain the constitution and ensure a regular review by the Council
- Communicate with the school community on a regular basis and ensure that parents/guardians of all students are consulted on matters under consideration
- Facilitate the resolution of conflicts
- Consult with senior board staff and trustees as required
- Prepare an annual report and ensure the treasurer prepares financial statements to be submitted to the principal for distribution to the school community and the OCDSB
- Contribute to school and School Council discussions
- Solicit views of other parents/guardians and community members to share with the Council
- Participate in Council committees
- Observe the Council’s code of ethics and constitution
- Encourage parents/guardians and community members to participate in events and programs
- Contribute to school and School Council discussions
- Represent the community’s perspective and help build partnerships and links between the school and the community
- Participate in Council committees
- Observe the Council’s code of ethics and constitution
- Encourage parents/guardians and community members to participate in events and programs
- Contribute to school and School Council discussions
- Solicit views of students to share with the Council
- Participate in Council committees
- Observe the Council’s code of ethics and constitution
- Communicate with students on behalf of the Council
- Contribute to school and School Council discussions
- Solicit views from staff to share with the Council
- Participate in Council committees
- Observe the Council’s code of ethics and constitution
- Communicate with staff on behalf of the Council
- Seek the input of the School Council on the School Learning Plan (SLP), school budgets, and community partnerships
- Facilitate annual School Council elections
- Distribute and post Council communications to parents/guardians (including the annual report)
- Give notice of the first School Council meeting of the year to all parents
- Support and promote the Council’s activities and work with the School Council to publish information about its activities
- Act as a resource on by-laws, regulations, and policies
- Attend all School Council meetings or appoint a vice-principal delegate when required, and may participate in Council committees
- Forward relevant information from the OCDSB and the Ministry to the Council
- Consider each recommendation made by the School Council and advise the Council of any action taken in response to the recommendation
- Solicit views of the School Council on important educational issues such as the development of school policies and guidelines regarding student achievement and well-being
- Develop school code of conduct, school learning plans, the communication of those plans to the public; and Board policies (as directed)
- Communicate with the Council chair
- Observe the Council’s code of ethics and established bylaws
- Encourage parents/guardians and community members to participate in events and programs
- Endorse the School Council’s fundraising activities (within the parameters and guidelines established by the Board) for the benefit of the school and/or the Council
- Provide existing non-confidential information* to assist the School Council in carrying out its obligations
*Note: School Councils cannot access information on individual students and staff or discuss personnel matters or matters that are dealt with under collective agreements. Parents/guardians should speak directly to the teacher or principal to resolve any individual concerns.
School Council Constitution
Your School Council is responsible for developing and maintaining a School Council constitution that outlines the way in which your School Council will conduct its business. Your constitution must comply with both the provincial regulations and the OCDSB’s policies and procedures. At a minimum, it must include:
- Council’s name, purpose, and objectives
- Council’s officers and members
- Responsibilities of the officers and members on your council
- Requirements for meetings, quorum, and voting rights
- Rules for conduct at meetings
- Procedures to amend your School Council’s constitution/bylaws
- Procedures for annual elections and filling interim vacancies (for example through election, rotation, or by seeking volunteers)
- Procedures to address any conflicts of interest
- Resolution process for internal School Council disputes
- Affiliation with other organizations, such as the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC)
- Any other committees of your council and their membership
Many OCDSB School Councils have posted their constitutions on their websites. You can compare notes with other School Councils by visiting these websites. The constitution is an excellent resource tool. If your council is experiencing challenges, check your constitution. It may help identify the path forward.
Parent Involvement Committee
The Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is an important resource to the school district. Under the Ministry of Education's Parent Engagement Policy, all boards must have a committee comprised of a majority of parents, community members, the Director of Education and a trustee. The purpose of the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is to:
- Support, encourage, and enhance meaningful parental involvement within schools and across the district
- Seek advice and ideas of School Councils and other parents and partners as they plan and implement strategies to involve more parents at the regional level
- Work collaboratively with the school board
- Develop strategies for increasing parental engagement and outreach, including parents who find involvement more challenging, to support student success.
Visit our PIC webpage for more information about the PIC and the work that is underway.