Meetings and Committees

Your council may wish to use the following list to ensure that certain responsibilities are confirmed before, during, and after the meeting:

Before the meeting:

• Book a meeting room
• Order refreshments
• Prepare and circulate an agenda
• Put the items on the agenda in order of priority
• Check the room arrangements and audio-visual equipment
• Ensure appropriate materials are on hand

At the beginning of the meeting:

• Call the meeting to order at the designated time
• Welcome attendees and make introductions
• Be certain there is a recorder
• State the purpose of the meeting
• Review and agree on the tentative agenda
• Estimate the amount of time to be spent on each item

During the meeting:

• Keep the group focused on its purpose
• Monitor the discussion so that everyone has a chance to speak
• Clarify and summarize when appropriate
• Assist the group in using agreed-on procedures
• Bring out all sides of an issue
• Move the group toward decisions
• Check for consensus

At the end of the meeting:

• Make sure assignments and agreements are clear
• Announce the date, time, and place of the next meeting
• Identify the purpose of the next meeting and any items that will be on the agenda
• Debrief or adjourn the meeting

After the meeting:

• Check with the recorder to be sure that the minutes are clear before distributing
• Help others carry out the decisions made during the meeting

The rules of order for the conduct of meetings of the OCDSB and any Committees of the Board are set out in our by-laws. School Councils may or may not wish to adopt the same rules. If a council wishes to use a simple form of the rules, the information below should be followed:

• The Chair is responsible for managing the meeting and maintaining order.
• An individual must be recognized by the Chair before he or she speaks.
• The discussion and all comments by individual speakers should be directly related to the agenda item.
• Where a decision is required, it may be made by consensus.
• To move a motion, an individual begins with the statement “I move...”
• Another individual must second the motion by saying, “I second the motion.” This indicates that he or she agrees, in principle, and that the proposal should be discussed.
• Once a motion has been moved and seconded, the chair restates the motion so everyone is clear on what is being proposed. From this point until the motion has been voted on, all discussion should be focused on the motion.
• After stating the motion, the chair asks if the council is ready to discuss the motion or ready to vote on the proposal.
• If members of the group wish to discuss the motion, the chair opens debate. Each participant may speak to the motion. If someone wishes to speak more than twice, someone else must pass them their speaking rights in accordance with the rules of procedure. Once debate is complete, the chair puts the motion to a vote.
• The chair shall put the motion to a vote or conduct the vote by asking for those in favour and those opposed. The vote may be conducted by a show of hands, by standing or by ballot.

The majority needed to pass the motion should be stated in the School Council operational procedures or constitution (i.e. 50% +1, in case of a tie, the motion is lost).

If a School Council wishes to offer babysitting services to members of the council during School Council meetings, the following recommendations should be considered.

General

• These services can only be offered to School Council members attending the School Council meeting and must not be used for child drop off or fundraising. 
• Councils should document the procedures for babysitting including dates, number of participants and supervisors names and contact information.
• Babysitting cannot be offered for children under the age of 16 months.
• Activities must be appropriate for the participant and supervised by a qualified supervisor.

Liability Policy

• The School Council Liability Policy can be used when booking with Community Use of Schools (CUS) (gyms or fitness rooms can not used for babysitting activities).
• Abuse is an exclusion in the School Council liability policy.

Parents/Guardians

• Parent(s)/guardian(s) must remain in the building with the ability to immediately attend to their child.
• A communication plan must be established to contact the parent/guardian to immediately attend to their child.
• Diapering or toileting must only be done by the parent/guardian.

Supervision

• The supervisor must be certified in First Aid/CPR.
• The supervisor must be at least 13 years old (or aged 12 with a current Child-minding course that includes First Aid/CPR).
• There must be a minimum of 2 supervisors present at all times.
• The minimum ratio is 2 supervisors to 8 children.
• At no time will there be a one-to-one ratio between a child and a supervisor.

Location

• No gyms or fitness rooms should be used for babysitting activities
• If a classroom is required it must be booked through Community Use of Schools (CUS). School Council Insurance can be used for the CUS agreement. Bookings should be reasonably close to the meeting location to allow response by the parent/guardian.

Reporting Incidents

• Incidents must be reported using the School Council Incident Report Form. Forward the completed form to the school principal, School Council chair, supplementarylines@osbie.on.ca and riskmanagement@ocdsb.ca