SAMPLE PARENTS ASSOCIATION / COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

This body shall be known as name of your school Parents' Association / Council".

 Membership shall be confined to Parents/Guardians of pupils attending the school.

Election of Committee members shall take place at the Annual General Meeting of all parents, to be held each September/October.

The committee members shall be elected on an area basis from each area catered for in the school and shall attend meetings regularly. The number of members may vary from time to time in order to give adequate representation. In such cases new members shall be co-opted to the committee.

The committee shall elect its own officers, consisting of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer and/or Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer.

Co-options to the committee shall be                                      

(a) The school principal                  

(b) A member of the teaching staff (who will be elected by the staff) as non voting members.

At least 4 committee meetings shall be held during the school year. Such meetings will be opened with the reading of the minutes, treasurer's report and the business of the meeting.

 Any two signatures from those of the chairman, secretary and treasurer shall be required to sign cheques drawn on behalf of the Association / Council.

An extraordinary meeting of all parents may be called

I.              On a majority decision of the committee

II.             At the written request of at least twenty parents.

 Amendments to the Constitution may be made at a General meeting of parents provided they are passed by a two-thirds majority.

 The Association / Council shall not have power to deal with complaints against members" of the school staff or Principal (such Complaints should be taken directly to the Principal by the parents concerned), and shall not interfere with the purely professional aspects of the school administration and work.

The aims of the Association / Council shall include:

(a) The promotion of the educational and general welfare and social interests of the pupils of the school.

(b) Helping in any way it can, the pupils and staff of the school.

(c) Vindicating the right of parents to consultation and information on government educational policy.  

(d) Keeping the parents of the pupils attending the school informed of problems in running the school and of current educational trends.    

(e) Acting as an advisory body, representing the views of parents on school policies and activities.

(f) Helping to make school life more complete by organising various activities.

The committee shall not directly concern itself with fund-raising activities, unless that fund raising is secondary to a project enhancing facilities, equipment or services offered by the school for the benefit of the students/teachers/management. Such fund raising activities shall be organised by separate committees of parents, at least two of whom shall be committee members.