Page 12 - Boyne Constitution

b. resignation of a member
c. removal of a member
d. a parent member becomes an employee of the school
A vacancy on council may be left vacant:
a. as long as long as the majority of voting members are parents
b. the term of office remaining is less than six (6) months
c. it does not prevent the council from exercising its authority, subject to “a”
d. can be filled by the next person on the elections list with the most votes.
Meetings
The council shall meet a minimum of four (4) times during the school year with the dates, times and locations of meetings published to the school community.
The first meeting of the new council is determined by the Principal and will take place within thirty-five (35) days of the election.
All council meetings are open to the public and no individual shall be excluded from the meeting except for disruptive behaviour.
A meeting of the council cannot be held unless a quorum is present and the majority of members present are parent members. A quorum is a simple majority with parent members having the greater number of votes.
Decisions made at the meeting will be by consensus, where possible. Should a vote be held, a member has the right to vote or abstain.
Agenda items will be established by the co-chairs and the principal and published at least seven (7) days before the meeting.
The meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. See Appendix A.
Conflict of Interest
Each school council member shall avoid situations that could result in an inconsistency between the overall goals and vision of the council and a personal or vested interest that may arise in connection with duties as a council member. Should an issue or agenda item arise during a council meeting where a council member is in a conflict of interest situation, he or she shall declare conflict of interest immediately and decline from the discussion and resolution.
Conflict Resolution
As the council may deal with internal conflict and other difficult matters, the following actions should be taken as best practice:
a. Be proactive. Positive interpersonal relationships are critical to an effective organization. Most issues can be resolved if brought forward and addressed early during the meeting.
b. Gather as much information about the situation as possible.
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