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SD61 Board of Education Meetings Continue Online (Updated Sept 2020)

As part of our COVID continuity planning, we recognize public participation in Board business is important but will be different for the coming months. Board Ad Hoc and Standing Committee meetings were suspended for April and May while staff continued to work on the pandemic response, along with the processes and structures that are required for start-up in Fall. We resumed the Education Policy & Directions and the Operations Policy & Planning Committee meetings in June.

As of September 2020 we will continue to live stream Regular Open Board meetings, Education Policy & Planning Committee meetings and the Operations Policy & Planning Committee meetings.

All meetings that took place from April 2020 to August 2020 can be viewed using the following YouTube link: https://vcpac.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f9820508e54f0b84d77791ba9&id=67eed3b409&e=d26a2224fa" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; color: rgb(101, 101, 101); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRtyy8Uak0lVS-wxlwPeuXw/featured.

All meetings that will take place from September 1^st 2020 onwards will be live streamed. To access the live stream please find the meeting date on the calendar https://vcpac.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f9820508e54f0b84d77791ba9&id=b9b4b0b81c&e=d26a2224fa" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; color: rgb(101, 101, 101); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;">here and click on the meeting. You will see a link that says “video”. Click on this link to access our live stream. You can also view the live stream by clicking on the “Agenda (HTML)” link.

An email address will be provided at the beginning of the meeting, for the public to email questions which will then be answered by staff or the Chair, through the Chair, if an answer is readily available. Please join us remotely as we continue the business of the Greater Victoria School Board.

Please note: At this time there is no public access to our Boardroom unless you have been scheduled to present. Our meetings are live-streamed for public viewing.

COVID-19 and Schools

On March 17, 2020 the Ministry of Education announced that K-12 in classroom instruction will be suspended indefinitely while the province works to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that many parents have questions and concerns about the education of their children in the coming months. Provincial Leaders and School District Administrators are currently working together to discuss potential options and the appropriate course of action moving forward. On behalf of parents in our District, VCPAC is in contact with and will continue to liaise with the Superintendent and appropriate SD61 staff during this time.

For parents who have any questions, concerns or thoughts about the current situation and plans for the future, VCPAC has set up a designated email address from which we are collecting parent feedback that VCPAC will take to the School District to advocate on behalf of parents and students in our region.

To ensure your family stays informed, about the current situation within SD61, updates (when they are made available) are posted at: https://www.sd61.bc.ca.

For information, updates and resources related to COVID-19 visit: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-feature/coronavirus-disease-covid-19

PAC Constitution and Bylaws

Does your PAC have a Constitution and Bylaws?

If yes, please be sure to post them on your school website and PAC website, if you have one so future PAC executive are able to find them.

If not, or you are unable to locate them, here are some helpful tips and examples to help you create new ones:

Create a draft

1. Refer to the school act as it pertains to Parent Advisory Councils

Parents' advisory council

8 (1) Parents of students of school age attending a school or a Provincial school may apply to the
board or to the minister, as the case may be, to establish a parents' advisory council for
that school.

(2) On receipt of an application under subsection, the board or minister must establish a
parents' advisory council for the school or the Provincial school.

(3) There must be only one parents' advisory council for each school or Provincial school.

(4) A parents' advisory council, through its elected officers, may advise the board and the
principal and staff of the school or the Provincial school respecting any matter relating to
the school or the Provincial school.

(5) A parents' advisory council, in consultation with the principal, must make bylaws governing
its meetings and the business and conduct of its affairs, including bylaws governing

(a) the dissolution of the parents' advisory council, and
(b) [Repealed 2015-24-6.]
(c) the election of a member to represent the parents' advisory council on the
district parents' advisory council.

(6) Voting at an election referred to in subsection (5) (c) must be by secret ballot.

2. Recommended items to include in a PAC Constitution:

Formal name - The name at the bank or with BC Gaming
A Definitions Section - if you are going to use jargon, initials, or shortened names
Statement of Purposes such as:
- Advise the School Admin and Staff as well as the District on matters pertaining to your school community!
- Encourage parent involvement in the school to support programs
- Communication to and from parents
- Provide advocacy or support for parents of students in school

3. Recommended items to include in PAC Bylaws:

Membership statement
Voting - Executive offices
Executive officer duties - including the President/Chair responsibility for and oversight of all the work of the PAC
Election rules - note VCPAC(DPAC) rep is by secret ballot in the school act.
Term of Office - is commonly understood to be one year terms annual election
Meeting section should include the month the AGM is held
Term start date
Year end date - Usually when the officers take office at the end of the month of the AGM but not always (check you BC Gaming report history for confirmation)
Quorum & Voting rules - usually only one vote per family
Dispute resolution process
Committees
Code of ethics or Rule of Order
Financial - including signing authority rules
Amendment process
Removal of officers/ mid year elections
Dissolution clause - including Disposal of property direction compliant with BC Gaming and School act.