One of the most important ways you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of CBE students is by participating on school councils. By connecting students, schools and your community, school councils help nurture and inspire students to achieve their full potential.
2020-21 School Council Guidelines
School council and parent fundraising society meetings and activities will be impacted during the 2020-21 school year because of COVID-19 protocols in place in our schools.
Meetings
School council meetings may continue for the 2020–21 school year and should be held online to adhere to public health guidelines.
Microsoft Teams is the CBE's standard tool for online meetings and is highly recommended for school council meetings. This tool is the easiest way for CBE principals and other staff to participate, and using it does not result in any additional cost to school councils or the CBE. Further, if school council meetings are set up by the principal or another school staff member, Microsoft Teams must be used.
School councils can choose to use other online meeting tools. Regardless of the tool being used, appropriate consideration should be given to privacy and security.
For example, online meetings should not permit
anonymous entry or participation.
While many schools use Google Meets, at the CBE this platform must be exclusively used for student learning activities.
All participants should understand that there are limitations related to online meetings, and that confidentiality and privacy cannot always be guaranteed. Virtual meetings should not be recorded and shared online. Minutes from the meeting should be kept and posted on the school website, as is our usual practice.
As we are limiting the number of visitors to our schools, in-person school council meetings are not recommended. Should a school council choose to organize an in-person meeting, hosting at a CBE school or building will not be possible.
Activities & Field Trips
In-person visitors and volunteers will not be allowed in CBE schools at this time. This includes parents, guest speakers, sports-team coaches and artists in residence.
We appreciate the valuable lessons that local service providers' programs bring to our students, however only programs and services that are critical to student learning or well-being will be permitted in schools at this time. We hope to ease restrictions once it is safe to do so. Schools are able to consider virtual learning opportunities, if available.
Field trips that require students to ride a bus are currently postponed, in keeping with provincial guidelines. Virtual field trips and trips which would use walking as the sole method of transportation are able to proceed as long as schools are able to ensure that the Government of Alberta guidelines and protocols for physical distancing, eating, equipment sharing, and hand washing can be adhered to.
Purchasing Items for Schools
School Councils/Parent Societies may provide funds to schools to purchase COVID-19 related supplies and materials provided:
Resources
The Role of School Council
Parents and community members are important partners in public education. Through school councils, our partners can make significant and meaningful contributions to the learning opportunities provided to CBE students.
Through the
Education Act Alberta Education defines school councils as a collective association of parents, secondary students, the principal, teachers, and community representative(s) whose purpose is to advise the principal and the Board of Trustees respecting matters related to the school. School councils have legislated advisory and decision-making authority defined within the Education Act and the
School Councils Regulation 94/2019.
Every CBE school community is required to establish a school council. Working in collaboration with the principal and school community, school councils can help foster a supportive learning environment and create valuable opportunities for students to meet the standards of education set by the minister.
Meetings - Council of School Councils (COSC)
The Council of School Councils (COSC) is comprised of school council chairs (or an appropriate designate), members of the Board of Trustees and other CBE leaders. Its purpose is for CBE leaders and parents to have an opportunity to work together, to share information, discuss concerns and plan for the future.
We value the contribution of parent leadership and have formalized a program to keep the lines of communication open between the CBE as a public education system and parent leadership in individual school communities.
View the meeting schedules and information in
Meetings.
ASCA Memberships for CBE School Councils
The Board of Trustees will pay the cost of Alberta School Councils' Association (ASCA) memberships for any CBE school councils who are interested in this opportunity. Memberships need to be renewed on an annual basis. Membership terms run from July 1 to June 30.
ASCA provides valuable support and services to school councils across the province. To learn more about ASCA, please visit
their website.
To obtain a membership for the current school year, just fill out
this form. Once the form has been filled out, you are able to take advantage of ASCA's resources and services for the rest of the school year.
System News for School Councils
The Key Communiqué e-newsletter is e-mailed to school council contacts throughout the year. Find out what they include and how to subscribe in
Key Communiqués.
Twitter
Sometimes there is news and information about the CBE that cannot wait. The best way for school councils to stay up to date with the most current system news and information is to subscribe to the CBE's twitter feed. Follow us at
@yyCBEdu.
