School Council Membership and Elections

School Council Membership

Ontario Regulation 612/00 establishes that a school council will consist of the following members:​
  • Parent Members
    • A majority of the School Council must be made up of Parent Members
    • Must be parents and legal guardians of students at the school​ (Reg 612:3)
    • Must disclose if they are employed by the school board​
    • Cannot be employees at the same school or a member of the school board
    • The number and roles of Parent Members may be determined by the School Council Bylaws
    • School Council Members cannot be remunerated for their service on a School Council ​
  • The Principal of the school (or a Vice Principal designated by the Principal)
  • A Teacher at the school (elected in accordance with Reg 612/00)
  • A Staff Member at the school (a non-teaching staff member elected in accordance with Reg 612/00)
  • Student representative(s)
    • (Required) Secondary Schools appointed by Student Council, or elected by the students
    • (Optional) Elementary Schools appointed by the Principal, if Principal & Council agrees to include a student representative​
  • Designated community members
    • ​Appointed by the School Council or as defined by the School Council Bylaws
    • A representative appointed by a member association of the OFHSA (English secular), OAPCE (English Catholic) or PPE French)
School Council Roles for Members:
  • Chair/Co-Chairs: Each School Council must have a Chair or two Co-chairs who are parents/guardians of a student at the school and are elected by parents of students at the school.
  • Other membership may include Treasurer, Secretary, Communications, Fundraising, or Special Committee leads as laid out in your school council's bylaws.
Who Cannot be Members?
  • TDSB Employees at the same school
  • Trustees of the school board
  • Members of the school board

School Council Elections

  • Elections must be held within 30 days of the start of the school year. (Reg 612:4.4,5.1) 
  • A TDSB guide for school council elections can be found here.
  • A person is qualified to vote in an election of parent members of a school council if he or she is a parent of a pupil who is enrolled in the school.
  • Elected Positions include the School Council Chair/Co-chairs and other officials as defined in the School Council Bylaws.
  • Term of Office - is one full year from the date of election or the first School Council meeting. 
  • Vacancies - may be filled by election or appointment, as per the School Council bylaws. Vacancies do not prevent a School Council from functioning. 
Elections are typically held in-person, but councils have the following virtual options (Detailed instructions can be found HERE):
  • Hybrid Election – In Person & ZOOM Meeting Election – In person voting at a safe space in the school for parents who do not have access to virtual platforms. For those with access to virtual platforms, the anonymous polling feature will be used for secret ballot voting during a live ZOOM election meeting. 
  • Virtual ZOOM Meeting Election – Elections can be held during a live ZOOM meeting using the anonymous polling function for voting. Pre-registration is required. Guide for Zoom Elections
  • Virtual ONLY Voting Using Survey Monkey – An anonymous ballot can be created and distributed using Survey Monkey. All parents will receive the ballot and vote within a defined time period. Guide for Survey Monkey Elections