Constitution of the Parents’ Association Loreto College, Crumlin
1. The Association shall be known as the Loreto College Crumlin Parents’ Association. It shall be recognised by the school management as a self-governing body, organised and run by parents in keeping with the ethos, aims and objectives of the school.
2. The aims of the Association are to:
- further the Catholic and educational objectives of the school
- inform parents/guardians about-and involve them in developing school policy, plans and activities (but not in relation to the internal administration of the school)
- encourage parents and guardians to participate in promoting the well-being and interests of the pupils of the school
3. All parents and guardians of pupils of Loreto College Crumlin are deemed to be members of the Association.
4. The Executive Committee of the Association shall consist of at least two parent representatives for each year group in the school. The term of office of the Committee shall be one year. Committee members shall be elected by the parents present at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association or, in the event that no nominations are received at the AGM for a given representative position, a member may be co-opted to the Committee early in the school year.
5. Where a vacancy for a representative occurs during the school year, a parent/guardian of a pupil in the same year group in which the vacancy arises may be co-opted to the Committee for the remainder of the year. A member of the Committee who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without an apology will be deemed to have resigned from the Committee and may be replaced in the manner described above.
6. In addition to the elected members, the school principal and another representative of the school shall be ex-officio members of the Committee. The parents’ representatives on the Board of Management, if not already elected members of the Committee, shall be ex-officio members of the Committee.
7. The Committee shall hold a regular meeting at least six times in each school year; special or emergency meetings shall be held as required.
8. At its first meeting, the Committee shall elect from among its members the following honorary officers: a chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, and assistant treasurer. Candidates for these positions shall be proposed and seconded by members of the Committee.
9. A quorum for a meeting of the Committee shall consist of four ordinary members and at least one of the following officers: chairperson, secretary, treasurer.
10. Decisions of the Committee requiring a vote shall be decided by a simple majority of all members present at the meeting; in the event of a tied vote, the meeting chairperson shall have a second or casting vote.
11. The secretary shall convene Committee meetings by giving notice in writing at least seven days before the appointed date, which shall be agreed with the chairperson. An agenda shall normally be circulated to Committee members in advance of the meeting.
12. The secretary or, with the agreement of other members present another Committee member, shall record the minutes of the meeting. The minutes of each regular Committee meeting shall normally be approved at the next meeting.
13. Committee meetings shall normally be chaired by the chairperson or vice-chairperson. In the event that neither is present at the start of a meeting, and subject to the agreement of those present, another member of the Committee shall chair the meeting until such time as the elected chairperson or vice-chairperson arrives.
14. Providing that a quorum is reached, the (acting) chairperson shall seek the approval of those present to commence the meeting and to adopt the agenda. Members may submit additional agenda items at the start of the meeting for inclusion under A.O.B.
15. Each year, parents will be asked to pay a subscription for use by the Parents’ Association. Any funds raised by the Committee will be used to further its aims as a committee which represents the parents of the school. At each regular Committee meeting, the treasurer shall provide an update on the financial affairs of the Association. The approval of the Committee and the Principal shall normally be sought for any expenditure of funds. The Committee will seek the approval of the Board of Management in regards to fund-raising for projects.
16. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Loreto College Crumlin Parents’ Association shall be held each year, normally in October. All members of the Association shall be notified in writing of the date and time of the AGM at least seven days in advance. The business of the AGM shall be to:
- Receive a report from the Committee regarding the activities of the Association during the year.
- Receive a report from the treasurer regarding the income and expenditure of the Association during the year
- Elect members to the Committee of the Parents’ Association for the coming year
- Adopt the Constitution of the Association or approve any alterations or amendments to the Constitution
- Submit a financial report to the Board of Management annually
17. The Committee of the Parents’ Association shall, in accordance with the Articles of Management, arrange to elect from among the parent body two parent representatives to the Board of Management of the school.
- All parents and guardians of pupils registered in the school shall be eligible for election tothe Board of Management. A gender balance of representatives is desirable.
- Notice of vacancies for the parents’ representatives on the Board of Management shall be sent to all parents two weeks before the election.
- Nominations and consent to be nominated should normally be received seven days before the election; however, nominations may be taken from the floor at the time of the election.
- If there are more than two candidates, a secret ballot shall be held. The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall he declared elected.
- The principal duties of the parent representatives on the Board of Management are to
i. Report back to the Parents’ Association on matters that are relevant to their participation in the relationship between parents and the school, subject to the confidentiality clause of the Articles of Management for Voluntary Secondary Schools
ii. Actively solicit the views of parents and to represent these views at Board of Management meetings
18. A decision to dissolve the Association shall require the consent of a majority of members present at a properly convened Extraordinary General Meeting, which has been called for this purpose. Notice of the intention to dissolve the Association shall be conveyed to the Board of Management of the school in sufficient time to allow for its consideration. In the event of the dissolution of the Parents’ Association, any outstanding funds shall be handed over to the Board of Management of the school.
Date of Ratification: AGM Parents’ Association 9th October 2007
