By-Laws

As at March 2021

INTRODUCTION

  1. These rules are made under the Constitution of Balgownie Public School Parents and Citizens’ Association (‘the Association’), Incorporated in June 2010.  These rules establish the policies and procedures for carrying out the business of the Association.    These By-Laws can only be changed at a meeting of the Association with one (1) months notice, and must have a majority vote in favour of the change. (The Constitution shall have overall binding authority, and any By-Law rule which shall be contrary to any clause of the Constitution, shall not override the rules of the Constitution.)

OBJECTIVE

  1.  The Association is formed for the benefit of the pupils of the school, which will:

a)         participate as much as possible in the activities of the school and communicate with all members of the school community;

b)         co-operate in the activities of the Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Associations of New South Wales, and District and Regional Councils; and

c)         promote the interests of public education.

GENERAL MEETING

  1.  A general meeting of the Association should be held on the second Wednesday of each month during term at 7.15pm.

MEMBERSHIP

  1.  Any person eligible for membership may become a member or renew membership by paying the required membership fee to the Treasurer, or nominee of the Treasurer, after any general meeting or at the Annual General Meeting.  Membership will remain current until the close of the Annual General Meeting in the following year
  2.  The prescribed membership fee shall be set each year at the Annual General Meeting.
  3.  All Members and Volunteers shall be bound by the rules of the Association, including the Constitution, By-Laws, Code of Conduct, Harassment and Discrimination policy, Sub-committee rules, OHS guidelines, and any other rules governing the Association.  Any failure to follow these rules may result in revocation of membership.
  4.  A Membership register shall be kept which records all financial members of the Association.  The Secretary (or in their absence the nominated assistant of the Secretary), shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the register of membership at the close of each meeting.
  5.  Membership fees will fall due for payment at the close of the Annual General Meeting of the Association.  Any existing financial member who renews their membership for the following year at the Annual General Meeting shall enjoy continued voting rights for the next financial year.  Any person who allows their membership to lapse on the due date shall be required to wait until the close of the meeting when payment is made to again be eligible to vote.
  6.  Any new member who makes an application for membership and pays the prescribed fee at a general meeting shall not be eligible to vote until the close of that meeting, and accordingly shall not be eligible to vote until the following meeting.
  7.  Any new member who wishes to join and pay their membership fee on the night that the Annual General Meeting arises, must make their payment before the close of the Annual General Meeting in order to be able to vote at the general meeting which follows the Annual General Meeting.  The new member will not be entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting when their application for membership and payment is made, as the membership register is only updated at the end of the Annual General Meeting, and they will not be eligible to vote until the register is formally updated.
  8.  Any person who makes a membership payment at any time between two meetings, shall not be eligible to vote until the close of the meeting following payment.  At the conclusion of this meeting the membership register will be formally updated and the new member will be vested full voting rights at the next upcoming meeting.

MEMBERS’ RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT A MEETING

  1.  A member must confine debate to the question under discussion; avoiding inappropriate or inflammatory language;
  2.  A member, when speaking, shall not be interrupted except by the Chair or by a member raising a point of order.

AGENDA / ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR GENERAL MEETINGS

  1.  Meetings should be conducted as follows:

a)         President’s welcome and opening remarks

b)         Apologies

c)         Acceptance of Minutes of the previous meeting

d)         Business arising from the Minutes

e)         Correspondence

f)         Principal’s report

g) Executive Reports: President, Treasurer

h)         Subcommittee reports and other reports: Uniform Shop, Fundraising, Grants, Grounds & Environment, Sports and other as appropriate

i)         General Business

j)         Date of Next Meeting

k)         Close

 15.  To add an item to the agenda, members should notify the Secretary in writing, ideally at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time.

16.  Any unfinished business which arises as a result of a meeting shall be carried forward to be placed on the Agenda at the following meeting.

17.  Any item of new business which is introduced to a meeting without prior notice may be placed on notice for discussion at a later meeting.

VOTING

  1. Any financial member is entitled to vote at a meeting, (after any waiting time limit specified under Clauses, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the By-Laws has expired).
  2. All questions or motions, except when otherwise specified in the Constitution and By-Laws, shall be decided by a simple majority vote.
  3.  Voting on any question shall be decided on the voices unless a prescribed majority is required or unless a show of hands is called for as soon as the Chair has announced the result.
  4.  A simple majority is defined as when more votes are cast for the motion than against.  In the case of a 50/50 voting split, the President shall remove their vote on the matter.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

  1.  The Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held in Marchof each year, in conjunction with and preceding the ordinary general meeting for that month.   The agenda of the Annual General Meeting shall include:

a)         President’s welcome and opening remarks;

b)         Apologies;

c)         Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting;

d)         Business arising from the Minutes;

e)         Annual Reports:  President, Treasurer (to include presentation of annual audited financial statements for approval and adoption), Sub-committees, Principal ;

f)         Election of Office-Bearers;

g)        Election of Sub-Committee(s), Grants Co-ordinator, Website Administrator, and any other roles agreed upon by the Association for the upcoming year;

h)        Election of Auditor for the following year;

i)         Annual Membership fee to be determined;

j)         Confirmation of bank account signatories for the year;

k)        Date of next Annual General Meeting;

l)         Close.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LENGTH OF SERVICE

  1.  The Executive shall consist of the officers of the Association.  No person shall serve more than three (3) consecutive years in the same Executive position.  At the end of a three (3) year term, a person may take up a different role for a substantive term of service not exceeding another three (3) years.  This limitation rule shall not apply to any sub-committee position.

NOMINATIONS AND RECRUITMENT OF EXECUTIVES

  1.  Any expression to nominate for an Executive role (or roles) should be submitted in writing to the President or Secretary at least seven (7) days prior to the Annual General Meeting.  Election day shall be day seven (7) for the purpose of calculating the days.  A person can nominate for more than one position at an election, however may only take up one elected position. When elected into a position, and accepting that position, a person shall be deemed to have withdrawn from any outstanding nominations for any other positions on the Executive Committee.
  2.  Call for nominations for an Executive position at any upcoming Annual General Meeting shall be advertised publicly in a P&C Newsletter or similar flyer at least twenty one (21) days before the upcoming Annual General Meeting.  The day of the Annual General Meeting shall be day twenty one (21) for the purpose of calculating the days.
  3.  All nominations for an Executive position shall remain confidential and be privy between only the President and the Secretary until seven (7) days before an Annual General Meeting, after which time all nominations shall be advertised during election week to ensure transparency and to inform the school community who the nominees are.
  4.  If no nominations are received for a particular position seven (7) days before an Annual General Meeting, an extension of time shall apply to that position. A public announcement shall also be made extending the time period for nominations for that position only.  An urgent call shall be made for nominations for the outstanding position which may be received up until the start of the Annual General Meeting.  All other positions that have received a prior nomination, or nominations, shall remain closed.
  5.  If no urgent nominations are received for a position after an urgent call in the P&C newsletter, a last and final call shall be made at the Annual General Meeting for eligible volunteers to come forward from those present within the room at the Annual General Meeting. Only financial members may nominate for a role.
  6.  If an urgent call for nominations shall apply, and no nominations are received at a final call at the Annual General Meeting from any eligible persons, the position shall be held to be vacant at the Annual General Meeting, and shall be dealt with and filled by way of casual vacancy under Clause 60 of the By-Laws at a future general meeting.

ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT

  1. The President is responsible for:
  • The successful functioning of the P&C Association;
  • The attainment of the P&C Association’s objectives;
  • Ensuring that the P&C Association takes part in decision-making processes in the school;
  • Fostering fair participation of all members and ensuring that all new members are made to feel welcome;
  • Supporting volunteers;
  • Consistent adherence to the Constitution;
  • Acting as the P&C Association’s spokesperson when public statements or actions are needed and making statements which accurately reflect the views of the Association;
  • Setting up lines of communication with the Principal;
  • Being a signatory on the Associations’ bank accounts;
  • Training other Executive members;
  • Chairing meetings;
  • The President is automatically a member of all P&C sub-committees.

ROLE OF THE VICE PRESIDENTS

  1. The two (2) Vice Presidents are responsible for providing support to the President in their role, and shall fill in for the President in their absence.

ROLE OF THE SECRETARY

  1. The Secretary is responsible for:
  • Carrying out the decisions of the meeting (unless otherwise stipulated);
  • Notifying the school community of all Association meeting dates, and other important events;
  • Undertaking routine administrative duties;
  • Preparing meeting agendas in consultation with the President;
  • Attending the Association meetings and taking notes of the decisions in order to produce a set of Minutes for subsequent distribution to members within ten (10) working days for a general meeting, and seven (7) consecutive days for an Annual General Meeting; and for possible amendment and adoption at the following meeting; (In the absence of the Secretary the meeting may elect a person to take the Minutes).
  • Acting as the Voting Delegate for NSW Federation election correspondence.
  • Receiving and tabling incoming correspondence;
  • Writing and despatch outgoing correspondence as required;
  • Convening special meetings when requested;
  • Providing information as requested by the P&C Federation;
  • Maintaining official records of the P&C Association such as;
    • The Constitution, by-laws, rules of subcommittees
    • Incorporation Certificate
    • ABN Details
    • List of financial (voting) members
    • Minutes
    • Attendance Book
    • Correspondence

ROLE OF THE TREASURER

  1.  The Treasurer must comply with all requirements of the P&C Federation of NSW.

The Treasurer is responsible for:

  • Preparation of a projected financial budget at the beginning of each year, to be presented at the Annual General Meeting.
  • Compliance with all financial accountability requirements of the Association;
  • Receiving and depositing all monies received by the Association;
  • Maintaining accurate financial records;
  • Payment of invoices;
  • Giving advice and setting an example for others so that all funds held and handled by the P&C are openly accounted for;
  • The Treasurer is responsible for all funds held in the name of the P&C, including, uniform shop, and all other specific fundraising committees.  (This does not mean that the Treasurer must undertake the actual bookkeeping themselves, but they must ensure that the various sub-committee financial records have been kept to the Treasurer’s satisfaction.)
  • The Treasurer should encourage members to understand the state of the P&C finances;
  • Presenting a report in the form of an income and expenditure statement together with a reconciled statement from all bank accounts and payment platforms at each P&C Meeting;
  • The Treasurer is required to forward all financial records to the auditor.  After completion of the audit, the financial statements, with all signed certificates appended, are to be presented at the Annual General Meeting for approval and adoption;
  • Being a signatory on the Associations’ bank accounts and payment platforms.

ROLE OF ANY EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

  1. An Executive Assistant (ie the Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer) shall be responsible for providing support to the Executive position they have been elected to assist in the roles outlined above, and shall fill in for that Executive in his or her absence.

ROLE OF THE CHAIR PERSON

  1.  The Chair shall be responsible for:
  • Chairing the meeting  (This role is usually the responsibility of the President or at a sub-committee meeting the convenor);
  • Following the agenda;
  • The Chair shall remain neutral, allowing all sides of an argument to be heard, and allowing as many people as possible to speak;
  • Ensuring the rights of individual members are respected and protected;
  • Preserving order, including ruling on contentious matters of procedure and assisting the progress of discussion by preventing irrelevant or repetitions discussion or offensive remarks;
  • If the Chair is not able to remain neutral he/she should step down for that section of the meeting and another person should be allocated to Chair the meeting for the entire course of the discussion on the specific topic;
  • Ensuring one speaker at a time has the floor;
  • Knowing the rules of the Constitution;
  • The Chairperson may ask a member to leave the room or absent themselves from the meeting for a period of time should they display behaviour that breaches the code of conduct;

ROLE OF SUB-COMMITTEE CONVENOR

  1.  The responsibilities of a sub-committee convenor are:
  • Calling sub-committee meetings and informing all sub-committee members;
  • Advising the President of all sub-committee meetings;
  • Liaising between and providing information to all sub-committee members of all activities and events of the committee;
  • all members of the sub-committee;
  • Chairing sub-committee meetings;
  • Ensuring that decisions are made as a sub-committee group and reported back to the Association;
  • Following the rules of Chairing a meeting as set out in Clause 35 of the By-Laws;
  • Keeping all records of the sub-committee;
  • Presenting a report to each general meeting of the Association to report on the progress, activities, events and recommendations of the sub-committee;
  • Ensuring that no funds are expended by the sub-committee without the prior express authority of the Association, except where specific delegation has been granted to expend funds for the normal running costs for authorised expenditure items only;
  • Ensuring that receipts are presented to the Treasurer for items expended by the sub-committee;
  • Ensuring that delegated authorised expenditure for normal running costs associated with the operation of the sub-committee activities are voted upon at a sub-committee meeting before the expenditure is made;
  • Ensuring that no individual sub-committee member makes any expenditure without consultation at a sub-committee meeting;

ROLE OF THE GRANTS CO-ORDINATOR

  1.  The responsibilities of the Grants Coordinator are:
  • Presenting a report to each general meeting of the Association to report on upcoming opportunity, progress and outcome of grant applications and activities and events resulting from successful grants;
  • Investigating upcoming relevant grant opportunities;
  • Acting as a central point of contact for members of the school community to communicate grant opportunities and seek information regarding grant applications or progress of successful grants;
  • Coordinating the development and lodging of grant applications through communication with the President (or other nominated Executive officer), the Principal, other relevant staff, interested P&C members and other parents/carers, relevant organisations and other relevant members of the community;
  • Ensuring that successfully funded projects are implemented by liaising with key individuals;
  • Ensuring that reporting requirements to the funding body are met.

ROLE OF THE WEBSITE ADMINSTRATOR

38.

  • To update and maintain the website from time to time when requested by the Executive.
  • To maintain a register of logins to all digital platforms including website, Skoolbag, domain hosting, Facebook etc.
  • To support digital communications between P&C and the school community as directed by Executive officers.

VOTING PROCEDURES / BALLOT AT ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

  1.  All financial members who are present at the Annual General Meeting are entitled to vote at the election of the new Executive.   No proxy votes will be accepted.
  2.  The Ballot shall proceed as follows:

a)         If only one nomination is received for a particular position, the confirmation shall be by way of show of hands;

b)         If more than one competing nomination is received for a particular position, the election shall proceed by way of secret ballot.

41.  A secret ballot shall proceed as follows:

a)         Each member who is entitled to vote shall be given a ballot paper to record their vote;

b)         Each member is only entitled to vote once for each position;

c)         Any member who does not wish to vote shall write “abstain” on their voting form and the vote shall not 

d)         The Returning officer or a nominated independent officer shall ensure that one (1) ballot slip only is returned for each voting member;

e)         The Returning Officer or a nominated independent officer shall count the votes.  To maintain independence, the counting officer shall not be a member of the current Executive or a person who has nominated for a position;

f)         The Returning Officer shall count the number of members who have participated in the vote and compare against the number of ballot papers received.  Should the numbers not coincide a re-vote shall be announced.

g)         The Returning Officer shall announce the successful nominee for the position;

42.  The School Principal shall be asked to act as the returning officer at the Annual General Meeting.  If the Principal is unavailable another independent officer shall be nominated and agreed upon by all eligible voting members present at the Annual General Meeting.

43.  The Principal holds the same voting rights as any other member of the Association.   However, the Principal (or any other person acting in the position of returning officer) shall not be eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting if he or she is acting as Returning Officer.   The Principal (or other independent officer) will resume full voting rights at any other meeting of the Association when he or she is no longer acting as Returning Officer.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AFTER AN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

  1.  The outgoing Executive and Sub-committee Officers shall conduct a hand-over of all Association business, files, paperwork, passwords, email accounts, website accounts, financial accounts, records, books and other property within fourteen (14) consecutive days from the date of the Annual General Meeting.  For the purpose of calculating the days, the day of the Annual General Meeting shall be day one (1).
  2.  The outgoing Secretary (or a nominated assistant of the outgoing Secretary) shall be responsible for organising the typing and distribution of the Minutes within seven (7) consecutive days after an Annual General Meeting to ensure the smooth transition of the new Executive members, to ensure the financial books can be handed over to the new Treasurer within a timely manner to facilitate the continued smooth financial management of the Association..
  3.  The outgoing Treasurer shall be responsible for handing over all financial records and books to the new Treasurer within five (5) consecutive days after receiving the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting to ensure the smooth running of the financial affairs of the Association.
  4.  The new Treasurer (or nominated assistant of the new Treasurer) shall be responsible for attending the bank of the Association and updating the new signatories on all P&C accounts within five (5) working days after hand over of the financial books of the Association.  The Treasurer shall seek removal of all prior signatories and shall seek the newly appointed signatories to be recorded on all bank records.  At the time of doing this the Treasurer must provide the banking institution with a copy of the Minutes which outlines the newly elected members and signatories of the Association.
  5.  The Website Administrator shall be responsible for changing any digital passwords for any Association internet communication media such as the email account, and website account within five (5) days of receipt of handover to maintain security.

FINANCIAL YEAR OF THE ASSOCIATION

  1.  The financial year of the Association will close on 31stDecember each year.  All financial accounts and books of the Association (including those of sub-committees) shall be submitted to an independent auditor at the end of each and every financial year for auditing.
  2.  The Treasurer (or in his or her absence the nominated assistant of the Treasurer) shall forward a copy of all audited financial statements of the Association to the NSW Parents and Citizens Federation within one (1) month from the date of the Annual General Meeting.

ABSENCE OF EXECUTIVE OFFICER WITHOUT GOOD REASON

  1.  A general meeting of the Association may declare any officer who has been absent for three (3) successive meetings, without good reason, to have vacated their position and to have created a casual vacancy to be dealt with by means of Clause 6 of the Constitution, and Clause 52 of the By-Laws.

CASUAL VACANCY OF EXECUTIVE POSITION

  1.  Any casual vacancy, as defined by Clause 6 of the Constitution, that arises during the year shall be filled at the next possible meeting, after adequate notice of the intention to fill the position has been advertised.  Adequate notice should be deemed to be a period of not less than twenty one (21) days.  Should adequate notice not be able to be given before the next meeting arises, the position should be filled at the following meeting, after adequate notice has been able to be given.  The procedure for nominations shall follow the guidelines as set out in Clauses 24-28 of the By-Laws.

COMMUNICATION WITH SCHOOL COMMUNITY

  1.  The Executive Committee shall be responsible for maintaining regular communication and engagement with the school community.

BUDGET

  1.  The Treasurer shall prepare a projected budget for the upcoming financial year which shall be presented at a general meeting for approval.  This Budget will assist the Association to make informed decisions when voting upon expending Association money during the financial year.  The projected budget shall be an estimation (statement of intention) of the income and expenditure of the Association for the financial year based on past economic performance and expenditure and adjusted to anticipate the probable effect of any special projects or one-off events.   The Budget can be altered at any time, by majority vote, after initial ratification at a general or special meeting.

EXPENDITURE OF MONEY

  1.  Any expenditure of Association monies must be approved at a meeting of the Association (exceptwhere any expenditure has been approved under clause 79 of the by-laws and is subject to delegated authority).

ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES

  1.  The Treasurer is responsible for overseeing all financial matters of the Association.
  2.  All members and volunteers of the Association are required to keep records of all financial matters and expenditures of the Association to be produced to the Treasurer.
  3.  All Association money shall be banked in a timely manner.  Amounts exceeding $250 should be banked within five (5) working days after being received.
  4.  Any Association money received which cannot be immediately banked must be stored in a safe until it is able to be banked.  Confirmation of this course of action shall be communicated to the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer.
  5.  For OHS requirements, when Association banking exceeds $2000, the P&C shall encourage at least two (2) persons to attend the bank together for safety reasons.
  6.  An officer who is authorised at a general meeting of the Association to expend an approved amount of funds shall not expend more than the authorised amount.
  7.  All members shall be required to follow the cash handling procedures of the Association.  (The Association’s cash handling procedure helps all volunteers and members who have the responsibility of handling cash to be protected whilst they are handling community money.  The Association is also required to ensure that all members, the community, the auditor, and regulators are confident that all cash received at any P&C event is properly accounted for).
  8.  Receipts are required to be produced to the Treasurer for all expenditures of P&C funds.  If a receipt is unable to be produced re-imbursement may not be possible.  If a receipt is lost, a sworn Statutory Declaration will be required before re-imbursement can be made.
  9.  All change floats allocated to volunteers at any fundraising event stall shall be recorded and receipted on distribution, including the amount distributed, and the name of who the float is handed to.
  10.  Any fundraising money taken at an Association fundraising event or any other fundraising activity shall be counted and signed by two people, and a cash handling record sheet shall be completed and provided along with the monies taken to the Treasurer.  The cash handing record shall also be provided to the event co-ordinator for financial reporting purposes at the next Association meeting.  For the purposes of this clause the Treasurer shall be able to be one of the persons who counts the money.
  11.  An Association event or activity co-ordinator shall be responsible for reporting on all final tallies and financial outcomes after an event to the Treasurer and to the Association meeting.

AUTHORITY TO DELEGATE

  1.  The Association may delegate authority to an authorised sub-committee set up by the Association, to expend funding for the normal running costs or to make decisions regarding ongoing normal activities associated with the functions of that sub-committee, eg. fundraising or uniform shop.  This ongoing delegated authority shall be determined by the Association, and can be amended, altered or cancelled at any general or special meeting of the Association.  Any delegated expenditure must not exceed the approved delegated amount.  No individual person can be given delegated authority to expend any funding for ongoing running costs, and the delegation is only extended to the sub-committee as a group. Any proposed sub-committee expenditure for normal ongoing expenses, must be unanimously agreed upon at a meeting of that sub-committee before the expenditure is authorised to be made.

SUB-COMMITTEE DECISIONS

  1.  Any sub-committee decision outside of delegated authority outlined in clause 67 (whether financial or otherwise) shall be reported to an Association meeting and decided upon by a majority vote at a general meeting before the sub-committee decision is authorised to be acted upon.  Should an urgent matter arise which must be dealt with before the next general meeting, the sub-committee decision can only be acted upon with majority approval from the Executive Committee, and this urgent decision must then be tabled at the next general meeting.

URGENT DECISION MADE BY THE EXECUTIVE IN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES

  1.  The Executive must be mindful not to make decisions that should be debated at a general meeting.  However, the Executive shall be vested the power to make an urgent decision in between meetings, in certain sensitive or extraordinary circumstances.   A sensitive circumstance is an issue that would be required to remain confidential, (whether under legislation, human rights policy, or otherwise), and is a matter that would not be appropriate to disclose to a public forum.  An extraordinary circumstance shall arise if failure to act on an issue before the date of the next general meeting, may pose a serious detrimental affect on the Association, School, or a person.  A serious detrimental affect may be held to be (but is not limited to);
  • Financial loss (either monetary or other financial benefit);
  • Cancellation of the Association’s insurance policy;
  • Risk to public health and/or safety;
  • Breach of Occupational Health and Safety legislation;
  • Breach of any other legislation, authority, or council regulation;
  • Possible detriment to the good name and reputation of the Association and it’s members;
  • Possible detriment to the good name and reputation of the School and it’s staff;

The Executive shall be vested the power to make a decision in certain sensitive or extraordinary circumstances to revoke a membership for any person who conducts himself or herself in a manner that may constitute a serious breach of acceptable behaviour or a serious breach of any Association rule that would warrant such revocation.  When coming to a decision the Executive should consider the effect of this cancellation on the member, the children, the school, the community and the Association.  The protection of children shall be the most important consideration when making any decision.  A sensitive or extraordinary circumstance shall be deemed to be a circumstance that would need to remain confidential to protect the interests of those involved, when it would not be appropriate to bring the circumstances leading up the question of revocation to a public forum (whether under legislation, human rights policy, or otherwise).  Any such decision to revoke a membership made by the Executive shall be forwarded to that person in writing, outlining the reasons for cancellation of the membership.  That person shall also be informed in writing of a right of formal review of the revocation, if they are not happy with the decision.

Any formal review of the decision shall be required to be presented to an Association general meeting for full review, and a final decision shall be made by all those present at that meeting who are entitled to vote.  Should an appellant wish to take a matter to a general meeting for review, the appellant acknowledges that any right of confidentiality will be waived and the full matter will be disclosed and discussed in an open general meeting. During this review the appellant shall present his or her matter to the general meeting, and shall make submissions to that meeting.  The Executive members shall also present their decision to the general meeting and provide the reason for coming to their decision.  This decision of the general meeting shall be final and no other internal Association review or appeal process shall be available, accept where provided under legislation.

However of utmost important, during any public formal review process, all parties (including the appellant, the Association, or otherwise) shall be mindful never to disclose the identity of any child or provide any information that may identify a child, who may be subject in any way to the circumstances leading up to a formal review for a decision of revocation of membership.  Should a circumstance arise when it would not be appropriate to seek a formal review in a public forum in order to protect the privacy or interests of a child, (or when any legislation, privacy issue, human rights policy, or otherwise would prohibit such public disclosure), the matter shall alternatively be presented to the Principal of the School in confidence (or a member of staff nominated by that Principal in confidence) who will then be responsible for making the final decision whether the revocation shall apply.  No other internal review process will be available when this Principal’s final decision is made, except where provided under legislation.

  1.  An urgent decision of the Executive made in between meetings shall only be acted upon with majority approval from the Executive Committee,and this urgent decision must then be tabled at the next general meeting. (The majority approval rule shall not apply only if any law, OHS issue, insurer, authority or regulated body would require that action must be taken).

COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES

  1.  Parents and carers are encouraged to address any concerns about procedures or affairs directly to the President of the Association. Complaints should be in writing  At the time of making a complaint, please make it clear whether you wish your concerns to be raised and discussed at a meeting or whether they are to remain confidential.  All complaints should be made on one’s own behalf about matters relating directly to the person making the complaint.  If the complaint relates directly about the President, then the matter should be referred to the next Executive Officer of the Association.
  2.  A concern or issue may be raised at an Association Meeting.  Forty-eight (48) hours notice should be given in order that the matter can be placed on the Agenda.  Concerns and grievances raised at a meeting in a public forum should not infringe on the personal rights of another.   All persons must observe the conventional decorum of debate when raising concerns at a meeting.
  3.  The Association shall have no authority over complaints or concerns over teaching staff or any matter relating to the control and management of the school under Clause 3 of the Constitution.  Matters pertaining to these issues will be referred to the Principal of the school.

SANCTIONING A MEMBER OR OFFICER OF THE ASSOCIATION

  1.  The President in consultation with the Vice Presidents (with majority consent), shall be vested the power to counsel or sanction any member or Executive officer of the Association for any conduct, behaviour or neglect of duty which breaches the Constitution, By-laws, Code of Conduct, statement of duties, sub-committee rules, or other policies and rules of the Association or Federation.  If the behaviour or conduct relates directly to the President or a Vice President, the Principal of the school shall be vested the power to act in the circumstances.

When this clause shall apply the following process shall be taken:

    1. First breach – Counselling shall be provided;
    2. Second Breach – Counselling and a warning shall be provided;
    3. Third Breach – Action shall be implemented.  When considering what action shall be taken consideration should be given to the circumstances leading up to the issue being considered.  Action may include one or any the following steps:
      • removal from office;
      • demotion from office to general member;
      • revocation of membership;
      • training to be implemented.

Should any person subject to this clause be unhappy with the decision, they may seek a formal review of the matter to be heard before a general meeting of the Association under the review process as set out in clause69 of the by-laws.

INSURANCE POLICY

  1.  The Executive Committee shall be responsible for organising the yearly insurance policy of the Association through the P&C Federation of NSW or similar insurer.
  2.  The Treasurer is responsible for organising payment of the annual premium for the insurance policy.
  3.  Should adequate insurance be unable to be obtained, the Executive must inform all members immediately in writing.  In the absence of an insurance policy, the Executive shall meet urgently to determine whether all further P&C activities shall cease until such time as adequate insurance is obtained.  The Executive must take into consideration the best interests of all members and participants at this meeting.

LIFE MEMBERSHIP

  1.  The Association may confer the honour of Life Membership on a member who has made an outstanding contribution to the work of the Association.  Life Members may attend and speak at meetings, but are not entitled to vote or to hold office unless they are also financial members.

ORGANISING A P&C EVENT – OHS REQUIREMENTS

  1. The NSW P&C Federation’s prescribed OHS risk management and assessment document shall be completed by an activity or event co-ordinator when organising a P&C Association activity or event.
  2.  The school’s emergency evacuation plan shall be adopted for any P&C event conducted on school grounds;
  3.  A First Aid officer shall be nominated for any Association event or activity which is outside of school hours or off school grounds;
  4.  An Association event organiser shall keep an attendance sign in register for all volunteers and members assisting at an event, which shall be submitted to the Executive Committee immediately after an event;

NUT ALLERGY

(Note: Risk has been identified that there are children within the school community who suffer from nut and peanut allergy which includes the risk of anaphylaxis.  The P&C has taken steps to put measures into place to increase awareness and reduce risk.)

  1.  The school’s anaphylaxis and allergy policies shall be followed for any P&C event conducted on or off school grounds.  The P&C shall support the school’s campaign – “Be safe, be a mate, leave peanut (and nut) products at home.”
  2.  The P&C will encourage persons and vendors notto bring nuts to P&C events.

THANK YOU OR OTHER GRATUITOUS GIFT TO ANOTHER

  1. The Association has set an approved maximum amount of $40 per person that may be expended by the Executive as a thank you gift or other gratuitous gift to signify appreciation of a member or officer’s dedication or long-standing service to the Association. For the provision of the rules a thank you or other gift to acknowledge the service of a member shall not be considered to be expenditure for the purpose of individual or personal gain, and is approved under the by-laws so as not breach any other clause of the rules.

VIRTUAL MEETINGS

  1. P&C meetings may be held in person, or virtually. A mixture of meeting formats should be used in a year to ensure equitable access for community members regardless of access to technology.
  2. When providing notice of a meeting, the Secretary is to provide details of whether the meeting will be hosted virtually or in person. Details must also be provided on how to gain access to the meeting virtually.
  3. Attendees should confirm their attendance to the Secretary before the meeting, providing a contact phone number in case of technical issues.
  4. The Secretary, or their nominated representative, is to monitor the attendees during the meeting to ensure that no one ‘drops out’ of the meeting due to technical issues. If this does occur, the Secretary should attempt to contact the attendee to confirm their intent to rejoin the meeting.
  5. If technical issues cause the meeting numbers to drop below a quorum (as per quorum guidelines in the Constitution) the meeting must be paused until a quorum is re-established. If this is not possible, the meeting should be held over until a later date.
  6. The preferred method of holding virtual meetings is Zoom. If a vote is required, online voting software should be used to facilitate a secure, tracked ballot.
  7. Meetings must not be recorded.

YEAR SIX FAREWELL

  1. The Association has approved a maximum amount of $23 per Year 6 student head that may be authorised to be paid by the Association towards each annual Year Six farewell.  However this promise of payment shall NOT apply in any given year if the maximum total amount calculated under this clause is not available in the P&C account for the year in question as at the 30th April of that year, and shall NOT apply if the provision of the annual gift would put the Association into financial hardship for that particular year.

The question of availability of funding or financial hardship for a particular year shall be considered at the next meeting directly after the 30th April of each year when a decision on availability of funding or hardship shall be made. If it is deemed that insufficient funds or hardship would apply for that year, alternative fundraising activities may be approved to raise P&C funds to go towards that Year Six Farewell.

Note however:  If the total amount raised in the approved fundraiser does not reach the total calculated amount that would normally be provided under provision of this clause then the Association shall not be obliged to pay any further amount towards the Yr 6 Farewell for that particular year and the total amount raised shall be deemed to be the whole promise for that particular year.

However, if the total fundraising amount exceeds over and above the normal total calculated amount that would normally be promised under this clause (ie maximum amount per head x number of YR 6 students), any excess funding raised over and above this amount is capped at the normal rate and any excess shall remain the property of the P&C Association and not pass to the Year Six Farewell as part of promised funding.
Any amount paid for a Farewell shall be held in trust by the school to be expended by the parent body approved to plan the event.  It is a provision of the agreement of the provision of the gift that copies of all receipts expended by the authorised organising body shall be provided to the Treasurer on expenditure in order that the gift may be acquitted for Association accounting and auditing purposes.  Any remaining amount that is not expended at the end of the event shall remain the property of the P&C and shall be returned to the Association.

The annual amount outlined in this clause may be re-considered from time to time at a general meeting of the Association with a view to an increase in accordance with inflation or rising costs.  Before any increase can be approved, a projected or proposed budget of approximate expenditure must be provided to the general meeting for consideration of any increase.