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Parents

By-Laws

Article I - Mission

To promote school spirit and foster the school community by building relationships between students, teachers, parents and staff.

Article II - Objectives
The Objectives of the PTA
  1. Organize events to engage and strengthen the Al-Bayan Bilingual School (BBS) community
  2. Host PTA workshops and meetings on topics relevant to supporting the BBS community
  3. Welcome new BBS parents and staff and involve them in community building activities
  4. Raise funds for the school and the PTA
  5. Assist the different school stakeholders to effectively communicate amongst each other
  6. Create an annual plan outlining the PTA’s goals and an evaluation system to measure its success

The PTA’s objectives will not involve

  1. Individual complaints
  2. School administrative tasks
  3. Curriculum development
  4. Running activities without the consultation of relevant school administrative parties
  5. Portraying the school, its staff, its management or students in a negative manner
Article III - PTA
  1. Composition: The PTA shall be composed of 10 elected members, 1 parent and 1 staff member from each school (Preschool, Middle School, High School), and 2 parents and 2 staff members from Elementary. Elected members are expected to attend all PTA meetings and community meetings with parents and staff for one term, which is equivalent to two academic years.
  2. The PTA will commence on September 1st or the first day of the academic year, whichever comes first, and end on June 30th of the second academic year.
  3. Term limits for PTA members shall be a total of 2 terms. If willing, a candidate who has served the maximum number of terms may be elected to serve an additional term provided no other interested candidate is nominated.
  4. Meetings: Regularly scheduled meetings of the PTA shall be held monthly, September through June, on an agreed upon day and time of every month.
  5. The order of business at the meetings, unless changed by the executive committee, shall be:
    • Call to Order
    • Reading and approval of the previous meeting minutes
    • President’s report
    • Treasurer’s report
    • Committee reports
    • Old business
    • Adjournment
  6. Voting: Each member of the PTA shall be entitled to one vote. In case of a tie in the voting process during a meeting, the president’s vote will count as 2 votes
  7. Quorum: 7 members of the PTA shall constitute a quorum, allowing for official business to be transacted. A meeting cannot be held without either the president or the vice president.
  8. All meetings must have minutes taken by the PTA secretary. The president or the vice president must sign minutes if he or she chaired the meeting. The minutes should be sent to all PTA members and the School Director after each meeting. In the absence of the PTA secretary, an alternate PTA executive committee member will be assigned to take the minutes.
  9. The PTA will draft the annual plan in September. The plan will include projects related to building the school’s community, fund raising, improving communication with parents…etc. The plan will include timelines and proposed budgets for each.
  10. Each PTA member will lead at least one project a year (two projects during their term.)
Article IV - Election Process
  1. Elections for the PTA shall take place by April 30th. The Director should be notified of the date and time of the biennial election no later than April 1st.
  2. Parents of students attending Al-Bayan Bilingual School as well as staff are all entitled to two votes, one for a parent and one for a staff member. Should the parent or staff member have children in different schools, then that parent or staff member gets one vote per school in which their children are in.
  3. Before the election process, parents and staff shall receive a letter to inform them of their voting rights.
  4. The members elected for the should consist of 10 members, 1 parent and 1 staff from Preschool, Middle School, and High School, and 2 parents and 2 staff members from Elementary School. All members running for PTA positions must have completed two full academic years with BBS as a prerequisite for nomination (except in Preschool).
  5. The BBS administration will manage the election process by assigning one or two volunteers from the current BBS staff members to manage the nomination and election process.
  6. Duties include the following:
    • Preparing and distributing notices pertaining to the nomination and election process
    • Ensuring that all parent and staff members have an opportunity for nomination, including self-nomination
    • Gathering a list of the nominees and their bios
    • Verifying the eligibility of all interested candidates prior to the election with the assistance of the Registration and Human Resources offices
    • Managing the elections within each of the four schools online.
    • Setting up an online account to conduct each school election electronically
    • Scheduling the election at a time that ensures maximum participation
    • Ensuring that only eligible members receive a ballot or code for voting.
  7. Once elected, the new members of the PTA will have to read the By-Laws and sign each page.
  8. June Transfer of Records: All PTA Records must be maintained for 6 years. Outgoing PTA members must ensure that records are transferred to the newly elected members, including all parent contact information obtained during their term of office. Transfers must occur on school premises, in the presence of the BBS Director.
  9. Participation guidelines/ Attendance commitment:
    • Any member who fails to attend 2 consecutive or 3 executive committee meetings in a year without a valid reason shall be removed by recommendation. The officer shall be given the opportunity to submit in writing an explanation showing good reason for not attending these meetings for the executive committee’s consideration. The result of the motion must be submitted in writing to the BBS Director
    • Members may be asked to resign by the BBS Director in the following cases:
      • Failure to abide by the PTA objectives outlined in Article II
      • Undisclosed self-dealing or any conduct of private business or personal services between a PTA member and the school community
      • Exercising individual authority over the school in the name of the PTA
    • A terminated member will be replaced with the next runner up and in case no one is available, an election will be held for that vacancy.
Article V - Officers
  1. The members shall elect an executive committee amongst them during their first meeting.
  2. The elected executive committee of the PTA shall consist of president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.
  3. Duties of Officers
    • The PTA president will:
      • Ensure that all PTA By-Laws are fully implemented
      • Preside at all meetings of the PTA and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee
      • Schedule meetings and chair them
      • Specify the agenda for meetings
      • Review and approve minutes of meetings by signing them
      • Monitor sub-committees’ work progress
      • Delegate responsibilities to other association members
      • Encourage meaningful participation in all parent and school activities
      • Review, approve, and sign all internal and external PTA correspondences
      • Work with Treasurer to insure PTA funds are adequately managed
      • Assist with the June transfer of PTA records to the incoming PTA
    • The PTA vice-president will:
      • Collaborate with the president to achieve PTA objectives and targets
      • Assume the president’s duties in his/her absence
      • Assist with the June transfer of PTA records to the incoming PTA executive committee
    • The PTA treasurer will:
      • Manage all financial affairs and funds of the PTA in coordination with FAWSEC
      • Maintain copies of updated records of all income and expenditures on school premises
      • Present interim and annual financial reports
      • Provide the auditors with the necessary documentation upon request
      • Assist with the June transfer of PTA records to the incoming PTA executive committee
    • The PTA secretary will:
      • Set meeting agendas and dates and times with president and inform members
      • Write minutes of meetings, including attendance, editing them, and circulate them to members after approval and signature of the president
      • File all data related to PTA
      • Assist with the June transfer of PTA records to the incoming PTA executive committee
Article VI - Committees
  1. The PTA is allowed to create sub-committees within the PTA structure, which are aligned to the PTA goals.
  2. Ad-hoc committees shall be established by PTA approval.
  3. The standing sub-committees of the PTA are the following:
    • Communications:  The communications committee shall be responsible for encouraging parent participation, and outreach. This includes:
      • assisting the different school stakeholders to effectively communicate amongst each other
      • coordinating their outreach efforts and strategies with the school’s administration
      • preparing a newsletter to all members which contains, at a minimum, messages from the Director, PTA president, list of members, all association meeting dates, student and parent events, school policies, and any other material deemed appropriate by the PTA
      • maintaining a current list of members
      • promoting events and activities
      • reaching out to parents and staff to nominate themselves whenever a PTA election is held and ensure that nominated representatives of both staff and parents are available for each school
    • This committee will need to receive approval from the Director prior to sending any communication to the public, such as letters to parents, general announcements, fliers...etc.
    • Events and Activities: The events and activities committee shall coordinate details of PTA events and activities. This includes:
      • planning events and activities that are in line with the PTA’s objectives and annual plan
      • monitoring timelines and ensure deadlines are met
      • working with the communications committee to design and distribute promotional materials
      • ensuring adherence to the PTA budget
      • collecting data necessary to demonstrate community participation and engagement after an activity or event ends to be presented at the next meeting or community meeting
    • Audit:  The audit committee shall conduct an internal audit of all financial affairs of the organization at the end of the term. The treasurer, in coordination with FAWSEC, shall make all books and records available to the audit committee. The audit committee shall prepare a written report to be presented to the executive committee and may be presented during the final community meeting upon completion of their review and investigation.
  4. Participation in sub-committees:
    • At least one member needs to participate in each sub-committee.
    • Opportunities to volunteer for the PTA sub-committees will be communicated to the parent and teacher community at BBS at large.
    • The PTA members will then form the sub-committees using the pool of volunteers.
    • Once formed, the committees need to elect a head amongst them.
    • Only heads of the PTA sub-committees will be allowed to vote on PTA issues related to their project.
    • Sub-committees may seek the assistance of non-member parents, staff, and students for events and activities.
    • Non-members assisting sub-committees are considered volunteers for a specific event and/or activity and their role ends when that event and/or activity ends.
Article VII - Community Meetings
  1. The community meetings of the association shall be held at least once every semester with the dates determined by the executive committee. Written notice of each community meeting shall be distributed in Arabic and English. Notice must be sent at least ten calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting.
  2. All meetings, including committee and executive committee meetings must be held on the BBS campus. Under no circumstances are association meetings to be held in private residences or commercial venues (e.g. restaurants).
  3. All parents of current students and current staff may attend and participate in community meetings.
  4. Other attendees may only speak or otherwise participate, if acknowledged by the presiding officer.
  5. The community meetings may involve the following:
    • Encourage and select parent and staff volunteers for events that build the  school community
    • Present the approved PTA annual plan to parents and staff
    • Communicate dates of planned PTA events
    • Communicate initiatives by the school that involve parents
    • Receive parent feedback through surveys
  6. The quorum for a community meeting must consist of representation by at least 15 parents and staff, including a minimum of 5 PTA members and 10 parents and staff in order to conduct official association business.
  7. Minutes of the previous community meeting shall be available in written form by the PTA secretary and read at every community meeting. The minutes of any community meeting must be made available to any member upon request.
Article VIII - Financial Affairs
  1. The fiscal year of the association shall run from September 1st, through August 31st.
  2. Budget Process: The PTA shall be responsible for the development of the budget. The incoming PTA must create the proposed budget by October 1st and present it during the first general meeting in semester 1 along with the annual plan. At the end of the term, the outgoing PTA must review the budget versus actual expenditures.
  3. Handling Finances:
    • All funds collected by the PTA have to be deposited with FAWSEC (with the supporting documents attached) in an account designated for the PTA. The treasurer will receive a deposit slip for that same amount. The PTA has complete access to its funds at any point in time.
    • Payments from the PTA account by FAWSEC require a letter signed jointly by the PTA president and Treasurer and addressed to the Accounts Manager at FAWSEC. The vice president may sign in place of the president if the latter is unavailable. In case the Treasurer is unavailable, the president and the vice president may sign jointly. Supporting documentation (invoices, quotations…etc.) are to be presented with the letter.
    • Documentation related to every transaction must be maintained at FAWSEC (e.g., deposit receipts, purchase orders, association minutes related to the financial transactions, etc.)
    • The Treasurer will be responsible for keeping copies of all the financial records of the PTA (ledgers, invoices, receipts, FAWSEC account etc…) and accounts with FAWSEC. These copies are handed over to the incoming PTA in June. The copies can also be presented to the audit committee for their review.
  4. Financial Reporting:
    • The treasurer shall prepare the Interim PTA Financial Report by January 31st and the Annual PTA Financial Report by the June meeting, including all income, expenditures, and other transactions.
    • These reports shall be presented to the PTA and may be communicated during community meetings as well. Copies of these reports shall be provided to the Director.
  5. Audit:
    • The president shall request volunteers to form an audit committee of 3 to 5 persons. The majority of the committee shall be comprised of general members.
    • The audit committee shall conduct an audit of all financial affairs of the association with the help of the treasurer who shall make all books and records available to them.
    • Additional duties of the audit committee may include examining all relevant financial statements and records of disbursements, verifying all association equipment and ensuring compliance with bylaw provisions for the transaction of funds.
    • The audit committee shall prepare a written audit report to be presented to the PTA and may be communicated during the final community meeting upon completion of their review and investigation. This report shall be included for review and discussion during the June transfer of records.
  6. Purchases:
    • The PTA shall select their product and service providers as they see fit.
    • The PTA can utilize the FAWSEC purchasing department to get supplier quotes when needed.
    • Should the PTA enter into a contractual agreement with a product or service provider that refers to Al-Bayan Bilingual School then the Director has to review such a contract prior to the agreement.
    • The purchase of goods or services from a business in which a PTA member has a financial interest, or may directly benefit from such purchase, is a potential conflict of interest. Such situations should be disclosed to the school’s Director for review prior to the purchase.
  7. The Director’s written consent is required when a fundraising activity is held during school hours or on school property.
  8. The earnings of the PTA will only be used to further the PTA objectives. Any profit at the end of a term will roll over to the next PTA association. No part of the net earnings of the association shall be used to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, committees, officers or other private persons.
Article IX - Dissolution of the PTA
  1. The Director has a right to dissolve the PTA for reasons that it deems necessary such as in adherence to the PTA objectives and By-Laws.
  2. A notice will be sent out to all members about the dissolution of the PTA.
  3. A meeting will be held between the administration and the PTA to agree on the hand over procedures.
Article X - Amending the By-Laws
  1. The PTA may request to amend the PTA By-Laws by writing a letter with the suggested amendment clause and submitting it to the Director and School Board who will review the request and decide whether or not to include the amendment.

 

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