Appendix 1
Member Duties & Responsibilities and Code of Ethical Conduct
1.0 Duties & Responsibilities of Members
i. Observe and uphold the Committee's By-Laws and Code of Ethical Code of Conduct.
ii. Attend all Committee meetings during the fiscal year.
iii. Participate actively in meetings of the Committee.
iv. Conduct themselves at Committee meetings in a professional and cordial manner in the context of the Catholic gospel values.
v. Act as a link between the Committee and the Durham Region Community in support of programs to improve student
achievement and well-being.
vi. Participate in information and training programs.
vii. Serve on a minimum of one (1) Subcommittee established by the Committee.
2.0 Code of Ethical Conduct
i. A Member shall ensure that the interests and well-being of DCDSB students and parents is the primary focus of all decisions.
ii. A Member shall be guided by the Committee's Mission.
iii. A Member shall act within the limits of the roles and responsibilities of the Committee, as noted in the Committee's By-Laws
and Regulation 612/00 of the Ontario Education Act.
iv. A Member shall promote high standards of ethical practice within the Committee.
v. A Member shall maintain the highest standards of civil courtesy, integrity and honesty.
vi. A Member shall recognize and respect the personal integrity of every other Member of the Committee.
vii. A Member shall treat all other Members with respect and all for diverse opinions to be shared without interruption or
discourtesy.
viii. A Member shall encourage a positive environment in which individual contributions are encouraged and valued.
ix. A Member shall acknowledge democratic principles and accept the consensus of the Committee.
x. A Member shall limit discussions at Committee meetings to matters of concern to the Committee as a whole.
xi. A Member shall use established communication channels when questions or concerns arise.
xii. A Member shall declare any conflict of interest.
xiii. A Member shall respect the confidential nature of some Committee business and respect limitations this may place on their
individual right to free speech.
xiv. A Member shall not disclose confidential information.
Appendix 2
Simplified Rules of Order
Robert's Rules: Simplified Rules of Order
If your Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) decides to make decisions formally, by majority vote, or if consensus cannot be reached and a vote is required, the following simplified rules of order may be useful:
3.0 Making a Motion
1. An individual must be recognized by the chair or co-chair before "obtaining the floor" to make a motion. This means that the
chair or co-chair must let a person know that it is his or her turn before that person can speak to the Committee and formally
propose a course of action.
2. Once an individual has the floor, he or she may make a formal proposal, or motion, beginning with the statement
"I move that ...".
3. Before the motion can be considered, another individual must second the motion by saying "I second the motion".
This does not necessarily indicate that he or she agrees with the proposal, only that he or she believes that it is worthy of discussion.
4. Once a motion has been made and seconded, the chair or co-chair restates the motion ("states the question") so that everyone clearly understands what is being proposed. From this point on, until the motion is voted on, all discussion must focus solely on the question.
5. If members of the PIC wish to discuss the motion, the chair or co-chair opens debate. Each participant may speak to the question twice, but no one may speak a second time until everyone has had the chance to speak once.
6. If no one wants to speak further to the motion, the chair or co-chair may ask the PIC if it is ready for "the question" (ready to vote on the proposal). The chair or co-chair then repeats the motion and conducts the vote by asking for those in favour and those opposed. (The vote may be conducted by a show of hands, by standing, or by secret ballot.)
7. A majority is needed. In the case of a tie, the motion is defeated.
3.1 Amending a Motion
Until the chair or co-chair states the question (repeats the motion) for a final vote, the person who made the motion may change it, although the original seconder may wish to withdraw. In this case, another seconder would be needed. After the question has been stated, the motion can still be amended, in one of the following ways:
1. The person making the motion may ask to change the original wording. The chair or co-chair will ask if anyone objects. If no one objects, the wording of the motion is changed. Debate continues on the motion as amended.
2. If someone does object, the question of whether to allow a change in the wording of the motion is put to a vote. If the group consents to the change, debate continues on the motion as amended.
3. Someone else may move to amend the motion by saying, "I move to amend the motion by ...". If so, the normal process for a motion, as outlined above in "Making a Motion", is followed.
4. An amendment to the amendment may also be proposed, but a third amendment is out of order and not allowed.
5. If the amendment is defeated, discussion returns to the original motion.
3.3 Withdrawing a Motion
1. At any time before a vote, the person making the original motion may ask to withdraw it. The motion to withdraw does not require a seconder. Once the question is withdrawn, it is as if it never existed.
2. If the chair or co-chair has already stated the question and a request to withdraw the motion is made by someone other than the person making the original motion, the chair or co-chair asks if there is any objection. If there is none, the motion is withdrawn. If someone objects, the request to withdraw the motion is put to a vote.
3.2 Tabling a Motion
Members can make a motion to table a motion - meaning to set it aside for discussion at another time so that more pressing business can be discussed, or so that more information about the issues can be obtained. The following rules apply to tabling a motion:
. The motion to table a motion takes precedence over the discussion of the motion.
. The motion to table a motion requires a seconder.
. There can be no debate on a motion to table.
