Quail Hollow Elementary School
School Community Council Bylaws
Article I. – Laws
A. All School Community Councils including Quail Hollow’s School Community Council must abide by the following state statutes, board rules and district policies:
Utah Code Annotated (updated 10/21)
- 53G-7-1202 (Duties and Election)
- 53G-7-1203 (School community councils open meeting requirements)
- 53G-7-1206 (The Law Creating the LAND Trust Program)
- UT Constitution Article X Section 5
- 53F-2-404 (School LAND Trust Program distribution of funds)
- 53G-7-1301 (Teacher and Student Success Program (TSSP))
- 53G-7-1305 (TSSP plan review and approval)
- 53G-10-407 (Positive behaviors plan)
Utah State Board Rule
Canyons Board Policy
Article II. – School Community definitions and Council Duties
A. “SCC” means Quail Hollow School Community Council
B. “Parent Member” means a member of the SCC who is a parent of a student who:
a. is attending the school; or
b. will be enrolled at the school during the parent’s term of office.
C. “Parent Member” may not include an educator who is employed at the school.
D. “Positive behaviors plan” means a plan to address the causes of student use of tobacco, alcohol, electronic cigarette products, and other controlled substances through promoting positive behaviors.
E. According to state statute the SCC shall:
a. create the School LAND Trust Program and LAND Trust plan
b. give input on the principal’s development of the TSSP
c. advise and make recommendations to school and school district administrators and the local school board regarding:
i. the school and its programs;
ii. school district programs;
iii. a child access routing plan;
iv. safe technology utilization and digital citizenship; and
iv. other issues relating to the community environment for students;
d. provide for education and awareness on safe technology utilization and digital citizenship that empowers:
i. a student to make smart media and online choices; and
ii. a parent to know how to discuss safe technology use with the parent’s child;
e. partner with the school’s principal and other administrators to ensure that adequate on and off campus Internet filtering is installed and consistently configured to prevent viewing of harmful content by students and school personnel, in accordance with local school board policy and state code;
f. work with students, families, and educators to develop and incorporate safety principles at the school; and
g. hold at least an annual discussion with the school’s principal and district administrators regarding safety principles at the school and district level in order to coordinate the school community council’s effort to develop and incorporate safety principles at the school; and
h. provide input to the school’s principal on a positive behaviors plan in accordance with state law.
F. To fulfill the SCC’s duties described above, the SCC may:
a. partner with one or more non-profit organizations; or
b. create a task force or subcommittee.
c. The SCC may appoint individuals who are not council members to serve on a subcommittee or task force, including parents, school employees, or other community members.
d. Any plan or part of a plan developed by a subcommittee or task force shall be subject to the approval of the SCC.
G. Each year the principal shall post the following on the school’s website on or before October 20:
a. the names and contact information of the current SCC members;
b. the dollar amount the school receives each year from the School Land Trust Program;
c. a copy of or link to the current TSSP.
Article III. SCC Elections
A. An election for the parent members of the SCC shall be held near the beginning of the school year, before the first SCC meeting.
B. At least 10 days before the date that voting commences for the elections held, the principal of the school, or the principal’s designee, shall provide notice to each school employee or parent of the opportunity to vote in, and run as a candidate in, the SCC election. This notice will be through email and will be posted on the school’s website and main office. The notice shall include:
a. the dates and times of the election
b. a list of council positions that are up for election; and
c. instructions for becoming a candidate for a SCC position
C. The principal of the school, or the principal’s designee, shall oversee the elections held. Ballots cast in the SCC election shall be deposited in a secure ballot box.
D. A school employee member, other than the principal, shall be elected by secret ballot by a majority vote of the school employees and serve a two-year term. The principal shall serve as an ex officio member with full voting privileges.
E. A parent member shall be elected by secret ballot at an election held at the school by a majority vote of those voting at the election and serve a two-year term.
F. If the number of candidates who file for a parent position or school employee position on a school community council is less than or equal to the number of open positions, an election is not required.
G. If an election is not required as stated above, and a parent position remains unfilled, the other parent members of the council shall appoint a parent who meets the qualifications of this section to fill the position.
H. If there are more candidates than available seats, two alternates will be selected from the remaining candidates in the order of the number of votes received. They will be appointed as voting members of the council if a seat is vacated prior to the next election. Alternates should attend all meetings, keeping up to date on the discussions, but do not hold voting privileges.
I. Terms shall be staggered so that approximately half of the council members stand for election each year.
J. A SCC member may serve successive terms provided the member continues to meet the definition of a parent member or school employee member.
K. The SCC shall elect the following officers at its first meeting.
a. a chair from its parent members; and
b. a vice chair from either its parent members or school employee members, excluding the principal.
c.It is suggested but not required to have a secretary
IV. SCC Composition and Member and Officers’ Responsibilities
A. The SCC shall have a minimum of five parent members but no more than seven parent members and shall also have two school employee members, including the principal.
B. The SCC may determine the size of the school community council by a majority vote of a quorum of the SCC provided that:
a. the membership includes two or more parent members than the number of school employee members; and
b. there are at least two school employee members on the SCC.
C. The number of parent members of the SCC who are not educators employed by the school district shall exceed the number of parent members who are educators employed by the school district.
D. The elected officers have the following duties:
a. Chair – Create agendas and conduct the meetings. Other duties as outlined in Canyons District policy.
i. The current chair will serve through the summer months, assist with SCC elections (if the chair is not up for reelection), conduct the first meeting and assist the new leadership in the transition even if they no longer have a student at Quail Hollow.
b. Vice-Chair: work with the chair and conduct the meeting in the absence of the chair. Either a parent member or a school employee member may be elected for this position.
c. Secretary – Take notes at the meeting and create the minutes for approval by the SCC.
d. The SCC may have a PTA Liaison join SCC meetings but will be a non-voting member unless the PTA Liaison is also an elected parent member.
E. SCC members have an expectation of attendance.
a. If a SCC member cannot attend a scheduled meeting, notification should be given to the chair prior to the meeting
b. If a SCC member misses three meetings during a given school year, the member will be asked to provide a written letter of resignation.
c. The SCC will appoint and ratify the first alternate to the vacated seat.
d. If no alternates are available to serve, the SCC may seek parents or school employees to be appointed.
V. SCC Open and Public Meeting Requirement.
A. The SCC will meet monthly during the school year unless the SCC determines a meeting is not necessary, however, the SCC must meet a minimum of four times per school year. The majority of the council must approve cancelling a meeting or calling additional meetings. A meeting of the SCC shall be open to the public. The SCC may not close any portion of a meeting.
B. The council shall, at least one week prior to a meeting, post the following information on the school’s website:
a. a notice of the meeting, time and place,
b. an agenda for the meeting, and
c. the minutes of the previous meeting.
C. The notice requirement may be disregarded if:
a. because of unforeseen circumstances it is necessary for the SCC to hold an emergency meeting to consider matters of an emergency or urgent matter; and
b. the SCC gives the best notice practicable of the time and place of the emergency meeting; and the topics to be considered at the emergency meeting.
c. An emergency meeting of the SCC may not be held unless an attempt has been made to notify all the SCC members and a majority of the members of the SCC approve the meeting.
D. An agenda required shall provide reasonable specificity to notify the public as to the topics to be considered at the meeting.
a. The SCC may not take final action on a topic in a meeting unless the topic is listed under an agenda item and included with the advance notice required.
E. The written minutes of the SCC meetings shall include:
a. the date, time and place of the meeting;
b. the names of the members present;
c. a brief statement of the matters proposed, discussed or decided;
d. a record, by individual member, of each vote taken;
e. the name of each person who is not a member of the council and after being recognized by the chair, provided testimony or comments to the SCC.
f. the substance, in brief, of the testimony or comments provided by the public
g. any other information that is a record of the proceedings of the meeting that any member requests to be entered in the minutes.
h. the written minutes of the SCC are a public record and shall be retained for three years.
F. Guests may share appropriate input on subjects that fall under the SCC purview.
A patron may bring a topic to the SCC by contacting the Chair at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting and asking to be added to the agenda. The SCC may invite any person/group to make a presentation on issues pertinent to the role of the SCC.
- Items not to be discussed by the SCC include any personnel issues and individual
student information.
VI. Quorums and transaction of business
A. The majority of the members of the SCC is a quorum for the transaction of business.
B. The action of a majority of the members of a quorum is the action of the SCC.
C. The Quail Hollow School Community Council will use Roberts Rules of Order to conduct meetings.
VII. These Bylaws will be posted on the SCC page of the school website. Each SCC member will read and agree to abide by the Bylaws as signified on their declaration of candidacy and at the beginning of each school year.
