School Board
Role of the School Board
The Roles and Responsibilities of the School Board outlines the governance functions of the Board, which include:
- Decision Making: Collaborating with the principal on matters such as contributions and charges, book lists, sponsorship, and dress codes, ensuring decisions align with legislative and policy requirements.
- Informing: Providing community perspectives to help shape the school’s objectives, priorities, and general policy directions.
- Promoting: Positively representing and promoting the school within the broader community.
It’s equally important to understand what Board members do not do:
- Manage or participate in the day-to-day running of the school.
- Discuss individual issues related to teachers, staff, students, or parents.
- Represent specific interest groups or allow special interests to dominate Board discussions.
- Intervene in educational instruction.
- Exercise authority over teaching staff.
- Performance manage the principal or any Department of Education employee
School Councils and Boards
All parent and community members of a school council/board are required to have a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) through the Department’s Screening Unit and be cleared before their position on the council/board can be confirmed. No other police clearance checks can be accepted.
National Coordinated Criminal History Screening Check
Criminal history screening involves a person providing their consent for the Department’s Screening Unit to undertake a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check through the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). The person must provide their personal details (name, date and place of birth, and places of residence) and 4 items of identification. This information is sent securely to the ACIC and a result is returned to the Screening Unit usually within a week, however, it can take up to 3-4 weeks in some instances.
Beth Catalano