Section 9 (3) of Regulation 464/97 deals with the election of Chair and Vice-chair of SEAC.  The regulation says:

“The members of the committee shall, at their first meeting, elect one of their members as chair and one of their members as vice-chair.”

SEAC practices related to the Chair and Vice-chair vary across the province and many school boards have policies or by-laws regarding the process for electing or appointing Chairs and Vice-chairs.  The process for electing SEAC Chair and Vice-Chair must be compliant with the regulation and the school board policies and procedures.

PAAC on SEAC recommends that each school board SEAC have a policy in place that describes:

  • The term and qualifications of the Chair and Vice-chair;
  • The responsibilities of the Chair and Vice-chair;
  • The process of electing the Chair and Vice-chair;
  • The process for holding a meeting in the absence of the Chair and Vice-chair.

Effective Practices related to the roles and responsibilities of the SEAC Chair and Vice-chair include:

  • Provide all members of SEAC with the opportunity to be considered for election as Chair or Vice-chair.
  • Assign the Chair and Vice-chair joint responsibility for setting the Agenda and reviewing the Minutes.
  • Include time keeping during meetings and tracking future agenda items as responsibilities of the Vice-chair.
  • Provide information and training to SEAC members on the process of electing the Chair and Vice-Chair, including the process for nominations, sample motions related to nominations, destroying the ballots, etc.