Parent Involvement Committees


Parents can get involved in their child’s education through school councils and Parent Involvement Committees.

A Parent Involvement Committee is like a school council for the school board

School councils focus on the local school and community. Parent Involvement Committees focus on things that affect more than one school. They also discuss issues that matter to parents across the school board. They do this by:

  • Supporting parent involvement at the regional level
  • Linking parents with the school board’s director of education and trustees.

What do they do?

Every school board is different. So every Parent Involvement Committee is different too. The goals of the committees are to:

  • Seek the advice and ideas of school councils, other parents and partners
  • Advise the school board on topics that matter to parents
  • Plan and implement strategies to involve more parents at the regional level

Parent Involvement Committees also assess how well the school board responds to parent concerns. For example:

  • Does the school board consult parents when developing its policies?
  • How well does the board support parent engagement?
  • What information does the board make available to parents? Is it easy to understand?
  • How does the school board respond to parent questions and concerns?
  • Does the board encourage schools to reach out to parents?

A Parent Involvement Committee achieves these goals based on the unique needs of its board, how it’s organized and the parents on the committee.

Who sits on Parent Involvement Committees?

Most members are parents and the committee is chaired by a parent. But the director of education and trustee representatives also sit on the committee. This helps communication flow both ways. It helps the school board communicate with parents and makes sure that parent voices are heard by the board.

How can I get involved?

Contact your local school board or call the Ministry of Education Regional Office for your area. Either can put you in contact with your local Parent Involvement Committee.