Student Senate Terms of Reference

Name of Committee:

Student Senate

Purpose/Goal/Mission Statement:
Waterloo Region District School Board is committed to strengthening the student voice. The
Board recognizes the benefits that accrue when students are engaged and are active partners
in their education. We also recognize that students are the foundation of the board and it is
essential to have students who are connected, listened to and valued.
Student Senate is an advisory group that meets regularly throughout the school year. It is
comprised of student representatives from each of our secondary schools. These meetings
provide an opportunity for the Senators to act as an advisory body to the Student Trustees,
WRDSB, and Board Staff. The Senators provide a perspective on student issues and
communicate back to their schools student body the decisions made by WRDSB. Being
involved in Student Senate also provides leadership opportunities for Senators as they advocate
and learn the purpose and work of WRDSB.

Membership:

Membership of Student Senate consists of:

Chair/Co-Chairs - current Student Trustees
2 Senators from each school
Board Trustee Mentor
Non-members are welcome to attend senate meetings at any time and are encouraged to
participate in discussion

Roles and Responsibilities of Members

Chair/Co-Chairs:
The Chair(s) will be expected to:
Ensure that the Student Senate agenda is communicated to the members at least one week
prior to the meeting
Ensure that minutes are taken during the meeting and posted on the Student Senate Facebook
Page within one week after the meeting
Facilitate Student Senate meetings by starting on time, keeping meetings on track and
maintaining order
Allow for discussion of student issues, interests and concerns relating to the board as a whole
Prior to the the agenda being posted, the Chair(s) will ask Students Senators for agenda items
Provide students with the opportunity for a larger voice and a forum for the exchange of ideas
Each month at the WRDSB Committee of the Whole Meeting , following each Senate meeting,
the Student Trustees will report back and update WRDSB on issues, discussions and decisions
made by the Student Senate
Student Trustees will address the WRDSB as issues arise within the school year
Student Senator
The Senators role is to be a link between their school and the Student Senate. Student
Senators will be expected to:
Senators are liaisons between the Board's Student Senate and their individual school
Attend all Senate meetings. If unable to attend will notify Chair(s) of their absence and if
possible arrange another student to attend in their place
Advertise Student Senate meetings to their school community
Student Senators should read over agenda items and share important information with
peers/school contact to gather information or ideas to bring to the meeting
Student Senators are encouraged to bring forth agenda items to Student Trustees
Assist the Student Trustees in determining student issues, gathering student opinion, and
communicating with students so they can better represent their school community at the board
table
Communicate to their school community and Activities Council what was discussed/decided at
the Student Senate meetings
Student Senate members are encouraged to meet regularly with their Principal to share
information from Student Senate meetings
Student Senate members should regularly attend school council meetings to share student
voice by reporting on Student Senate meetings
Be a positive ambassador and leader
Student Senator Selection Process
In April/May, Senior Board Staff will contact each Secondary School Administration asking them
to identify a minimum of one or two students from their school to serve as a Student Senator(s)
on the Student Senate for the following year

 It is encouraged to have a senior student and a junior student (who can mentor the new junior
student the following year)
Schools have flexibility in how they identify their Student Senators. The process can be a
school-wide election or asking for expressions of interest.
New Student Senators will attend their first Senate meeting in May and continue until the
following year

Board Trustee Mentor(s):

A Trustee Mentor is an elected Trustee of the board whose role is to serve as a mentor for the
Student Trustees and to the Student Senate. Trustee Mentor(s) will be expected to:

Attend all Student Senate meetings

Provide guidance and orientation to the Student Trustees
Understand Board policies and procedures
Answer relevant questions of the Student Trustees or the Student Senators

Accountability:
All the Student Senators will be asked to sign a Roles and Responsibilities document

Meetings:
All Student Senate meetings will take place on the first Wednesday of every month at the
WRDSB Education Center in the Cambridge room at 7:00 P.M. These meetings will be
approximately 2 hours in length
Minutes will be taken by Chair(s) or a volunteer appointed by the Chair (s)
Meetings may be cancelled due to inclement weather or other circumstances - it is the
responsibility of the Senator to check the Facebook page on the day of the meeting by 3:00 pm
to ensure that the meeting has not been cancelled. It is the responsibility of the Student
Trustees at the discretion of the Board and/or the Student Trustee Mentor to make the call on
cancelling a meeting.

Decision Making Process

Whenever possible, the Student Senate will attempt to reach a decision by consensus
If unable to reach consensus a vote can be called at the discretion of the chair(s) and majority
rules
Each Secondary School in attendance shall have one vote
Each Secondary School has the option of abstaining
If a Secondary School is not in attendance then their vote will not be counted
Votes will be indicated by a show or hands or by a secret ballot - this is at the discretion of the
chair(s) Student Trustee Elections are conducted by secret ballot

Communication:

The primary mode of communication for Student Senate will be through Facebook and email.
Current Student Trustees are administrators of Facebook and will add new members
Agendas for Student Senate will be posted on Facebook at least one week prior to the meeting.
Minutes will be posted on Facebook within one week after the meeting
Student Senators are expected to check Facebook for information about meeting times, agenda
items and any changes to them
Student Trustees will report back to WRDSB monthly after each Student Senate Meeting

Review:
The Terms of Reference will be reviewed and updated yearly by both the outgoing and incoming
Student Trustees

Related Policies/Bylaws:
http://www.wrdsb.ca/wp-content/uploads/BP3006-Student-Trustees.pdf