The structure and membership of every council is detailed in the site’s constitution. This can be different for each site (school or preschool) as every constitution’s membership is tailored to fit local needs.

If you’re interested in being on your site’s council, there are some specific requirements you need to meet.

Who can be on a council

• parents
• community
• staff
• students.

The example memberships show an overview of council structures.

Who cannot be on a council

You cannot be on a governing council if you have:

• an undischarged bankrupt or is receiving the benefit of a law for the relief of insolvent debtors
• been convicted or found guilty of any offence of dishonesty, or of a sexual nature, or of violence
• been subject to any other disqualifying circumstances as prescribed by school governance administrative instruction, which are:
  • the person has been issued with a barring notice in accordance with section 93 of the Act
  • an intervention order has been issued against the person in accordance with the Intervention Orders (Prevention of Abuse) Act 2009, or with a foreign intervention order as defined in that Act has been issued against the person
  • the person is a prohibited person in accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016
  • the person is not compliant with, or states that they will not comply with, directions issued under the Emergency Management Act 2004 or the South Australian Public Health Act 2011
  • the person is serving a sentence of imprisonment (whether or not the sentence is suspended, or being served in the community on home detention or under an intensive correction order)
  • the person has been removed from a governing council pursuant to section 44 of the Act.

To be a member of the governing council you must meet requirements for:

• working with children checks
• Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care (RRHAN-EC) training.

If elected, you won’t be considered a member until you have met the requirements. You will only be an ‘elected person’.

If you have questions about eligibility, please contact us on the details below.

Office bearers – chairperson and treasurer

These roles must meet the standard eligibility (above) and there are also some extra requirements.

Chairperson

The chairperson must not be:

• an employee at the school,  preschool or children’s service centre
• a department employee
• an employee of any other department that the Minister is responsible for.

This also applies to the deputy chairperson if your council has one.

Treasurer

The treasurer must not be:

• an employee at the school or preschool.

Secretary

There are no extra eligibility requirements.