Waterloo Catholic District School Board Student Senate Constitution

2025-2026 – Rebecca Girolametto and Jace Krysko

1. Name
   • The name of the organisation shall be the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) Student Senate, hereby referred to as the Student Senate.
2. Definitions
   • Student Senators shall be defined as participating members of the Student Senate in grades nine to twelve (9-12) and representatives of schools within the jurisdiction of the WCDSB.
   • Student Trustees shall be defined as the elected student representative(s) who represent the Student Senate and the student body of the WCDSB to the Board of Trustees. They shall chair the Student Senate and manage all Student Senate affairs in conjunction with Student Activities Council Advisors. The Student Trustees shall be defined in unison with WCDSB and Ministry of Education guidelines.
   • Co-Presidents shall be defined as the individuals elected at each WCDSB secondary school to represent the student body at that respective school. They shall chair each school’s Student Activities Council and participate as members of the Student Senate Co-Presidents Council.
   • The Co-Presidents Council shall be defined as the collective body of WCDSB secondary school Co-Presidents. The Co-Presidents Council shall focus on building community and uniting students through initiatives and events.
   • The Advisory Council shall be defined as a collection of WCDSB staff (teacher liaisons, superintendent) who advise the Student Senate and the Student Trustees on Student Senate initiatives and affairs.
   • Student Activities Council shall be defined as the central student leadership group at each WCDSB secondary school.
3. Mandate
   • The Student Senate shall serve the following mandates:
     • To work in consultation with each secondary school’s Student Activities Council teacher advisor and other Advisory Council members.
     • To represent the perspectives, ideas, and voices of all students in the WCDSB
     • To implement initiatives that promote student voice, community, school spirit, and positive change within the WCDSB.
     • To act as the centralized student representative body and be the bridge between the student population and the WCDSB Board of Trustees and staff.
     • To advocate for student rights and engagement.
     • To demonstrate the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations (OCSGEs).
     • To honour and serve under the Student Senate Constitution.

4. Functions
   • The functions of a Student Trustee in regards to the WCDSB Student Senate are:
     • Serve as co-chairs of the Student Senate.
     • Provide leadership within the Student Senate for its responsibility to promote the distinctiveness of a Catholic education within the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the Region of Waterloo.
     • Participate as a member of their home school student council as an ex-officio member. The degree of participation beyond attendance at regular Student Activities Council meetings is at the discretion of the Student Trustee.
     • Report regularly to the Student Senate on the activities of the Board of Trustees and the Ontario Student Trustees Association.
     • Develop and plan a student leadership conference(s) to include grades 7-12 under the direction of the superintendent and with the guidance of student council directors.
     • Participate in student leadership development activities associated with their school, board and association roles. All participation is subject to the board’s administrative education excursion supervision policy where appropriate supervision must be available. If the excursion is outside of Board jurisdiction, supervision is to be provided by the student trustee parents. All excursions are subject to the availability of funds.
   • The functions of a Co-President are:
     • Hold membership on the Co-Presidents Council of the WCDSB Student Senate.
     • Co-Chair their home school Student Activities Council.
     • Produce monthly reports during the school year regarding the activities occurring at their home school and submit their reports to the Student Trustees.
     • Represent the interests of student leaders while serving on the WCDSB Student Senate.
     • Collaborate with other Co-Presidents to plan board-wide initiatives focusing on school spirit and community building.

5. Composition
   • The Student Senate shall consist of the following councils:
     • The Advisory Council
     • The Co-Presidents Council
   • The Advisory Council shall consist of the Student Activities Council Advisors from each WCDSB secondary school, superintendent, and other necessary staff.
   • The Co-Presidents Council shall consist of two (2) Co-Presidents from each WCDSB Secondary School, Co-Chairs by the Student Trustees.
6. Membership of Student Senate
   • All WCDSB secondary schools are member schools of the Student Senate.
   • All Student Senators are expected to remain in their positions for the entirety of the school year they were selected or elected to serve.
     • Should a Student Senator resign, be disqualified, or vacate their position for any reason, the vacancy procedure in Section 14 shall be followed.
   • Student Senators have the right to:
     • Participate in discussions, projects, initiatives, and other endeavours within the Student Senate.
     • Have access to all materials and resources pertaining to the Student Senate.

7. Co-President Election Process
   • Co-Presidents are to be elected by the student body of each WCDSB secondary school.
   • The eligibility requirements to run for the Co-President position are at the discretion of each WCDSB secondary school.
   • The election process for Co-President position is at the discretion of each WCDSB secondary school.
     • Should there only be two (2) eligible candidates at a WCDSB secondary school, both shall be appointed as Co-Presidents.
     • Should there only be one (1) eligible candidate at a WCDSB secondary school, the candidate shall be appointed as Co-President. The open Co-President position may be filled at the discretion of that WCDSB secondary school. It will be left to the discretion of each WCDSB secondary school to determine how to fill the open position.
   • Co-Presidents shall be elected no later than June 1^st of the school year prior to the beginning of their term.
8. Student Trustees
   • Student Trustees are to follow the guidelines from the WCDSB policy labelled Student Representation on the Board, the WCDSB policy labelled Student Trustee Role Description, and the Education Act.
   • The Student Trustees shall co-chair the Student Senate
   • Student Trustees, when conducting Student Senate affairs, shall lead in a fair, unbiased, and supportive manner.
     • Student Trustees shall be held accountable to this by the Advisory Council. If the Advisory Council feels that Student Trustees are not acting accordingly, the appropriate disciplinary actions will be left to the discretion of the Advisory Council.

9. Student Trustees Elections
   • Student Trustees shall be indirectly elected by the WCDSB through the WCDSB Student Senate.
   • All Student Senators are eligible to and must vote.
     • If unforeseen circumstances occur, a Student Senator may be exempt from voting.
   • The voting procedure and format for Student Trustee elections is subject to change each year.
   • Student Trustees must be elected no later than February 28 each school year.
10. Term
    • The term of the Student Trustees shall be from August 1 to July 31.
    • The term of Co-Presidents shall be from September 1 to June 30 of every year.
11. Vacancies
    • Should the position of Student Trustee become vacant, the Superintendent of Education responsible for student leadership and the Director shall work with the School administration and advisors to determine next steps.
    • Should the position of Co-President become vacant, the position may be filled at the discretion of the WCDSB secondary school from which the Co-President vacancy occurred. The process to fill the position, if applicable, is at the discretion of each WCDSB secondary school.
12. Meetings
    • The Co-Presidents Council shall meet a minimum of six (6) times per school year
    • The Advisory Council shall meet on an adhoc basis.
      • The Advisory Council can be called to meet by any member of the Council.

14. Amendments
    • Should the WCDSB Student Senate express intent to make an amendment to the Student Senate Constitution, the following steps must be taken:
      • A written proposal for an amendment to the Constitution must be submitted to the Student Trustees by a Student Senator or Advisory Council member. Student Trustees may also write proposals themselves.
      • The Student Trustees shall initiate a consultation process with the WCDSB Student Senate regarding the amendment.
      • Following this consultation process, if the Student Trustees, jointly with the Advisory Council, feel the amendment is necessary, the Student Senate Constitution will be amended.
      • The Student Trustees shall provide the amended Student Senate Constitution to the Board of Trustees for information, on behalf of the Student Senate.
15. The Student Senate Constitution shall come into effect annually upon the signature of the Student Trustees of the elected year of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the signature of the Director of Education.