MCC.4.3.040 Policy Council

(a) Organization. The Policy Council shall be organized in accordance with the following guidelines:

(1) At least 51% of the membership of the Policy Council shall be comprised of parents of currently enrolled children. Parents of all program options must be proportionally represented.

(b) Categories.

(1) This Policy Council shall be comprised of eight (8) parents of children presently enrolled in Head Start/Early Head Start Programs; four (4) from the Head Start Program, three (3) from the Early Head Start Program, one (1) from the Home Based Program; and two (2) Community Representatives. Parents from each Program Option shall cast a vote to elect their representative and all parents and community members may vote for the Community Representatives.

(2) The Community Representative nominees shall be from the local community; business; civic and professional organizations; and others who are familiar with resources and services for low-income children and families. Former Early Childhood Learning Center parents may also be community representatives.

(3) Pursuant to 45 CFR § l304.50(b)(6), no grantee or delegate agency staff (or members of their immediate family) may serve on Policy Council or Policy Committees except parents who occasionally substitute for regular Early Head Start /Head Start staff. In the case of Tribal Grantees, this exclusion applies only to Tribal staff that work in areas directly related to or which directly impact upon any Early Childhood Learning Center administrative, fiscal or programmatic issues.

(c) Policy Council Member Eligibility. Voting members of the Policy Council must meet the following criteria:

(1) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of his/her selection,

(2) No grantee or delegate agency staff or members of their immediate family may serve on the Policy Council if he or she works in areas which directly impact or are directly related any Early Childhood Learning Center administrative, fiscal or programmatic issue,

(3) The Community Representatives shall be from the local community, business, civic or professional organizations, former Early Head Start parents, or others who are familiar with the resources and services for low-income children and families,

(4) Not be convicted of a felony in federal or state court,

(5) Not serve on another Early Head Start Policy Council,

(6) Must possess a High School diploma or equivalency, or

(7) Represent at least one of the following categories: a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent or legal guardian of an enrolled student of the Early Head Start or the Lac Courte Oreilles community.

(d) Quorum. A majority of the voting Policy Council members then in office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business at a meeting of the Policy Council. At any meeting of the Policy Council, each member, including the Chairperson of the Policy Council, shall have one (1) vote, and the vote of a majority of Policy Council members present at a duly held meeting at which a quorum is present shall constitute the action of the Policy Council.

(e) Terms of Office. Policy Council members shall serve for a term of one (1) year. No member shall serve on the Policy Council for more than three (3) one-year terms.

(f) Voting Rights. Each member of the Policy Council shall have on (1) vote. There shall be no proxy voting, by, or for, any member. Parents will constitute at least 51% voting membership of the PC.

(g) Resignation. A Policy Council member may resign by giving written notice to the registered agent of the Policy Council, who shall then promptly inform the members. In the event that the Chairperson wishes to resign, he or she shall give written notice to at least two (2) other members, who shall then promptly inform the other members. The resignation shall be effective upon its receipt by the Policy Council or at such alternate date as set forth in the notice of resignation.

(h) Removal. With the approval of the Tribal Governing Board, the Policy Council may remove any Policy Council member for, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Non-attendance of three (3) consecutive meetings without reasonable cause, as determined by the Policy Council;

(2) Conviction of a felony;

(3) Breach of confidentiality.

(i) Vacancy.

(1) In the event of a vacancy, the parent who received the next highest number of votes in the most recent election shall fill the position within 30 days.

(2) If a vacancy is created by a community representative, the person receiving the next highest number of votes in the most recent election shall fill the position within 30 days.

(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, vacancies which occur within sixty (60) prior to the end of their term, shall not be replaced.

(j) Miscellaneous. No grantee agency staff (or members of their immediate families) may serve on the Policy Council except parents who occasionally substitute for regular Head Start/Early Head Start Staff. LCO Head Start/Early Head Start will abide by the Tribal Governing Board's definition of immediate family.