Rules of the Association


1.      Title

1.1.    The Association shall be called The High School Dublin Parents’ Association.


2.      Objectives

2.1.   To be proactive in supporting the welfare and educational interests of the pupils in The High School in co-operation, where possible, with the school’s Board of Governors and/or Board of Management, the school’s Principal and its teachers.

2.2.   To foster the sharing of educational knowledge and social activities among the members of the Association.

2.3.   To create structures to enable the committee of the Association to liaise with the membership with a view to keeping the membership regularly informed about developments relating to the school and establishing areas of concern or interest to the membership with the intention that any matters so arising will inform the deliberations and actions of the committee.

2.4.   To adopt a programme of activities which will promote the involvement of parents, in consultation with the Principal, in the operation of the High School.

2.5.   To promote a partnership approach between the parent body and the Principal, Board of Governors and Management Committee, and to act as a conduit for active and meaningful communication between the school and the parent body with regard to matters affecting the school and the education and welfare of all its pupils. 

2.6.   To advise the Principal and/or the Board of Governors and Management Committee, through a regular communications structure, on any matter relating to the school 

2.7.   To ensure that the High School Board of Governors and/or Management Committee promotes contact between the school and the parents of pupils in the High School and facilitates and gives all reasonable assistance to the Parents’ Association


3.      Membership


3.1.   Ordinary Members

3.1.1.      Ordinary Membership of the Association shall be open to all parents or guardians of pupils attending the High School, Dublin on payment of their membership fee.

3.1.2.      Paid up Ordinary Members of the Association shall be entitled to attend and vote at Annual General or Special General Meetings.

3.1.3.      Paid up Ordinary Members of the Association shall be entitled to be nominated to serve on the General Committee of the Association. 


3.2.   Associate Members

3.2.1.      The Association recognizes that from time to time it may be advantageous to the association to elect an individual who is not a Parent or Guardian of a pupil attending the High School, Dublin as a member of the Association.

3.2.2.      The General Committee may elect an individual who is not a Parent or Guardian of a pupil attending the High School, Dublin as an Associate Member of the Association.

3.2.3.      Election as an associate member will be for a term of one year unless otherwise specified by the General Committee.

3.2.4.      Associate membership may be extended beyond any defined term by the General Committee.

3.2.5.      Associate Members of the Association may be co-opted to working groups established by the General Committee to support the general aims and objectives of the Association.

3.2.6.      Associate Members of the Association shall be entitled to attend the Annual General and Special General Meetings of the Association.

3.2.7.      Associate Members of the Association shall not be entitled to vote at Annual General or Special General Meetings.

3.2.8.      Associate Members of the Association shall not be entitled to be nominated to serve on the General Committee of the Association. 


3.3.   Honorary Members

3.3.1.      The Principal, members of the School Teaching Staff, Members of the Board and Members of the Management Committee, shall be Honorary Members of the Association. However, the Principal and any members of the School Teaching Staff, Members of the Board or Members of the Management Committee, whose children are attending the school will be Ordinary Members of the Association while their children are attending the High School, Dublin.

3.3.2.      Honorary Members of the Association may be co-opted to working groups established by the General Committee to support the general aims and objectives of the Association.

3.3.3.      Honorary Members of the Association shall be entitled to attend the Annual General and Special General Meetings of the Association.

3.3.4.      Honorary Members of the Association shall not be entitled to vote at Annual General or Special General Meetings.

3.3.5.      Honorary Members of the Association shall not be entitled to be nominated to serve on the General Committee of the Association


4.      Subscriptions

4.1.   The Annual Subscription shall be €12 per annum. or such other sum which has been set from time to time by the annual General meeting pursuant to  clause 4.2.1 below. All subscriptions shall be payable in conjunction with the school fees.

4.2.   Ordinary Members

4.2.1.      The Annual Subscription for Ordinary Members shall be set from time to time by an Annual General Meeting of the Association.

4.2.2.      The General Committee of the Association may, from time to time, recommend an increase in the Annual Subscription Rate to the Annual General Meeting and, in such case, the Annual General Meeting shall vote on such increase with the issue to be decided by a simple majority.

4.2.3.      All subscriptions shall be collected along with School Fees over a 9 Month Period from September to May. 

4.3.   Associate Members

4.3.1.      Associate Members of the Association shall be exempt from Membership Subscriptions. 

4.4.   Honorary Members

4.4.1.      Honorary Members of the Association shall be exempt from Membership Subscriptions.


5.      Committee 


5.1.   Composition of the Committee. The Committee shall consist of a President and ten ordinary members (the General Committee), consisting of five men and five women. 


5.2.   Nomination / Election Arrangements. Elections to fill ordinary vacancies on the Committee shall take place at the AGM. Candidates for election must be proposed and seconded by members of the Association and have given / give their consent to act on the Committee if elected. 


5.3.   The General Committee Members shall be elected to the General Committee for a fixed term of two years. Members shall retire on completion of their term and the vacancies so created shall be filled at the Annual General Meeting. Retiring Committee Members are eligible to go forward for re-election. There shall be no upper limit to the number of terms which any member may serve on the General Committee.


5.4.   Officers of the Committee

The Association shall have four Officers to be drawn from the General Committee as follows:

-          President

-          Vice President

-          Secretary

-          Treasurer 


5.4.1.      President

-          To be eligible for nomination, candidates for President must be an ordinary member of the association and have served at least one year as a member of the General Committee.  

-          The President shall be elected by the General Committee of the Association following the resignation of the previous President. The President shall be elected to serve for a fixed term of two years.  

-          The outgoing President, or a member who has served a previous term as President, may be elected to serve a second term provided that they remain an ordinary member of the association. No member may serve more than two terms as President. 

5.4.2.      Vice President

-          The General Committee shall elect from its members a Vice President to serve for a fixed term of one year. 

-          The Vice President shall deputise for the President at Meetings of the Association and / or at Events organised by the Association, the School, or other Organisations where representation on behalf of the Association is appropriate and the President is unavailable. 

5.4.3.      Honorary Secretary

-          The General Committee shall elect from its members an Honorary Secretary to serve for a fixed term of one year.

-          The primary responsibility of the Honorary Secretary shall be the maintenance of records of the association.  

5.4.4.      Honorary Treasurer

-          The General Committee shall elect from its members an Honorary Treasurer to serve for a fixed term of one year. 

-          The primary responsibility of the Honorary Treasurer shall be the maintenance of the Accounts of the Association.  

5.4.5.      Election of Officers

-          Voting shall be by secret ballot and simple majority. Should the voting result in a tie then the selection will be made by drawing lots.

5.4.6.      Casual Vacancies

-          Casual Vacancies that occur shall be filled as follows:

o   President: By co-option from the General Committee or Officers. A co-opted president must retire at the next Annual General Meeting. Any period served by a President serving a casual vacancy shall not be counted as part of the maximum length of service as set out above.

o   Vice President / Honorary Secretary / Treasurer: By co-option from the General Committee. 

o   General Committee: By co-option. Committee members co-opted shall serve for the remaining unexpired term of the Committee Member whose retirement created the vacancy.


5.5.   Representation on the Board and Management Committee of the School. 

5.5.1.      The Association will be represented on the School Board and the Management Committee of the School.  The Association will additionally be represented on any sub-committee of the Board and Management Committee as established by the Board and Management Committee. 

5.5.2.      Representation on the Board and Management Committee 

-          The President and one other member of the General Committee shall represent the Association on the Board and Management Committee of the School. 

-          The General Committee shall elect from its membership the Associations second nominee to the Board and Management Committee of the School. 

5.5.3.      Representation on the sub-committees to the Board and Management Committee 

-          The General Committee shall elect from its membership the Associations nominees to the sub-committees of the Board and Management Committee of the School.


5.6.   Other Committee Roles. The General Committee shall elect from its membership the Associations nominees to other Committee roles including but not limited to: 

5.6.1.      The Association’s representative on the National Association of Compass - Cooperation of Minority Religion and Protestant Parent Associations (Post Primary).

5.6.2.      A Student Liaison to engage with the Student Body.




6.      Meetings of the Association


The Association will meet at least once a year at an Annual General Meeting. A Special General Meeting of the Association may be summoned by either the General Committee or the Ordinary Members of the Association as set out below.


6.1.   Annual General Meeting.

6.1.1.      The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held no later than 31 October each year. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be sent to each member not less than seven days before the meeting. 

6.1.2.      At an Annual General Meeting twenty five Ordinary Members (including the President and Members of the General Committee if present) shall form a quorum.


6.2.   Special General Meetings

6.2.1.      Special General Meetings of the Association may be summoned by the Committee.  

6.2.2.      Special General Meetings of the Association may also be summoned upon written requisition of not less than 30 Ordinary Members addressed to the Honorary Secretary and (i) stating the object of the proposed meeting and (ii) supported by any papers to be circulated to the membership in advance of the meeting.  

6.2.3.      Notice of a Special General Meeting shall be sent to each member not less than twenty one calendar days before the meeting. 

6.2.4.      At a Special General Meeting twenty five Ordinary Members (including the President and Members of the General Committee if present) shall form a quorum.


6.3.   The Chair

6.3.1.      At all meetings of the Association the President shall occupy the Chair. In the event of his or her absence, the Vice President in the first instance or one of the other Officers of the Association or other General Committee member shall be appointed as chair.


6.4.   Voting

6.4.1.      Except in the case for alteration of the rules (under rule 7) or upon dissolution of the Association (under rule 8), every question at meetings of the Association shall be decided by a simple majority on a showing of hands. However the chair of the meeting may decide that a matter will be decided by secret ballot. In the event of an equality of votes, the chair shall have a casting vote in addition to any vote to which he or she is entitled as a member.




7.      Alteration of Rules

7.1.   Proposed alterations to these Rules may be made either at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting (summoned either by the association’s committee of its own motion or as requisitioned pursuant to Rule 6.2) specially convened for that specific purpose.  

7.2.   Notice of such proposals must, in the case where it is intended that they be considered at the Annual General Meeting, be sent in writing to the Honorary Secretary at least one month before the date of the AGM.  

7.3.   Where a Special General Meeting is requisitioned for that purpose by the Committee the Committee shall provide a minimum of twenty one days advance notice to the Members.

7.4.   Where a Special General Meeting is requisitioned by 30 members in accordance with Rule 6.2 the committee shall convene such Special General Meeting no sooner than 30 days and no later than 45 days from the receipt of such requisition although, given such time limits, such requisition must be submitted so as to allow the Special General Meeting to be convened within term time or during the period of the State examinations.  

7.5.   In all cases, the committee shall circulate the details of the proposal alterations to the membership at least 21 days before the date set for such meeting. No alteration to the rules may be made except by a majority of at least two thirds of those members present and entitled to vote. 

7.6.   All rule changes will be effective from the end of the meeting at which they are adopted.


8.      Dissolution

8.1.   The Association shall not be dissolved, except at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting especially convened for the purpose. 

8.2.   Dissolution of the Association shall require a resolution carried by four fifths of the votes in respect of same.  

8.3.   Any surplus funds which may be in hand at the time of dissolution shall be handed over to the school.