The parent representatives invite their class parents to the Parents' Evening. The evening can be held whenever necessary, but at least once per term (Hessian Schools Act § 107 para. 2). All parents are invited (including the parents of full aged pupils). The class teacher typically joins the evening as well. In agreement with the parents, other people may be invited (e.g., students, subject teachers, or administration). Parent evenings should be carefully prepared and organized in advance.

Meeting

If no date was selected at the previous parents' evening, the school parent council can select a date. The date should be coordinated with the class teacher and possibly with administration. One should pay particular attention that no other event that may discourage parents from participating coincides on the same evening (i.e., local celebrations, football games, etc.).

Agenda

The evening’s agenda should be communicated to the parents in the invitation. If topics were not already chosen at the previous parents’ evening, then discussions with the class teacher or other parents can provide a source of topics of interest. Sometimes it can also be useful to invite a key school member to speak on certain school-related issues.

Schedule

Although it is difficult to estimate the duration of a presentation, a report, or the discussion of a specific topic, an exact time for the individual agenda items should always be placed. The time for reports or presentations should be as short as possible, while generous time for discussion should be allowed. It is also advisable not to present a parents’ evening as an "open-end" event, but rather to agree at the beginning of the meeting on an end time that is acceptable to all, especially for working parents.

Invitation

The invitation to the parents' evening should be sent at least ten days prior to the evening. The invitation is generally distributed at school to the children to be delivered to parents. Even if everything has been agreed upon with the class teacher, he/she should also receive a written invitation. The invitation should include the date, location and agenda.

The Seating Arrangement

If the classroom tables and chairs are in rows behind each other, then they should be arranged in either a circular, rectangular or horseshoe shape, preferably at the beginning of the evening. To ensure that all parents know who is speaking at any time, it is recommended that name cards on a large folded paper be placed on the table before each attendee. A parents' meeting can also take place outside the school. Problems with the seating arrangement will then probably not be an issue.

Attendance Register and Log

After greeting the parents, the representatives circulate an attendance list and present the agenda. Any requested changes to the agenda must be voted on in order to make the amendment. The minutes of the evening should be taken to record important information and agreements. This should be done by a parent since the parent representative is responsible for leading the evening.

Moderator

One of the parent representatives shall serve as the meeting moderator. He/she should focus on two main points: first, to ensure that the time for each topic is evenly distributed. The class teacher should not be expected to be the main speaker. Secondly, each of the agenda items should be covered. This requires the representative to encourage discussion on each point, and likewise, prevent anyone from lingering on a point too long.

Decision

The most important issues and decisions arising from the parents’ evening shall be recorded in the minutes.

Closing Remarks

The closing remarks should be made by the parent representatives. They should summarize the results and, when possible, agree on the date for the next parents evening with those in attendance.

Follow-Up

Distribution of the meeting minutes, as well as follow-up on any decisions/action items should be done.

Parent class representatives (PR), consisting of one Chair and one Deputy, shall be elected every 2 years, within 6 weeks after the new academic year begins. This is done by secret ballot and in separate ballots for each position. How the election is conducted and the formalities to be observed can be found in the parent representative election procedures.

The Election Night

The first parents' evening always follows similar procedures. All parents are invited and most do attend. The class teacher welcomes the parents and already has the necessary ballots and election forms ready.

Information before Election

Nobody expects parents to make an uninformed decision. Parents should be briefly informed that evening of their rights and the expectations of the posts. This may be done by former class parent representatives or by the school’s parent representative chairs. The new class parents should be introduced. Information is also available on the Internet and can be found under the link "Schulrecht” (School rights) on the “Hessische Schulgesetz“ website under §100 on parental rights.

Quorum

Before the elections the quorum must be checked. There must be at least 5 parents present. Should this not be the case, invitations for a second Parents’ Election evening must be issued within five days. If a quorum can still not be reached, the election is cancelled and the class will not be represented in the school’s parents' association.

Eligibility

All parents who have a child in the class and are "parents" as defined by the Education Act (i.e. legal guardians) are eligible for election. A list of electors (voters list) should be made this evening on the forms provided.

The Election Committee

To carry out the election an election committee is elected. This can be done in an open ballot (show of hands). Anyone selected may vote, but can not run for parent representative! Their tasks are:

- Collect nominations
- Check list of electors
- Distribute ballots
- Collect ballots
- Enumerate votes
- Announce voting results
- Ask the elected candidate if they accept the office
- Fill election record

Nominations

Candidates are proposed or volunteer themselves. The nominees introduce themselves and answer any questions from the parents. Then the electors fill out the ballot, in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Code. Should there be a tie in votes, then there must be a run-off. If another tie vote occurs, then the winner shall be chosen by lottery. There shall be a separate vote for each position. The Chair parent representative is elected in the first ballot, the Deputy in the second ballot. The candidate receiving the most valid votes is elected. Those elected must then declare whether they accept the post.

Election Documents

The election ballots and forms remain with the newly elected Chair parent representative for the duration of their tenure. Note: names and contact details of the newly elected parent representatives must be submitted to the school secretary so that the relevant lists can be updated!

Tenure

Please remember that you, as the elected parent representatives, remain in office until the next election(!) so that information from the GEB (General Parents’ Association) can be forwarded to you at the beginning of each school year to guarantee the flow of information to parents.

Interim Election

When a parent representative must resign from office due to personal reasons, or because their child changes classes/schools, then a new representative shall be elected within 6 weeks. This also applies if classes are divided or merged.

These newly elected representatives are elected only for the remainder of the term!

Wishing you a lot of success in the election! :)
Your Board GEB SBS