A local liaison committee is recommended to support the teacher and to facilitate co-ordinated planning. The committee structure and mandate will vary from one area to another depending on the number of classrooms, the size of the community, health-related programming in the community and other factors. It is recommended tat responsibility for setting up the committee be considered by the local school board and assigned either to a trustee or a school administrator.

The main functions of the committee would be to:

• Provide support to the classroom and total school program;
• Provide liaison with health-related programming in the community;
• Provide a forum for discussion of parent/student/school health-related issues and concerns.

Membership should reflect groups in the community who have an interest in the health ad well-being of youth. In some communities, there will be many support systems, such as church youth groups, 3-H, Scouts, Guides, etc. In others there will be very few. Membership should be representative of groups that do exist so program opportunities in the community can be known and co-ordinated.

Membership should include:

• The school principal;
• A local school trustee;
• A health professional.

Membership might also include:

• a member of the clergy;
• a parent;
• a representative from a local youth club;
• a student representative (might be from the Student Representative Council);
• a representative from the business and professional community;
• an Indian or Metis representative;
• others who have a special contribution to make.

Duties of the Local Liaison Committee may include:

• Keeping informed of special learning experiences planned for the classroom and the total school;
• Finding out about health-related programming in the community that is or could be supportive to the classroom program;
• Offering advice about special concerns or problems that might arise in the classroom program in such a way as to facilitate resolution of the concerns;
• Providing feedback from the community about reactions to classroom programming so that future planning will be facilitated;
• Consulting with teachers responsible for the delivery of health education in each school, on a request from them;
• Establishing subcommittees, as required, to support the classroom and total school programs (e.g., a subcommittee to assist in evaluating instructional resource materials).

Frequency of the meetings should be determined by the needs of the classroom and school program. At least two meetings a year might be pre-scheduled.