Langley DPAC: the parents' voice at the school district

Every public school in Langley has a PAC, the parents’ group that meets in the library and runs the hot lunch. The DPAC is the layer above that: one rep from each school’s PAC, meeting once a month to speak for parents to the whole Langley School District. Any parent can walk in, not just the reps.

What does the Langley DPAC actually do?

Its job, in its own words, is to be “the collective voice of parents” in the district. In practice that means four things, all from DPAC’s own list:

• Advising the school board on anything to do with education in Langley, including the district’s plan for student achievement. The district’s own rules (Administrative Procedure 111) have the superintendent meet the DPAC president monthly to go over the agenda, and a member of the district leadership team attends every DPAC meeting.
• Sitting on district committees, so a parent is in the room when decisions are made.
• Helping PACs run well. DPAC posts PAC 101, Treasurer 101 and Governance 101 material, with sample agendas and meeting scripts, and helps parents start a PAC where a school doesn’t have one.
• Helping individual families who are stuck on a school problem (more on that below).

It also gives out two scholarships to Langley grads: the Richard Bulpitt Educational Award ($500, named after a retired Langley superintendent) and the DPAC Trades Scholarship ($500 each to two students). Application packages are listed as “coming soon” for this year.

When are the 2026-27 DPAC meetings?

Meetings start at 7pm and are meant to wrap up by 9. In-person meetings are at the School Board Office; online ones get a link a week ahead.

Date	Format
Thursday, November 19, 2026	Online
December	No meeting
Thursday, January 21, 2027	Online
Thursday, February 18, 2027	Online
Thursday, March 11, 2027	Online
Thursday, April 22, 2027	In person
Wednesday, May 19, 2027	General meeting and AGM, in person

September 24 and October 22 have already happened (both in person). Agendas, minutes and the approved 2026-27 budget are on the DPAC meetings page.

My child has a problem at school. Can DPAC help?

Yes, though it’s not the first stop. The guide DPAC and the district wrote together, Communicating With Your School, sets out the order:

1. Talk to the person involved, usually the teacher.
2. Then the principal, vice-principal or counsellor.
3. Then the School Board Office (a district principal or director).
4. If you still disagree, you may be able to appeal to the Board of Education under section 11 of the School Act.

Along the way you can bring an advocate to any meeting, and that can be someone from your PAC or DPAC. DPAC’s Advocacy 101 page says its volunteers can help you pin down the problem, understand how the district’s process works, prepare for meetings and make sense of the decision. Email [email protected] or ask your PAC president.

How do I get involved?

• Go to a general meeting. All parents are welcome.
• Become your school’s DPAC rep: your PAC elects one.
• Join the executive. The executive members are unpaid volunteers listed with their emails on the DPAC executive page; the secretary role was open when we checked.
• Sign up for the newsletter on langleydpac.ca or follow Langley DPAC on Facebook, where meeting links are posted.

More on the district itself: Langley School District, the Langley School Board and the Langley School District Foundation.

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