Question: Teacher strike: PTO’s role?

What is the PTO’s role, if any, during a teacher strike? Can it support the teachers? For instance, can group members bring them cookies and food and call other parents for donations?

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Advice from PTO Today

Elly writes:

The best course is for the PTO to remain neutral. This is likely to be a highly emotional, controversial situation, and there will probably be parents taking both sides.

As individual parents, you can take a position and pursue the activities you mentioned (or not). However, Elly recommends that the PTO, as an organization, not get involved. This is for the teachers and the school district to sort out. Your important role will be to help rebuild a sense of community once the situation is resolved. Read “Teacher Contract Negotiations and the PTO” for guidelines on how to navigate your PTO through this situation.