Question: Open to the public?

Are PTO meeting open to the general public of the community or are they only open to the parents and teachers who attend that school?

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
Independent PTOs generally aren't subject to open meeting laws, so you can limit attendance to members only if you want. However, unless there's a compelling reason to close your meetings, the best practice is to be open and inviting to anyone who is interested enough to attend. If you start limiting who can participate and who can help, you open up your group to getting labeled as a clique. Once that happens, you'll have a very difficult time building involvement.

Community Advice

pdxamanda writes:
I agree with Craig. studies have showed that the more parents are involved the more your childs education is enriched. I would not advice closing your meetings or limiting who can participate or who can help. Not only will it give your group a bad name, but it can cause negative effects on the students. Just remember, it always best to put children first, and you need and should want a small army to help accomplish this goal.