Community Advice

firefighter464 writes:
Second part of your Q: any violation of bylaws by anybody can be raised as a motion to address the violation at a meeting. Any action taken that violates bylaws makes the action null and void. For instance if money was spent, that check is voided, or if already cashed, that money needs to be paid back by whomever wrongly authorized it. The President is in charge of the PTO, not the principal. (Are you a separate entity from the school?) Study Robert's Rules and your bylaws to see if there is more guidance there. And communicate, communicate, communicate. Both with membership in an open forum and with the principal directly. Get his/her side of the story, but don't be BS'd. Know where you stand and back it up with solid reasons for doing so. Strong leadership should outweigh a principal's violations. Decide as a group what needs to be done and implement it. Best wishes. Let us know how it goes.

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Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
Firefighter sums it up nicely regarding any violation of the bylaws. As to your first question, that would require a look at the bylaws. Your group may have created specific requirements for officers such as stating an officer must be a parent at the school. Or there may be no guidelines. If the bylaws stipulate that it must be a parent and you have a situation where a teacher is also a parent, then that teacher could certainly be elected. If you have no specific requirements, then certainly a teacher could become an officer. A teacher is often a great addition to a group and can provide helpful insights to the school process.

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