Question: How to recover PTO from angry mob of parents with complaints?

Our PTO has several members that want the PTO to take on the role of carrying carrying the parents complaints to the school administration AS WELL AS be responsible for ensuring a satisfactory (to those parents) resolution occurs. I have tried to explain to them that the PTO does not have this purpose in its bylaws. More important to me, the PTO officers do not have a mandate to represent the parents in this way since the PTO officers are not voted on by parents. They are voted on only by PTO members which contain a minor portion of the parents of the school. If we represented the parent body in this way without a mandate, it seems like it would be more oligachical rather than democratic. However, certain select members have an agenda to use the PTO and perhaps the PTO funds as leverage to having their complaints receive the grand attention they want. The PTO has come to grinding halt as they want to ammend the bylaws. Any suggestion on how to approach this.

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Community Advice

Capt Wade writes:
The PTO is there to help with students & teachers & not to be the middleman. If these members are there for their own agenda & it is not written in the bylaws, they need to resign. If they are having issues with the school administration, they need to take it up with the district school board. That is what they are there for. WHen people join PTO's, PTA's, etc, with their own agendas, nothing will get done as it is in your case. You need to let them know as well that the principal has the right to dissolve the PTO/PTA if he/she feels it is disrupting the overall situation that has evolved.
They need to be the ones to step up if they are having issues & not involve the PTO.