Shortie - LOVE the screen name!

I wonder if the situation at your school evolved so slowly over time that nobody realizes the effect it's having on the parents. I've seen schools at the opposite extreme where parents run amok and it seems the staff and teachers have no say at all in what's going on at the school. Naturally, a happy medium would be ideal.

I think my last school struck a great balance in this regard. Parents are welcome and involved but with specific rules and guidelines to follow.

It can be a huge challenge for the staff to maintain control and student safety and security when lots of people are milling about the school so that's a primary concern. After hours events require the staff to provide their time for free and is asking quite a lot of some already very overworked people. I can't speak for all schools but at my last one, either the superintendent, principal or asst principal had to be present in the building if an activity was taking place. Between the three of them, they spend a lot of their own free time there. We knew what a blessing it was to have these folks support our activities and returned the favor with our respect and gratitude.

For you, I'd say start slowly. Acknowledge the challenges the staff faces and ask what you can do to help alleviate them. Try to add one or two small events and see how they go. dlf's suggestion for Trunk or Treat is a great one. If Halloween type activities aren't allowed, perhaps have a Fall Fun Day outside and have a hay bale maze, potato sack races, relay races, face painting, hotdogs & chili, fun things like that. Take on the majority of the work and responsibilities to show the staff what your team can do. Hopefully, the tide will change over time and more parent involvement will be see as the great thing it is.

I wanted to respond to what Writer mom said about a parent involvement committee not working without the principals support, the principals support is very important but you could still do it and present your findings to the principal. My principal was against it for months, she finally said if I could get staff reps then she would give me the okay, She didn't think that I could do it. I went and got a primary rep, secondary rep, 2 at large staff reps, and my parents. Came back to her and said "I'm ready" and she gave in.
The bottom line to it working is honesty and staff reps need to be people who you do not converse with everyday, maybe someone who has been at the school a while, someone who has that reputation of being against things. I truly think that any principal can be persuaded to do this committee, bottom line if you have everything all lined up, no work for them they are happy! Don't give up on it...I know with our committee it was a nice point of view hearing staff's feelings on things, it is about meeting in the middle. Your lack of parent involvement may be deeper than you know why.

how to get more parents involved in your festival is to make them feel welcomed, and if the principal doenst foster such an environment, like at your neighbor schools (i am guessing the same district) your best bet is to talk to your principals boss, and make them aware of the issue. they will probably thnk you for it. they are probably not aware of the concerns you have. you will never get anywher on your own, if you dont make the powers that be aware of the policies that your principal has in place for parents. you have to get a better climate at the school and it has to come from the front desk or parents will never get involved. the squeaky wheel gets the grease -- sometimes the people in the district office who CAN get changes moving, arent even aware of things like this and are glad when parents come to them to make them aware oif their concerns.

Shorty--maybe you should consider something a bit less volunteer intensive. We did Trunk or Treat followed by a monster mash in the gym for our fall event (in anticipation of working up to a Fall festival next year). The requirements for Trunk or Treat were mostly space allocations and sign ups...and increases your volunteer base because, in out case, so many folks got into it. The monstermash was easy--just hired a DJ and then had a small group of about 6 to work handing out pizza and drinks. It started at 5 and ended at 8:00 ... short but sweet and nowhere near what doing a ffestival costs in manpower....d

I think I agree with pals here. You are setting yourself up for failure here by trying to do a fall festival, I'm afraid. It would be a good idea to work on shool-parent relations right now and try to mend the breach--BUT if the administration is not going to change things and welcome parents back into the school, I don't think there is much hope. A parent involvement committee won't accomplish anything without the support of the administration. You say you've talked to the principal about this--how was your position received?

Thanks for the advice, we have been to meetings where parents challenged the issues and I think you are right, we will never know what happened to keep the parents out.
I met with our prinicipal( new 2yrs) and brought to her attention that we are stuck because we need a fellowship builder but parents are angry that they are excluded from all fun things and are only included when it involves money.
Thanks again, I honestly don't know what we will do from here.