As a matter of fact I have served many many positions both at the district and building level, including President of both my elementary and middle school. I have had the great honor and pleasure of serving with five of the best principals you could ever imagine, and one really bad egg.

Principals, like parents are just people, they can make bad decisions and have lapses of judgement just like the rest of us, and it is the responsibility of parents, who are the altimate advocates for our children, to speak out when bad decisions are made. Some of decisions and policies implemented in schools today have nothing to do with educating our children, they have to do with money and school district politics. If parent groups are content to bake cookies and fundraise...we are in deep trouble.

I agree that it is best to work in partnership with administration, but when that can't happen, parents must have the courage of conviction to speak out and be heard. Telling a parent that informing other parents of a common issue of concern and having an opinon that is contrary to theirs, is "not her place", really sounds more like bullying than anything else to me. You know, the old divide and conquer theory.

What kind of lessons are we teaching our children? Don't question, don't get involved, don't make waves, and for our girls...."know your place"!

momofthreeboys...going against your building principal in a negative way is not a way to help your group or school...Just curious are you a leader? The best way to assure success for your group and school is to problem solve not hit heads.

You go girl! Don't give up and don't get discouraged. Parent groups need leaders of courage and conviction to advocate for affective change in the best interest of children. How do the rest of you think anything that has ever gotten done, gets done? How do you think effective change happens? With a small group of people who have the courage to challange and question the status quo. and since when did any elected official or officer speak for 110% of their constituents?

I think the rest of you should run for congress!

A way for the PTA/PTO to get involved would be to bring assemblies/programs about drug use to the school. Educated the kids about the dangers and empower them, give them stradegies, to stay away from them. My 5th grader just "graduated" from the D.A.R.E. program that was brought into the school by the principal. The kids seemed to get a lot out of it. For the PTA/PTO to to focus on prevention would be apporpriate, just not not punishment because that gets into school policy and PTA/PTO has no business there.

tisptamom;132769 wrote: Since all this I have taken several different handbook rules and placed them into one and proposed it to the principle. I did this as a parent and nothing to do with the PTA so the principle would be happy. It just doesnt feel right. Not being able to get support from other parents through the PTA?!?!

The PTA or PTO or Parent Group is a means to to identify curriculum and programs deemed by the membership* in its sole discretion to be vital to affect the richest educational experience possible for our children; to maximize the role of the school itself in fulfilling these objectives; and to plan, organize and execute events and programs which generate the resources and mechanisms necessary to fulfill these objectives.- that is how I explain it to others usually.


Just because National PTA lobbies for change (not always good change - I might add) doesnt mean local PTA's and PTO's have to or want to (thousands leave Nat'l PTA because of dues, their backwards logic and lobbying,etc every year)- it also doesnt make them any less relevant or useful.

Just because an organization exists doesnt mean it is a support group for each members issues (even though yours is a VERY valid issue).It also shouldnt be the tool to recruit, change or challenge the institution and/or polices (even if it is A Parent group)

Due to the PTA, ACLU, NAACP, PETA, etc.... people are under the false impression that

1. We need an official group (or Acronym) to change policy
2. That our group should change policy
3. That those that dont want our group to change policy are somehow not supportive and/ or dont want change

I guarantee 1000 community members (be they PTA,PTO, parents, businessmen, athomeparents, grandmothers) showing up at principals office instead of 100 PTA or NAACP or PETA (just examples) members will be heard even if they have NO acronym behind them- if they arent heard the next step is to super then BOE then lawyers and groups with acronyms (ACLU, FOXnews, CNN, etc)
Dont let the "we have to get the PTA people involved" throw u off course.

I for one would vote it down if on that board (changing handbook policy or protesting the events that happened,lobbying, etc - I pay PTA dues (begrudgingly- its the only gig available at our school- but I abhorr their lobbying practices, most policy ideas, implementation, efforts, and costs plus the fact they dont ask me about any- in 15 yrs I might add)

That doesnt mean the PTA, PTO's, Parent groups cant do character, citizneship (laws and lawfulness) DARE, anti-drugs, peer-pressure, policy workshops, events, programs, fieldtrips, etc. (I'm all for those)

tisptamom;132769 wrote: Since all this I have taken several different handbook rules and placed them into one and proposed it to the principle. I did this as a parent and nothing to do with the PTA so the principle would be happy. It just doesnt feel right. Not being able to get support from other parents through the PTA?!?!

The PTA or PTO or Parent Group is a means to to identify curriculum and programs deemed by the membership* in its sole discretion to be vital to affect the richest educational experience possible for our children; to maximize the role of the school itself in fulfilling these objectives; and to plan, organize and execute events and programs which generate the resources and mechanisms necessary to fulfill these objectives.

Just because National PTA lobbies for change (not always good change - I might add) doesnt mean local PTA's and PTO's have to or want to (thousands leave Nat'l PTA because of dues, their backwards logic and lobbying,etc every year).

Just because an organization exists doesnt mean it is a support group for each members issues (even though yours is a VERY valid issue) and should be the tool to recruit, change or challenge the institution and or policies.

Due to the PTA, ACLU, NAACP, PETA, etc.... people are under the false impression that

1. We need an official group (or Acronym) to change policy
2. That it brings more clout to have an acronym or be a 501c3
3. That our group should change, support or influence policy
4. That those that dont want our group to change policy are somehow not supportive and/or dont want change

I guarantee 1000 community members (be they PTA,PTO, parents, businessmen, athomeparents, grandmothers) showing up at principals office instead of 100 PTA or NAACP or PETA (just examples) members will be heard even if they have NO acronym behind them- if they arent heard the next step is to super then BOE then lawyers and groups with acronyms (ACLU, FOXnews, CNN, etc)


Dont let the "we have to get the PTA people involved" throw u off course. I for one would vote it down if on that board if it was changing handbook policy et al. That doesnt mean you cant run programs (voted on by membership) that target character, drug use, peer pressure, etc (that kind of programs I support)