The folks claiming that discussions like this are always inappropriate may be correct for their groups, but I don't think they can justify claims that they're always inappropriate for any PTO.
Our bylaws say that one of our purposes is "to provide a forum through which parent concerns, ideas and suggestions may be communicated to the school administration". You may argue with the merits of having that as a purpose, but it is one of ours, and with that purpose *of*course* we have discussions like this at PTO meetings; it would be inappropriate for us *not* to. And they're often fruitful, making important steps "to enhance and support the educational experience" at our school (another of our purposes).
In any case, the correct answer to the original post is very likely this: It depends on your bylaws. Robert's Rules say that any member may introduce any "legitimate" topic under New Business. I'm not aware that RONR defines "legitimate" for this purpose, which leaves the question of legitimacy up to your governing documents or, absent any guidance in those documents, to the chair.
Two other points. First, in a public school district, any attempt by the school board or any school employee to dictate what you can and cannot talk about at PTO meetings would raise serious First Amendment issues. Obviously you can't set school policy, but in my opinion any PTO must be willing to *advocate* for policy changes where appropriate, and any decent administration would welcome the input.
And finally, did you folks claiming these discussions are always inappropriate notice that there's a safety issue involved? Now, I agree with some who've said that there may be better venues to raise such concerns than a PTO meeting -- but those other venues may not be available, convenient or timely, or attempts to address the issue in those venues may have failed. As long as I'm on the board, our PTO will welcome discussions like this, and we will respond to valid safety concerns as promptly and as effectively as we possibly can.
I have been dealing with these issues for some time. Parents (at our school) may not have a parent advisory committee unless it is under the umbrella of the PTO (via the superintendent). This is a death knoll to the parents that would like to be involved.
He feels it is nothing more than a gripe seesion for parents. We were told PTO is nothing more than a fundraiser for the school and that our input is not welcome.
Parents have no idea who is on the school planning committees or have been elicited to join said committees, unless you a legacy family ( those famliies that started in the school 100 years ago). New parents to the community are treated as outsiders for the most part. Unless you are involved in the sports program. ( major money maker for all schools)
We are in a small rural district with many great teachers but also some that feel the parents are not well enough educated to have a voice in their childs education. Especially those with special needs.
The Suoerintendent, Principals and teachers tend to address parent concerns by either ignoring them, inviting a parent to come for a "talk" and then bully them ,YES, I said bully them. I hear from these parents constantly as they feel they are alone and not represented. That PTO should be a voice for them.
PTO should be a vessel to voice a parents goals, concerns or involvment in front of the school boards and staff of the schools.
Fund raising for parties of a select few children is the least of our worries. With budget cuts from the federal level down our schools need our involvement and input- I beleive. With loss of jobs for parents and rising taxes we all pay more attention to where our money is going.
Do I sound bitter- no I am really just worn down. We should be working for all children in the schools as well as the staff who put themselves out for our kids.
The idea of groups working together is not accepted by many schools these days. Every group has their own agenda. It all comes back to fighting over money.
Education, safety, and parent/community involvement are a must for our schools to succeed.
Some of the earlier remarks sound like they came from staff instead of parents.
I know my comments are not popular but usually the truth is not.
Get involved, go to PTO meetings, school board meetings and be visible and yet show how you want to work together. Put together a Parent Advisory Committee and invite parents and staff alike. Do not make it personal with the downside but find a way to bring things out in the open to find a positive result. When everyone works together it is a win - win for all of us, especially the kids.
Thank you to those for clarifying what the terms SAC etc mean. For many of us with very small schools we simply DONT have this option. Our school board serves 2 schools totaling 340 students. We certainy dont have an SAC. We have a PTO whose checkbook is held by the school, and who is stifled to only work on fund raising and "fun" events. We have a school board who deters parents from attending board meetings, and are many times offended when they do attend. I think we all need to be mindful in these forums that we are talking about many different situations across the country - small rural schools to large urban schools. Not everything works. Anyone at a small rural school have a successful situation that might be helpful? I could use some advice too !
I'm a board member for our PTO and I've never heard of SAC, SAF, SIT. Not all school districts on here are large enough or require SAC, SAF, and SIT.
Our school district serves a combined district with approximately 4000 residents, therefore, 1400 students K-12, so I don't even know if those committees exist. However, we do have principals and teachers that do come to the PTO meetings. When they hear concerns, they take the concerns to the appropriate people.
Every so often our PTO has speakers that come in to discuss various topics. One month we had the District Director of Transportation come in to talk about our bus system. After his speech, we opened the floor to questions. One parent questioned why his child had to walk to school. He thought they lived too far away and should be picked up by the bus. This forum allowed, the director to explain the district policy and offer suggestions on how that parent could address the situation, including calling his office directly.
Suggestion: if you set a specific meeting aside for parents to discuss a particular "hot button" and having the appropriate decision makers (i.e., principals, administration, etc...) available to HEAR and RESPOND TO concerns -- note I'm not saying they will make changes -- the decision makers can take the feedback to their committees to discuss further and make appropriate changes if necessary.
