All of our schools are required to have either a:
- Parent Association (PA)
- Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
These organizations:
- advocate for students and families
- update parents and families about the school
- plan and run activities for parents and families
PA/PTAs can support schools in a number of ways, including:
- hosting parent workshops
- organizing activities for families—both academic and social
- raising funds
- running volunteer events
PA/PTAs and the Virtual Environment
See the guidance document in the Virtual Environment folder in the publicly available SharePoint site to help inform you and your school PA/PTAs how to work virtually.
Members
All of the following are automatically members of their school’s PA/PTA:
- Parents
- Step-parents
- Legally appointed guardians
- Foster parents
- Persons in parental relation
Officers
Officers of a PA/PTA are responsible for the PA/PTA budget, events and activities. Officers are elected by membership annually.
Elections
PA/PTA Elections must be held in the spring. At that time, the three mandatory officers (president, recording secretary and treasurer) are elected. This must happen before the last day of school. The election rules are specified in Chancellor's Regulation A-660.
They are also specified in the PA/PTA bylaws, which you can find in the PA/PTA Resource Folder.
View Documents for Elections
Visit the PA/PTA Resource folder for all election materials, including the Guide for information about running the PA/PTA election at your school.
Grievances
Any complaint about a PA/PTA election is known as a grievance. It must:
- Be submitted in writing (email address—or Identifying Whom).
- Focus on a specific and material violation of either the:
- Chancellor's Regulation A-660
- the PA/PTA bylaws
Verbal or anonymous grievances cannot be considered.
Meetings
All PA/PTAs must hold at least:
- Ten monthly general membership meetings
- Ten executive board meetings throughout the year
- Quarterly meetings with the principal
Notification
Members must receive a minimum of 10 calendar days’ notice before the monthly meeting. This notice must include:
- The date, time, place that the meeting will be held
- An agenda items that will be discussed
See the PA/PTA Resource Folder for all meeting materials.
PA/PTA Bylaws
PA/PTA Bylaws are a set of rules adopted by members of the association. These rules govern the day-to-day affairs of the PA/PTA. A template for these bylaws is available as both a fill-in PDF and as a Word Doc are available in the PA/PTA Resource Folder.
All bylaws must follow Chancellor's Regulation A-660. Any and all changes to the template must also follow that regulation.
Finances
A PA/PTA is responsible for its own finances, and must obey certain rules and guidelines about banking, fundraising, and record-keeping. Any association that does fundraising must have a bank account in order to conduct transactions with vendors. Proper record keeping practices must be used by members of the executive board to give an accurate accounting of the association's finances.
See the PA/PTA Resource Folder for all financial reporting materials.
Parent Leader Times
Parent Leader Times is a quarterly newsletter for parents in leadership roles in their school, district, or in the City. Read past issues of Parent Leader Times.
PTAlink
For more information about running your PA or PTA see PTAlink.
Presidents’ Council
Presidents’ Council is an organization of PA/PTA presidents (or designees) that represents the interests of parents within the respective district. Each community school district is required to have a Presidents' Council. Each borough is required to have a Presidents' Council for its high schools. Citywide Special Education (District 75) has a citywide Presidents' Council.
Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council (CPAC)
CPAC is made up of Presidents' Council presidents. CPAC meets with the Chancellor and other divisions monthly so they can share information to better support their constituents and be prepared in their advisory role to the Chancellor. CPAC members are PA/PTA members, SLT members and DLT members. CPAC meetings are open to the public.