Every public school in New York City is required to have a Parent Teacher Association (PTA), sometimes also known as Parent Association (PA). PTAs are groups where parents and guardians come together to advocate for students and stay informed about school developments. The groups are also bridges between families and school staff, including teachers and principals.
You don’t need to do anything to join a PTA. By enrolling a child in school in NYC, you are automatically a member.
Here is what you need to know about joining and participating a PTA:
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- Parents and legal guardians are automatically members of a PTA and can participate in meetings as little or as much as they want. It doesn’t cost anything to join.
- Participating in a PTA is a way that all parents can get involved with school decisions, like how the school’s budget is spent.
- You can attend PTA meetings remotely or in person.
- If you cannot join one of the meetings, you can still access the summary of the meeting and the video recording if you ask the PTA coordinator at your school.
To get information about your school’s PTA meetings, enter the name of your school in the NYC Public School search tool, and then click “search.” The map should update and show the information of the school on the left hand side. Click on the school, and then scroll to the “schools contact and information” tab.
Click on the email option for “parent coordinator” to write an email introducing yourself to the PTA.
What is a Parent Teacher Association?
A PTA brings together parents and guardians to work together to advocate for the well-being and learning of all students.
“It is basically the way that parents can empower themselves in the decision-making at the school,” said Antonia Martinelli, coordinator at PTA Link, a nonprofit organization that supports PTAs in New York City public schools.
Martinelli explained that parents can vote on new developments to bring to their school like:
- Building a new playground on school grounds
- Adding translation and interpretation services
- Developing a more inclusive curriculum
- Funding a school trip or a teacher’s aide
- How to celebrate graduation ceremonies
“[The PTA] wants to hear from everybody who has a stake in that community,” she said.
But beyond being involved in the community of the school, PTAs also can serve as the first step in taking part in a participatory democracy, regardless of your immigration status.
“It is where you have a president, a secretary, a treasurer. It teaches you how to run an organization that is functioning with the input of the entire community,” Martinelli said
How many meetings do they have?
According to the New York City Department of Education’s PTA Guidance, members will meet at least ten times per school year. These meetings are open to the public, so anyone can join.
Besides general meetings, there are also ten executive board meetings and quarterly meetings with the principal held throughout the year.
Martinelli said that parents can participate in the meetings as much or as little as they want. “You can run for president or you can be a member at large. You can decide if you want to bake cookies for a bake sale or volunteer to hang flyers,” she said.
How do I receive the information about joining a meeting?
The PTA must notify parents at least 10 calendar days in advance. The notice will be sent through email, text alerts, or the platform used by the school. The date and time of the meeting is selected with the goal of reaching all parents.
The notice will also include the agenda that will be discussed for the day. This may include upcoming school events (like parent teacher conferences), school updates, new clubs and more.
What if English is not my first language?
“It is still worth it for parents whose English is not their first language to participate in those calls,” Martinelli said. She added that parents can use services offered by the school, such as real-time interpretation. Schools receive funds to help parents of multilingual students with translators at meetings. If you need language support, you should ask PTA leadership for that resource as soon as possible.
In fact, by participating in a PTA, you represent an important community as you can speak up on behalf of multilingual students who may need more help to succeed in the classroom.
Can I get updates if I cannot attend the meeting?
Work and other responsibilities may prevent parents from attending PTA meetings. If that’s the case, you can still participate. Parent associations are required by law to keep video recordings of virtual or hybrid meetings and written minutes (a summary of what was discussed). Both are always available to parents and can be requested from the PTA coordinator who is in charge of running the meetings.