Can PTAs require COVID-19 vaccination to participate in meetings and events?
This fall, our back-to-school season has been exciting and – well, different! PTAs are contending with new state and school district rules on masking and vaccine requirements for volunteers. PTA leaders have many questions about what PTAs can or must do with respect to the public health guidance, executive orders and school district policies. Health…
Category:
Governance
Outline of March 12 Announcement to Require Schools to Offer an In-Person Learning Option
WSPTA received this outline of the March 12 announcement to require schools to offer an in-person learning option from Maddy Thompson, the senior policy advisor to the Governor’s office: Today the Governor announced that he is issuing an Emergency Proclamation early next week that prohibits all school districts from failing to offer all K-12 students…
Category:
Legislative
Reopening School Buildings – Role of PTAs
Advocacy. Powered by PTA. PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy organization in the United States. Washington State PTA and all its affiliated PTAs have the mission to advocate for the health, safety, well-being, and education of the 1.1 million K-12 students across all of Washington state. The role of PTA in advocacy regarding…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Reopening Schools – Updated Guidance
Download article as PDF. After studying emerging data from other states, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) revised the metrics for when local school districts should consider bringing students back into school buildings,1 and comprehensive health and safety measures for how to resume once it is deemed safe.2 Schools must also follow guidance in…
Category:
Advocacy
12 Tips for ADA Compliance in Electronic Meetings and Events
PTA Inclusion. Now More Than Ever. For electronic meetings and events, PTAs still must provide accommodations for individuals with disabilities, under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and Washington’s Law Against Discrimination (WLAD). There is more information about both of those laws and how they impact local PTAs and councils in this blog post. Below…
Category:
Leadership
How Do We Do Teacher Grants in a Pandemic?
Grants are a key tool PTAs use to support teachers in the classroom. The question many local leaders have this year is: Can we still do teacher grants with virtual or hybrid learning? We reached out to leaders around Washington and across the United States to see what PTAs plan on doing this year. The…
Category:
Leadership
Getting Ready for the First Membership Meeting of the Year
The 2020-21 school year is upon us, and the PTA year is about to get into full swing! Hopefully, your board of directors had a productive summer retreat and is planning a fall membership drive and the first membership meeting of the year. In many areas of Washington, membership meetings will need to be held…
Category:
Governance
A Teacher’s Thoughts on the Upcoming Year
Guest post provided by Amy Campbell, 2020 Washington state Teacher of the Year Hello fellow PTA members, My name is Amy Campbell. I am a Special Education teacher in the Camas School District, and the 2020 Washington state Teacher of the Year. I was honored to attend the Washington State PTA conference in May to…
Category:
Education
New Guidance on Reopening Schools – What Families Need to Know
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, Governor’s Policy Adviser Maddy Thompson, and Department of Health’s COVID response director Lacy Fehrenbach met with WSPTA members for a webinar on August 10. The main topics for the hour-long event included the new school reopening framework and answers to questions about serving all students, meal service, childcare, and tracking attendance.…
Category:
Education
Tracking Absences under COVID-19
OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) has adopted emergency rules to address tracking “absences” in a time of COVID and the various approaches to instruction, including in-person, hybrid, and remote learning. The rules will be in effect for the 2020-21 school year. Read the four-page summary here.
Category:
Education