WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – March 2021

I recently used the term “PTA Flexible” in a conversation, and someone asked me to explain what that meant. It means that as PTA leaders, we need to be able to change plans quickly and nimbly. For the past year, I think everyone has been living a life of forced flexibility. It’s been exhausting, but I think we’re getting pretty good at thinking outside the box!

Last week Governor Inslee announced a schools reopening plan that came as a surprise to many. The decision will affect a lot of families, teachers, and districts. It may cause your PTA to change course and amend your Spring plans. This is just one example of the many changes you’ve made in an effort to maintain services to the children and families in your communities. To help you keep track of the latest pandemic-related information, we hope you’ll find this resource page useful.

As things start to open back up in our schools and communities, decisions will need to be made by all of us in regards to in-person and virtual PTA events and meetings. Many of us have seen unexpected positives come from switching to virtual PTA events, learning, and advocacy. Last week, for example, 58 Washington State PTA members were able to virtually participate in National PTA’s Legislative Conference and Hill Day and had powerful conversations with our federal Congressional members. Maybe you’ve seen similar results in your own PTA after trying something new. There are no easy or right answers in regards to your planning moving forward, but I encourage you to keep equity and inclusion in mind, and continue to keep thinking outside the box!

I am continually amazed at all you do to make every child’s vision a reality. Please know how grateful I am to each of you.