>In three days, my school votes on whether or not to join the PTA.  They
>just announced this!  Can you provide me with some short form bulleted
>reasons (with documentation) that shows why we shouldn't?
>
>Daryl Hyde
>5th Grade Teacher
>Chelsea Elementary School
>Chelsea, Alabama
>

A.  A nice place to start is on our:

V. Where To / START/:  page:  http://Hisways.org/start/index.htm  , This will help focus and set your priorities.

Prayer List Index. page: http://Hisways.org/prayerlist/index.htm , This will help focus the issues for your parents & teachers.

B.  In case the PTA is voted in, all is not lost.  Here is a link to a HISways page entitled:

"3. What can conservative members of liberal organizations do?": http://Hisways.org/coop-min/members.htm , How to be a pro active conservative for the children's sake.

"Four Questions to Ask of Any Program or Policy" ... apply to PTA ideas and schemes.   http://www.gtbe.org/news/index.php/1/32/97.html

C.   Here are some articles on why parents and teachers should be careful of the PTA.  Some of these articles reflect a long history of these thoughts, actions and policies.

     Moral:

"Rethinking Child Molestation: The PTA Faces A Moral Dilemma": http://www.worthynews.com/commentary/pta-child-molestation.html ,

Same subject different author: http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=902&department=CWA&categoryid=education ,

Book Review by Phyllis Schlafly's "Education Reporter" http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2002/oct02/book.shtml ,

Same site; article entitled: 'P' in PTA is for Politics, Not Parents http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2000/june00/focus_pta.html ,

News bite:  Title: "The national PTA kicked off a multi-million dollar public relations campaign at its annual convention in June."  "negative image the PTA has earned"  http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2001/july01/er_july01.shtml ,

Article (only): "Manual Describes How to Defeat the 'Radical Right'   "Conservatives are under attack by a coalition of liberal organizations that has published a 252-page training manual called How To Win: A Practical Guide to Defeating the Radical Right in Your Community.  The manual is the work of more than 60 organizations calling themselves the "Radical Right Task Force," including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, National Education Association, Parent Teacher Association (PTA), ..." !! http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1995/oct95/radical.html

D.  An independent, alternative like a PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) might be a win-win solution.

Here's an article from http://www.ptotoday.com/0800ptopta2.html , "PTO vs. PTA  - The national PTA`s position as presumed leader of the parent group world is no longer a given. More than 75 percent of U.S. groups are now PTOs.   (updated August 2002)"........

For larger parent involvement, propose 3 extra meetings per month - OFF campus.