Posted 11:13 AM by Susan Darst Williams

WHEN PARENTS DARE TO BUCK THE SYSTEM

What would happen if a Nebraska parents’ organization associated with a school district went on record opposing a bond issue, tax-lid levy override or other means of obtaining more revenue? Or what if the PTA or PTO chose to remain politically neutral when taxpayers are asked to fork over more cash for schools?

I have a funny feeling there would be repercussions such as happened last month in Ohio. School officials have officially defrocked a local parents’ group for failure to campaign for a proposed tax hike. The Parent-Teacher Organization decided to stay neutral, out of the political fray, neither supporting nor opposing the measure. It went down to defeat in November.

Now, according to the Akron newspaper, school officials of the Buckeye Junior High School in Medina no longer recognize the PTO as a district-related organization. School officials even turned down $1,000 the group raised in a sweatshirt sale.

Nasssss-ty.

Is it just a mirage when school officials say they try to foster a strong “home and school partnership,” when parent volunteers get treated like that? As if they’re not allowed to have an opinion that differs from the school administration’s? As if they’re just supposed to be mindless cheerleaders and political operatives?

If this happened in your district and you were on the school board, what would you do? I think a little more defrocking would be in order – of those administrators’ jobs.