Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

What is a PA/PTA?

Parent Associations (PAs) and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) are school-based organizations open to all parents of children currently attending a New York City public school. The PA/PTA is a primary vehicle for parents to get involved in their children’s schools.

How do I join my school’s PA/PTA?

All parents are automatically members of their school’s PA/PTA. There are no pre-qualifications required to participate in a school’s PA/PTA. There is no need to join the PA/PTA.

The term parent includes the student’s parent or guardian, or any person in a parental or custodial relationship to the student.

For more specific information on how to get involved, ask your school Principal or Parent Coordinator.

What is the role of the PA/PTA?

The PA/PTA helps parents become involved in their children’s education, share ideas, and enrich their school communities. Each PA/PTA develops its own bylaws, elects officers, and holds regular meetings. While the specific roles of PA/PTAs vary, their responsibilities include:

• Electing parent members to serve on School Leadership Teams and Community Education Councils

• Conducting outreach to get other parents involved in school life

• Supporting school activities like Parent-Teacher Conferences, open houses and curriculum nights

• Holding fundraising activities to benefit the educational, social and cultural programs in the school

PA/PTA Brochure

An overview of the PA/PTA New York City Public Schools.

Chancellor's Regulation A-660

The Chancellor's Regulation A-660 (CR A-660) governs all aspects of PA/PTAs including elections, finances, conflicts of interests, grievances, fundraising activities and events. It is essential that all members of a school's PA/PTA board read the CR A-660 and are familiar with the overview of the regulations.

The Chancellor's Regulation page has the CR A-660 in all nine covered languages.

PTAlink’s mission is to improve the quality of education for all children in the New York City public school system by making parent organizations stronger and more effective.

Additional Resources

Visit PTAlink.org for great ideas about:

• fundraising

• events 

• community building

• incorporating your PA/PTA

• how to make your PA/PTA function at its best