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After a little bit of reading, and a little more researching, we found what we thought we’d find. The PTA is just another institution with a history that is questionable, a present that is built on catch phrases and hypocrisy, and a future that only promises more of the same.
Take the Money and Run
Stealing money from the PTA is one of the most common crimes that I can think of that is PTA related. It happens all over the country, and it involves lots of money. What I find most amazing about it is the fact that it doesn’t happen even more often, to be honest. See, the PTA is not a school district patrolled group. They are technically an independently functioning entity. Their volunteer status and record-keeping is not overseen by school districts.
For that reason, bringing a complaint to the Board of Education, or even a school’s principal, about the behavior of the PTA is an utter waste of time. If someone steals the PTA money- and this happened at Sierra Madre Elementary some eight or so years ago- it generally goes unsolved. The school district isn’t going to investigate it in any event. That’s what makes the strange case of the candy money snatchers so intriguing.
The cases shared thus far are across the United States, but we are going to focus here on California PTA policies, and California cases. In the case of suspected embezzlement, the supposedly independent unit, the PTA, confers with the school principal (click here) according to PTA bylaws.
With guidance from the district PTA, review the information, and determine the appropriate course of action. Call a special meeting of the unit executive board and principal to confidentially review the facts and determine the actions to be taken. Exclude the individual(s) who might be involved in the mismanagement of funds. Notify the council/district PTA presidents of the scheduled meeting date, so they can attend. The president will invite the council/district PTA treasurer to attend, if necessary. Convene the meeting. Instruct the secretary to take minutes of the special meeting. These minutes must reflect all actions authorized by the executive board. However, be careful not to accuse any specific individual.
So. The procedure begins with a few secret meetings in which the accused are not invited, but in which the discussion of the mismanaged funds are considered and discussed.
OK. So the PTA feel it is justified for a group of people to talk about one of their members being involved in a crime. That almost sounds like a guarantee of gossip and polluted information, but hey, who am I to question one of the oldest, revered groups of parent volunteers in the country? After all, I know from my own past personal experience in Sierra Madre that the PTA here have been a bunch of stand up broads- oops, I mean ladies - and that if someone is accused of something that they keep it all on the QT and no one is ever accused of anything.
Well, not in writing.
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In May, 2013, a former PTA president in the Riverside county area allegedly stole $20,000. I have to say allegedly because after she admitted to spending it on a divorce lawyer, rent, and food, she then plead innocent in court (click here). Now, granted, she could quite possibly have misplaced 20,000 candy bars, or fed them to her kids, but I guess that is up to the courts to solve now. We can only congratulate her husband for not electing her to be president of his lodge (click here).
Back in 2010 an Alta Murrieta PTA treasurer was accused of embezzling $17,000 and that magic number showed up again in Riverside this year. A Riverside County PTA president was charged with lifting about $17,000, (click here) but it wasn’t only in candy money. Mismanagement in bookkeeping isn’t solely due to sales and fundraisers.
That should make the dentists of the world happy.
If it Walks like a Duck, and it Talks like a Duck
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 5:00 PM. From Mary Brandenburg to Carol Kocivar, Colleen You, Jon Gundry, Esther Salinas, Brian McDonald, Yolanda Mendoza, Scott Phelps, Mikala Rahn, Renatta Cooper, Thomas Selinske, Elizabeth Pomeroy, Tyron Hampton, Rony.Sagy, Ari Ne'eman, Lydia Brown, Kimberly Kenne
Receipt of PTA Grievance Committee findings
Good Afternoon,
Apparently, the ball is back in PUSD's court.....where it's been since 2010.
California PTA formed a state level grievance committee after stalling 2 years. Today we received their findings.
We submitted documents to the California PTA obtained through a FOIA records request, thus they are public documents. I've attached one of the public docs, the cover letter to the petition to remove my son from school- sent by the Sierra Madre PTA E-Communications rep to the Board of Education.
I've also attached a photo of the PTA Legacy Award presented to Sierra Madre School for "Nine decades of improving the lives of all children". Does ALL children include disabled children? Please explain how denying an autistic child FAPE for two years, as well as targeting, harassing and criminalizing improves Autistic children's lives.
An investigative reporter doing a recent story regarding our situation contacted many PUSD PTA Executive board members. They had already put out the word not to talk to her. They have quite a network. But as in any gossip network, things are bound to leak. For example, the ongoing bullying problem on both Sierra Madre campuses, and the involvement of the site PTA. All of this will eventually come to light.
The fact that I have to sit sentry at my son's side at school on a daily basis to protect him from these adult bullies cannot be disputed, no matter how many committees meet to discuss this. I've been forced to do this for months, as no one will guarantee my child's safety from these PTA parents/volunteers. Apparently, neither CPTA, nor PUSD have protections in place to protect disabled children targeted by adults.
Please note, a grand jury report re: Adult on child bullying:
http://media.utsandiego.com/news/documents/2013/05/16/Adult_to_Child_Bullying_Report.pdf
1) We have been told by PUSD that there are no policies in place to investigate the actions of community members, including the PTA.
2) We have been told that PUSD does not have any adult on child bullying programs in place.
3) We have been told by the California State PTA that "... the committee concluded that the individuals named were acting either as concerned parents, or as school employees, and not in any official PTA capacity."
4) Ca. PTA found "... there were no violations of PTA bylaws, policies, or procedures by the Sierra Madre PTA, or the individuals named."
According to the PTA Grievance Committee, the National PTA Diversity and Inclusion Policy was NOT violated by the behavior of these PTA Board members. The PTA has been informed that there's an ongoing hostile school culture at Sierra Madre School. So, when it comes to Autistic students, does this policy not hold true?
National PTA Diversity/Inclusion policy: PTA units "... assessed beliefs and practices to promote inclusiveness and guard against continued discrimination; to foster programs and practices that eliminate bias, prejudice and misunderstanding; or to propose change wherever discriminatory practices are perceived."
Thus, according to the California PTA it is PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE, and NOT in violation of PTA Bylaws, Policies, Procedures to:
1) Circulate petitions of removal that target autistic students for behaviors associated with their disability, and send them by the PTA E-Communications to the Board of Education.
2) Use stigmatizing and discriminatory language to dehumanize an autistic child, such as "subject" and "threat needing 4 handlers"- in PTA emails and letters.
3) Deny a family all involvement, even when discussing the disabled child in public meetings/forums.
4) Share confidential information, along with gossip, without including the family of the disabled child.
5) Foster a hostile school culture by ignoring all the evidence presented re: an autistic child targeted and bullied by adults who refuse to acknowledge their discriminatory behavior.
6) Not hold accountable PTA leaders for their discriminatory behavior against disabled children.
Is it just me, or is something seriously amiss?
I look forward to a written explanation.
Mary Brandenburg
Bullies? Um, yeah. I’m pretty sure that we don’t like them but let me double check the policy again and get back to you on that.
The PTA may believe that we have forgotten this, or given up. We have done neither. They may have dismissed the issue, but we live with the fall-out of what happened when our child was bullied. We expect an apology from the National and State PTAs for what happened, but as is to be expected, they offer neither, and instead shift the blame back onto the school district. We believe that their arrogance, or negligence, is just another form of repression and passive aggression directed against members of the community who are on the peripheries.
The problem that we have found regarding the PTA is that, although this group is schools-based, and has a membership made up of parents, parent volunteers, and educational staff at the local level, that no one accepts responsibility for the actions of the membership, especially when they behave in a way that runs contrary to the national group.
Our personal case is a very clear. At least two members of the governing local took part in the removal of our child from school. They were assisted by staff and administration. They clearly told their children to exclude our autistic child. It was all clearly delineated to the state PTA. The state PTA used the excuse that because it was not on PTA letterhead (of which none existed for email) that their group was not only excused from the actions of the local, but that the local did nothing wrong.
Their conclusion is that it falls on the school district, which is interesting, because the school district said this is a PTA concern. In other words, circular blame shifting in which no one is held responsible.
This is a typical response for districts and for the PTA.
http://sierramadretattler.blogspot.com