June 19, 2013

Legislative Program

The NYS PTA Legislative Program forms our basis for advocacy and is comprised of the following documents: Basic Policy, "Where We Stand," and Legislative Directives. These documents reflect adopted positions that guide and prioritize member actions to improve laws, regulations, policies and conditions on issues that affect the education, health and welfare of children. By directing our advocacy through formalized positions we unite our efforts to speak on behalf of every child with one voice. Use the following links to guide your unit, council or region to take action on a local, state or national level.

Where We Stand:  Current Resolutions and Position Papers

"Where We Stand" is the official position document of the New York State PTA. It is comprised of resolution statements adopted by convention delegates. These statements are intended to guide members as to what action to take on specific issues that affect the education, health and welfare of children and youth. Also included in this official document are New York State PTA’s Position Papers. Position Papers represent the research of the NYS PTA Board of Directors and are approved by this body. Position Papers provide guidelines on various issues and are equal in importance to Resolutions as a basis for advocacy. Both adopted Resolutions and Position Papers are reviewed every seven years by the New York State PTA Resolutions Committee. "Where We Stand" is updated annually to reflect actions taken at the NYS PTA Annual Convention in November and sent in January to region board members and unit/council presidents statewide.

Legislative Directives

Legislative Directives are the issues that have been prioritized to focus NYS PTA advocacy efforts for the upcoming year. After careful consideration, the directives (as priorities) are recommended by the NYS PTA Advocacy Team and voted upon by the NYS PTA Board of Directors at their November meeting. While legislative directives target our efforts, they do not limit or exclude other issues from our attention.

All of the files below are in PDF format. If you do not have software to read this format, please click here to download the latest version of Acrobat Reader.

Basic Policy

Where We Stand

Legislative Directives

Position Papers

Use of Student Assessment & Its Impact on High-Stakes Educational Decisions

Standards, Testing and the Whole Child

Prescription And Over The Counter Drug Abuse NEW

Family Engagement Training and Evaluation for Teachers and Administrators NEW

Financial Literacy

Partners for Healthy Lifestyles

Standards, Testing and the Whole Child

School District Requests for Financial Assistance

NYS PTA and Charter Schools

Early Childhood Education

Children and Youth in Poverty: The Public School Responsibility

Education of Students with Disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Fundraising and the PTA

Guidelines for Selection of Textbooks and Educational Materials

Integrating the Arts into Education

NYS Learning Standards