​​Parent-Teacher Organizations​​

Parent organizations in elementary schools are important: they promote parent/guardian support for the school program, increase mutual understanding between the school and parents/guardians, build a sense of school community, and assist in the financial support of the school. The Department of Catholic Schools encourages the formation of parent (or parent-teacher) organizations that follow archdiocesan policies.​​

General

Parent organizations:

• ​Are advisory in nature
• Have no legal status apart from the school and therefore may not be separately incorporated
• Function in accordance with a written constitution and bylaws that comply with archdiocesan policy that govern the structure and operation of such an organization
• ​Are subject to all Department of Catholic Schools​ regulations and policies

​Membership
The membership of the parent organization shall include the pastor of the parish​ or his designee, principal, parents/guardians of currently enrolled students, and religious and lay faculty (if the organization is a parent-teacher organization). The pastor and principal shall have the right to approve officers and other members of the executive committee during the nomination process. The pastor or his designee and the principal shall be ex officio members of the executive committee of the organization.

See the Parent-Teacher Organization: Bylaws and the Roles and Responsibilities (sample).​

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