PA/PTA & SLT Elections

Election of PA/PTA Officers 

Election of PA/PTA Officers Elections must be conducted in a free, fair, and inclusive manner, providing an opportunity for the full participation of all members. The elections must only be conducted at an in-person meeting, or a meeting on a VRP. Conducting elections in a hybrid meeting is not permitted.  No undue pressure or coercion may be exercised by anyone.  School officials are prohibited from direct or indirect interference with the PA/PTA election process. 

The PA/PTA Nominating Committee or executive board may request guidance from the appropriate Presidents’ Council or the appropriate superintendent. 

1. Term of office PA/PTA officers are elected to serve a one-year term, beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of the following year.  

2. Co-officers  All offices must be held by a single person unless the PA/PTA bylaws explicitly allow for co-officers.  Bylaws may allow but must not mandate the sharing of offices.  The voting rights of co-officers must be specified in the bylaws.  In addition: 

• Co-officers must run together as a slate in order to serve together. 

• Upon the resignation or removal of a co-officer, the remaining co-officer must choose whether to serve alone for the remainder of the term or resign so that the position can be filled by succession or expedited election. 

3. Provisions to be included in bylaws The PA/PTA bylaws must specify how elections will be conducted. The following processes must be outlined in the bylaws: 

• Formation of Nominating Committee for the annual (spring) elections 

• Solicitation of nominations 

• Verification of eligibility 

• Voting on contested and uncontested offices 

• Ballots 

• Certification of elections 

• Whether officer vacancies may be filled by succession and, if so, in what order 

• Expedited elections 

Annual (Spring) Elections 

a. Time frame 

Elections of mandatory officers (president, treasurer, and recording secretary) must be held between April 1 and the last day of school, to ensure there will be a PA/PTA in place during the summer and for the opening of school in the fall. 

• Reserving offices for fall elections 

To accommodate parents of incoming students, PA/PTA bylaws may allow for the election of non-mandatory officer positions (e.g., vice president) in the fall. The bylaws must identify reserved positions and the timeframe and process for the election. 

b. Principal notification 

The executive board must notify the principal of the date and time of the annual elections by April 1. 

• If the principal has not been notified by April 1, he/she must request the election date and time from the PA/PTA president.  If the PA/PTA president fails to respond within 10 calendar days, the principal must notify all parents at the next general membership meeting. 

• If the PA/PTA has not set an election date and time by May 1, the principal must notify the appropriate superintendent.  

Notice of Election Meeting (all elections) 

a. A written Notice of Election Meeting must be sent to all parents at least 10 calendar days prior to any PA/PTA election. If quorum (see Section I.J.5.) is not met at the election meeting, a second election meeting must be scheduled, and a written Notice of Election Meeting must be sent to all parents at least 5 calendar days prior to the election.  The notice must be posted at the school and sent by means calculated to reach all parents (e.g., email, backpack, postal mail, and/or a third party mobile application used by the school).  Multiple means of communication including automated calls may be necessary to ensure that all parents are notified. 

• The executive board must create the notice and submit it to the principal and parent coordinator in time for it to be distributed at least 10 days before the election meeting.  

• The principal or parent coordinator must distribute the notice promptly to allow the PA/PTA to comply with the notice deadline. 

The Notice of Election Meeting must be in writing and must include:

•  Date, time, and location of election.  

• Meeting format (in-person or VRP) 

• A list of all executive board positions to be filled. 

• A statement that the only qualification for all offices is that the candidate be a parent of a child in the school. 

• The mechanism(s) by which parents can become candidates for PA/PTA office and the date nominations close. 

• For expedited elections, a statement that all nominations will be taken from the floor at the election meeting. 

• Candidates’ names may be included only if nominations are already closed. 

• Term limits, if they are included in the bylaws. 

• Date that notification was distributed to all parents and means of distribution

Candidate rights and responsibilities 

a. Determining candidate eligibility 

• The only qualification for all offices is that the candidate be a parent of a child in the school, or a child in a 3-K or Pre-K program offered by a school under the jurisdiction of the community school district. 

• The following categories of persons are not eligible to run for office: 

 o DOE employees, even if they have a child in the school.  (See Section I.D.2.c) 

o PA/PTA members who have a conflict of interest are not eligible to run for officer positions unless they have obtained a waiver from the DOE Ethics Officer.  (See Section I.D.3.c.) 

• A candidate need not be present at the time of the election to be eligible to run. 

b. Campaigning and addressing the membership 

PA/PTA bylaws must specify one or more mechanisms by which candidates can address the membership prior to the election meeting, but after nominations have been closed.  These mechanisms may include distribution of candidate statements and candidate forums.  All candidates must be given an equal opportunity to participate in all mechanisms for addressing the membership. 

A notice that includes statements from candidates may be posted on PA/PTA bulletin boards, and distributed to parents in PA/PTA newsletters, through PA/PTA sponsored electronic media or a PA/PTA table. 

• All candidate statements must be appropriate. Inappropriate material includes material that is disparaging, defamatory, obscene, or disruptive to the educational process.  (See Section I.L.2.c.) 

At the elections meeting, candidates must be provided with an opportunity to address the membership prior to voting.  If a candidate is not present, another member may read the candidate’s statement.  

No materials in support of a candidate or a slate of candidates may be distributed or posted on school premises or on the school’s website by any candidate, supporter, PA/PTA executive board, or PA/PTA committee. Candidates who violate this provision, directly or indirectly, will be subject to disqualification and may be deemed ineligible for office for that election year. 

At the election meeting 

a. Determining voter eligibility 

Only members of the PA/PTA at the time of the election are eligible to vote.  The principal or designee (who must be a school employee) must verify each individual’s eligibility to vote prior to the distribution of ballots. A process to verify member eligibility must be determined in cooperation with the school administration prior to the election meeting that best suits the school community.  Verification may include, but is not limited to the use of a unique code for eligible voting members, or a pre-registration process. 

b. Voting All voting must be done in person, or using a VRP polling feature. Voting by proxy, absentee ballots, or email is not permitted. 

• Uncontested offices  Where there is only one candidate for any office, the membership may vote to accept that candidate by motion. The result of the motion must be included in the minutes.  

• Contested offices  When there is more than one candidate for any office, voting must be by ballot.  For in-person voting, ballots must remain in the meeting room (or in the principal’s office with a documented chain of custody) until all the ballots have been counted and the election meeting has been adjourned. 

For VRP voting, a printed record of electronic ballots must be maintained among the records of the association and be made available upon request. 

Ballots must be counted immediately following the conclusion of voting and in the presence of at least three observers from the general membership.  

For in person voting, the PA/PTA must retain ballots on school premises for one year or until the determination of any grievance filed concerning the election, whichever is later.  

For VRP voting, records of votes in a PA/PTA election meeting conducted remotely must be retained by the PA/PTA for one year or until the determination of any grievance filed concerning the election, whichever is later.

 • Run-off elections When two or more candidates are tied for the highest number of votes, a run-off election must be conducted among those candidates only.  Whenever possible, run-off elections should be held at the same meeting. 

Certification of election and record-keeping 

Election results must be recorded on the PA/PTA Election Certification Form, signed by the principal or his/her designee, before the election meeting is adjourned. The designee must be a school employee other than the parent coordinator. 

• By signing the Election Certification Form, the principal or designee certifies that the nomination and election process was conducted in accordance with this regulation and the PA/PTA bylaws. 

The signed certification form must be retained by the PA/PTA, with a copy filed in the principal’s office and with the appropriate superintendent. 

The principal, parent coordinator, or school web master must update the School Parent Leader Contact Information System (SPLCI), accessible through the Principal’s Portal, within 5 calendar days of the election.  

9. Filling officer vacancies by succession or expedited election 

When an officer vacancy is created by resignation or removal, the PA/PTA executive board must notify the membership in writing within 5 calendar days and specify whether the vacancy will be filled by succession or expedited election.  The PA/PTA executive board may request guidance from the appropriate Presidents’ Council or appropriate superintendent. 

PA/PTA officers may choose to retain their positions and not succeed to a vacant office. 

Any mandatory offices that remain vacant after the order of succession has been followed must be filled by expedited election.  

a. Mandatory officer vacancies occurring before the start of the school year 

• If a PA/PTA has one or two mandatory officer vacancies that cannot be filled by succession prior to the start of the school year, the remaining executive board members must conduct an expedited election to fill all mandatory officer vacancies by October 15. 

• If all three mandatory offices are vacant and cannot be filled by succession prior to the start of the school year, the principal must follow the process for re-establishing the PA/PTA.  (See Section I.C.3). 

b. Officer vacancies after the start of the school year 

• If an office becomes vacant after the start of the school year and cannot be filled by succession, the expedited election process outlined in Section I.E.10 must be followed in the case of a mandatory officer and is recommended in the case of non-mandatory officers. 

c. Updating SPLCI 

The principal, parent coordinator, or school web master must update SPLCI within 5 days of the resignation or removal of a mandatory officer, and again within 5 days of the vacancy being filled. 

10. Expedited elections 

Expedited elections are required to fill mandatory officer vacancies that cannot be filled by succession, to establish PA/PTAs in new schools, and to re-establish PA/PTAs that have ceased to function. 

Expedited elections must be conducted according to the rules specified in Section I.E.4 through I.E.8, with the following exceptions: 

• The Notice of Election Meeting must include a statement that all nominations will be taken from the floor at the election meeting. 

• A parent member who is not seeking office should chair the election meeting.  A representative from the appropriate Presidents’ Council or superintendent’s office may advise the parent chair or chair the meeting if necessary. 

11. Language access for PA/PTA elections 

Election notices, requests for nominations, ballots, and other election materials should be made available in the languages spoken by parents in the school. 

The PA/PTA may seek assistance from the principal in obtaining the appropriate translations. 

School Leadership Team Elections  

Parent representation on the School Leadership Team (SLT) is vital to ensure that parents are included in the development of the School’s Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) and that the needs and priorities of the school are reflected in the goals of the PA/PTA.  The parent members of the PA/PTA must elect the parent representatives to the SLT (See Chancellor’s Regulation A-655). 

• SLT elections may take place during the same meeting as officer elections 

• The election of SLT parent members must take place after the election of PA/PTA mandatory officers 

• SLT elections may follow the procedure for expedited elections (See Section I.E.10). 

Election Grievances 

Individuals who believe an election was conducted improperly may submit an election grievance to the appropriate superintendent’s office, with a copy to FACE sent to ElectionGrievances@schools.nyc.gov, and the appropriate Presidents’ Council.  Election grievances in schools spanning multiple grade levels (e.g., K-12 or 6-12) must be filed with the superintendent who supervises the school regardless of grade level and shall be decided by that superintendent.  Because it is important for the functioning of PA/PTAs that election results be determined with finality in a timely manner, the rules applicable to election grievances are different from those that apply to other complaints and disputes. Election grievances must be submitted and will be responded to in writing, in a timely manner as defined in this regulation. Grievances will be sustained only if there is a specific and material violation of either this regulation or the PA/PTA’s bylaws. 

1. Filing an election grievance.  All election grievances:  

• Must be submitted in writing and must state the name of the complainant(s) and include a telephone number or email address where they may be contacted.  Anonymous complaints and in-person or telephone complaints will not be accepted. 

• Must be submitted no later than 5 days after the election meeting or announcement of results if later. 

• Must allege a specific, material violation of this regulation or of the PA/PTA’s bylaws. 

2. Election grievance decision.  No later than 10 days after receiving the grievance, the superintendent will issue either a written decision or a notification that the grievance has been referred to FACE.  

• The superintendent may request assistance from the appropriate Presidents’ Council in investigating the election or rendering a decision. 

• If the election grievance is referred to FACE, a written decision will be rendered no later than 10 days after the referral. The decision of FACE is final and binding. 

3. Appeal of election grievance decisions 

Decisions of the superintendent may be appealed to FACE.  Appeals must be submitted in writing no later than 5 days after the decision. 

• FACE will, within 5 days of receiving the appeal, issue a letter affirming, reversing, or modifying the superintendent’s decision.  Grounds for reversal/modification are limited to: 

• A mistaken interpretation of this regulation or of the PA/PTA’s bylaws. 

• Failure to follow the grievance procedures outlined in this regulation. • New information becoming available that was not available at the time the superintendent rendered his/her decision. 

• The decision of FACE is final and binding. All decisions will be made available to the public upon request.  When appropriate, personally identifiable information will be deleted from issued decisions.