Advocacy for Your School
PTAs across Virginia are doing #AllOfTheAbove to support family engagement and student learning.

We encourage your PTA to pick one focus area for your school this year and work to improve the academic success, health and safety at your school by hosting family engagement events, sharing relevant information with families, and advocating for your students.

Over the past several years Virginia PTA advocacy has resulted in an increase in mental health support staff, expanded access to affordable high-speed broadband, increased funding for building renovations, and access to free school meals through-out the pandemic.

During the 2021-22 school year Virginia PTA advocacy resulted in:

✅ Literacy Act: Transformative change in literacy instruction and increased reading specialists for Kindergarten to 3rd graders ($63M)

✅ Building Renovations: Historic funding for school building repair/renovation and construction ($1.25B)

✅ Full-time Principals: Funded for every elementary school ($20M)

✅ Essential Support Staff: Increase funding for essential school support staff by partially lifting the 'support cap' ($272M)

✅ High poverty schools: Increased funding through the At Risk Add-On program ($145M)

✅ Early Childhood Education: Expanded access for three-year-old children served by the Virginia Preschool Initiative ($47M)

✅ School Meals Extension of the federal free school meal waivers through summer 2022 including grab-and-go options and $8.2 million of state funding to help local school divisions eliminate the cost of school meals for students who are eligible for reduced-price meals based on federal income criteria

✅ School Safety Passage of the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and $6.5M of state funding for gun violence prevention programs through the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)

Watch this 30 minute re-cap with Fund Our Schools Coalition partners for additional details and insight on the 2022 General Assembly Session.
Get Started Locally
Advocacy Basics
Did you know PTA is the oldest and largest non-partisan child advocacy association in the nation?

Our mission is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

This means that your PTA can:

  • ✅ Share calls to action and information from Virginia PTA and National PTA on social media and in your newsletters.

  • ✅ Appoint an Advocacy Chair to follow local School Board meetings and provide an update during PTA meetings. Many PTAs also appoint representatives to provide the community with updates from a specific School Board committee or advisory group, such as Facilities, Special Education, Gifted Education, Minority Student Advisory etc.

  • ✅ Share relevant parent educational resources including webinars or learning opportunities hosted by your local school division, local government, or City/County Council PTA.

  • ✅ Collaborate with other PTAs in your City/County via your City/County Council PTA to address areas of mutual concern within a single school division.

As a PTA member, you can speak at local school board meetings or write to your elected local, state or federal representative to share a PTA position/resolution and personal impact story.

As a Local Unit PTA Officer, you should ensure your PTA General Membership votes to ratify a PTA position or resolution before you make statements at a School Board meeting on a topic of concern on behalf of your community.
Save the Date
Every January the Virginia PTA organizes a day of advocacy at the Virginia General Assembly.
Virginia PTA sets-up meetings with legislators. You bring your personal stories about how policies or funding are impacting your school community.

Webinars and resources are provided in advance so you are prepared to enjoy a day connecting with PTA leaders from across Virginia, meeting your legislators, and listening to bills be debated.
Identify an Advocacy Focus
for Your PTA
Here's four popular focus areas your PTA Executive Board and community can explore supporting this school year.
School Nutrition & Food Insecurity
SCHOOL MEAL MODERNIZATION

PTA supports universal free meals, and funding to increase scratched based cooking and more fresh, locally grown ingredients.

Local Advocacy Action:
After taking a general membership vote, ask your School Board to put practices in place to increase the amount of fresh, whole, locally grown foods served in school cafeterias, which may include training for cafeteria staff, new procurement policies, or new equipment.

Family Event Focus:

Notable Dates:
May 5: School Lunch Hero Day
FOOD INSECURITY

Waivers introduced during the pandemic allowed all children to obtain free school meals, regardless of income. This year although some school divisions will still offer free meals to all student through the Community Eligibility Provision, many school divisions will return to charging students for meals.

Local Advocacy Action:
Your PTA can remind families to complete the free/reduced meal applications and/or share reminders about how to set-up a meal account.

Family Event Focus
Consider hosting a food drive or partnering with a local food bank.
Early Literacy Reform
The Literacy Act introduces a comprehensive statewide approach to literacy that relies on scientifically-based reading research and uses evidence-based practices for instruction, intervention, and assessments and it includes new parent resources.

Local Advocacy Action
Ask your local school board to provide an update on their implementation and transition to the new reading instruction model. Remind parents to tune-in for updates.

Share reading support resources with families.

Family Focus (#VAPTAReads):
Turn your advocacy for early literacy into programs that connect your families with early reading resources!


Notable Dates
-Sept 8 is International Literacy Day
-October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
-March is National Reading Month
-April is National Poetry Month
Mental Health
Most students do not receive the mental health services they need due to stigma and lack of access to services. Of those who do get help, most do so only in school. 

Virginia PTA has successfully advocated over the last several years to increase the number of school counselors in Virginia's Schools from 1 counselor per 455 students to 1 counselor for every 325 students. Additionally, legislation passed in the 2021 General Assembly Session established a ratio of three specialized student support personnel per 1,000 students for school nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other licensed health and behavioral positions.

Local Advocacy Action
Ask your School Board to staff mental health teams at nationally recommended ratios and provide an update on support for mental health services.

Ask your School division to provide easy and consistent access to school counselor and mental health resources on your school webpage.

Family Event Focus (#HealthyMinds)
Host a family yoga night and/or and share regular resources and tips in your newsletters and social media to help families manage stress and empower families to make mental health an everyday priority.

Notable Dates:
September: National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
October 10: World Mental Health Day
November: Healthy Lifestyles Month
February 13-17: Virginia Kindness Week
      
Visit vapta.org for more resources and information