Unfortunately, that isn’t happening here in Alabama where apparently the PTA could not care less about what a local PTA is doing to military families. Perhaps it’s silent approval that military families are being attacked and separated by a power mad and ignorant PTA is okay here since Alabama State PTA officials never bothered to respond to my concerns and the behavior of their officers at both the school and district level.
But, Alaska DOES seem to get it. In recent weeks, representatives from the National Military Family Association have had the opportunity to work with the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) at both the state and national level. In mid-October, Kathleen Moakler, Government Relations Director, traveled to Alaska to take part in a series of dialogues between military families, family program and healthcare providers, state legislators, city government leaders, non-government organizations, and Alaska State PTA volunteers. The sessions were held in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Kodiak. Participants in each session were briefed on Service family support programs, military healthcare, veterans’ benefits, as well as new legislation affecting service members and their families.
Our Association and the Armed Services YMCA were highlighted as organizations with “best practices” and presented overviews of how our programs were impacting military families. Time was allotted at the end of each of the 6 hour sessions for a discussion of what programs were helping families and where the gaps existed. A report of these meetings will be presented to the Alaska state legislature’s Joint Armed Services Committee and to the Alaska congressional delegation. This project was funded by the Alaska state legislature through a grant to the Alaska PTA. Special thanks go to Paula Pawlowski and Chris Ward (Association representatives in Alaska) and Al Tamagni from the Alaska PTA for inviting our Association to take part in this timely series of meetings.
In addition to participating with PTA on the state level, Candace Wheeler, Government Relations Deputy Director, traveled to the National PTA Headquarters in Chicago where she represented our Association at the first meeting of the PTA Alliance to Support Military Families. The mission of the new alliance is to educate PTA families across the country and overseas on how to support military families, and to give military families the tools to become better advocates for their children. Other members of the alliance are the Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA), Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).
Sounds like Alaska has it together and Alabama could sure learn a lesson from them!!
Wow…from one extreme to another. I’ll bet those Alabama officials must feel pretty embarrassed by now…not to say they must know they ticked off the wrong parents! It’s great that there are people like you who will not only fight for what’s right, but are able to do it intelligently, and powerfully. I would not have known what to do had all that happened to me when my son was in school CJ. Always thinking of you, Emily and the kids.
I would like to see this kind of support outlet in ALL school across the United States. For the simple reason it will be a great tool from all angles especially from the child’s point of the view. I know first hand experience what my children were facing several years ago with my spouse and how the teachers was not really comprehending what our children were facing and because of lack of knowledge, they waws trying to force our children out of regualr public school and place them in an alternative school. But I was persistant and made several appointments with the principal of that school and shared with the principal what we as a familly was facing at home. To summ it up, I end up being a spokesperson for that school in conjunction with the principal and staff and we was able to help out a lot of other familes who did not know how to get things addressed and were able to assist them with other services in the community. So yes, I think it needs to be addressed and not swept under the rug because people are hurting and our economy is not helping the major issues that these familes are facing on a daily basis. My prayers go out to these familes. In closing, I don’t want special arrangements made for these families, but I just would like to see our country as a whole be there for these familes just like their loved one was fighting for the many things that we do here in this country whereas in other countries people DIE for the same thing.