NEWS, RESOURCES & TRAINING
Greetings Board Members:
As we continue to watch and stay updated on the daily changes pertaining to COVID-19 information from National PTA, Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Department of Education and the like, we are attempting to keep you updated as often as pertinent information becomes available.
Bylaws Submission Guidance
Our Unit/Council Bylaws have expired and we are unable to hold a meeting.

Please meet at the earliest and safest opportunity to approve and submit your expired bylaws. You can also meet virtually under the COVID-19 flexibility. 

Until your meeting happens, you may follow your current expired bylaws.

Units/Councils may submit already approved bylaws electronically to the state office by emailing liaison@vapta.org along with the COVID-19 Bylaws Submission Form.
WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY NEWS
Hopefully, you are enjoying Workshop Wednesday! We know members may not always be able to tune in or may need the information provided during the session. Below are the links to the actual webinars and all presentations are available here.


Mark your calendars for our remaining webinars in May:

  • May 6: 'Special Edition' MemberHub Live Training [registration isn't required. Click time for direct link on the day of the webinar. NOON or 8pm
  • May 13: General Assembly Recap & Education Funding [registration to follow]
Advocacy Corner
Join us on May 13th for a recap of how our legislative priorities fared during the 2020 General Assembly Session and an overview of how the state and federal COVID-19 response is impacting funding and  services  for our schools. Now, more than ever, your local advocacy is critical to ensuring education funding meets the needs of your school community.

SUMMER LEADERSHIP TRAINING NEWS
In response to COVID-19 concerns, Summer Leadership Training has been revamped and expanded into Virtual Summer Leadership Training featuring more than 25 PTA workshops geared towards helping PTA leaders ready and steady their PTAs for the 2020-21 school year. 

Virtual Summer Leadership Training will run June 6-August 8 with registration opening on/around May 15. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to participate in no cost, easy-to-access PTA leadership training.
FUNDRAISER GUIDANCE
What do we do with items that may have been donated for an event or fundraiser (like silent auction items)? 
If donations were solicited for a specific event you now cannot have, it is best to ask the donors if they can be used for a different event in the future (email might be easiest).

Do we need to vote to cancel events, even though we can’t hold the events due to school closures and COVID-19 restrictions?
No, right now schools are closed. You don’t need permission or a vote to cancel an event when school is closed or when Virginia has social distancing restrictions in place, but your Board should inform your members, school and community. 

We held a yearbook fundraiser (as example), and right now the company is storing the yearbooks people already purchased. What do we do?
If there is a safe way to deliver the yearbooks that is not an added expense, try to deliver.

Ask, will the company ship the yearbooks directly to the buyer for no or very low cost? Can your school district deliver the yearbooks when they are delivering student meals?

If there is not a safe way to deliver, then inform your families that their order is on hold with the company, and they will receive it as soon as possible once social distancing restrictions have been lifted. 

Please continue to work with your local public health officials to determine when the outbreak has ended in your local community and when the community is able to safely have meetings and events.
 
Thank you for your dedication and hard work on behalf of the children of Virginia.

Sincerely,

Donna Colombo
President