Utah PTA Email Voting Policy
For the purpose of general membership or board meetings, a meeting held virtually (e.g. Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams) shall be considered as being held the same as in-person. While it is strongly discouraged, Utah PTA recognizes the need for occasional online voting. Whenever possible, an in-person or virtual meeting should be held to conduct the business of the PTA.
This policy refers to conducting a vote by email or survey. Proxy voting, which allows someone else to vote in place of someone who can’t participate in the online voting process, is prohibited in the PTA bylaws.
A vote conducted via online methods shall be considered a Special meeting of the PTA.
***Please see the policy document at the bottom of this page for the steps necessary to conduct an email/survey vote.
Utah PTA Guidelines about Funds Spent on Teacher Support (20%)
PTA is Parents and Teachers working TOGETHER to carry out our mission: To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. It is not “Parents supporting Teachers and Students.” A PTA should be spending most of its budget on direct expenses that benefit children (i.e. PTA mission focused programs or events for children and families). Spending money to appreciate and support teachers IS within the realm of our mission; however, it would be considered an indirect expense (happy teachers = happy students).
Per the IRS, only an insignificant amount of the expenditures of a nonprofit organization may be spent on expenses not considered directly related to the mission. In this context the IRS would consider about 20% or less as insignificant. While Utah PTA has not put a dollar amount as a limit on teacher support expenses (teacher meals or teacher appreciation activities), we do follow the IRS guidance of the “insignificant” rule and apply the amount of no more than 20% of total annual actual expenditures as allowable for not directly mission related purposes. This applies to teacher support expenses, general and administrative expenses (bank fees, merchant fees, office expenses, etc.), and board/volunteer hospitality (meals, snacks, drinks, and related supplies). By point of information - board/volunteer hospitality expenses are further limited to only 5% of the entire annual actual expenditures (See Hospitality Guidelines below).
Utah PTA Guidelines about Hospitality Expenses (5%)
Hospitality expenses are defined as funds spent on meals, snacks, drinks, related supplies, and lodging. To be a legitimate expense of a nonprofit organization, the amount spent on hospitality must be ordinary (common in the field) and necessary (helpful and appropriate for the mission). It also must serve the nonprofit's tax-exempt mission and cannot be lavish or excessive as this could be deemed as private benefit or inurement, which is prohibited under IRS rules for 501(c)(3) organizations. To be sure Utah PTA and its subordinate units stay within IRS guidelines, hospitality expenses should be limited to a nominal amount. For these purposes, nominal is defined as about 5%. Hospitality expenses spent specifically for board members and volunteers (e.g. lunch at a board meeting or volunteer appreciation event) are subject to this guideline. All hospitality expenses related to PTA programs and events that directly benefit the students and families would not be subject to the 5% Hospitality Guidelines, but would be considered as a direct expense required to carry out the mission of the PTA.
Utah PTA Volunteer Compensation Policy
A volunteer is defined as a person who serves an association without being paid. In accordance with the IRS Rules of Compliance governing non-profit organizations, volunteers should not expect gifts or discounts from vendors, parents, or school administration for volunteering. PTA shall not advertise that volunteers will receive gifts or discounts for volunteering. In working with outside vendors in providing services for the students and their families in the school, volunteers should not receive coupons, discounts, or gift cards from PTA in payment for their hours of volunteering at an event.
Post-Secondary Scholarship Guidelines for Subordinate Units of Utah PTA
Awarding scholarships to a few high school students each year does not fit within the scope of the Utah PTA mission “To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.” It is also a conflict of interest when a high percentage of scholarships are awarded to the children of PTA leaders. For these reasons, Utah PTA strongly discourages its subordinate units from the practice of awarding scholarships to students.
While it is strongly discouraged, Utah PTA realizes that the leaders and membership of some local units desire to provide this opportunity for the students in their schools.
Local PTSA units may approve a scholarship program ONLY if the following procedures are followed:
- The PTA unit must have the Scholarship Program as an approved policy in its Standing Rules. This policy must include details about the funding mechanism, application process, clear criteria, judging rubric, possible conflicts of interest, etc.
- The scholarship program must be widely advertised to the entire school community.
- Scholarship recipients must be a PTSA member before applying for the scholarship.
- Scholarships may only be awarded to graduating students.
- Scholarship criteria should be based on the merit of the student, not the parent’s involvement in PTA.
- Scholarships may be funded in the following ways:
- PTSA General Fund – Scholarships must be listed as a separate line item in the budget as presented to the general membership for budget approval.
- Sponsorship Fund – Scholarships may be funded annually through a sponsorship. The receipt of the sponsored funds (income) and the award of the scholarships (expenditures) must both be listed as separate line items in the budget as presented to the general membership for budget approval.
- PTSAs awarding scholarships may NOT assess a fee to or accept donations from their feeder schools to fund their scholarship program.
Utah PTA High-Risk Activity Guidelines
Bounce houses and other high-risk activities expose the PTA and its officers to significant liability and potential lawsuits. Additionally, according to the Utah Office of State Risk Management, Utah school districts can no longer cover or provide additional insurance for PTA-sponsored events.
While Utah PTA strongly discourages the use of bounce houses and other high-risk activities at all PTA events, it is recognized that some PTA leaders wish to offer these experiences to the students they serve.
Any PTA that chooses to move forward with high-risk activities must comply with the following guidelines for PTA-sponsored events:
Required Guidelines:
- School District Approval -
- The PTA must comply with all applicable school district policies related to high-risk activities.
- Local PTA leaders are responsible for conducting due diligence to research and fully understand district policies.
- Advice from other PTA leaders or approval from a school principal is not sufficient. Written approval from the school district for each specific event is required.
- Some school districts prohibit high-risk activities altogether, while others impose strict guidelines. District approval must be obtained before any planning begins.
- Equipment Ownership - The PTA may not purchase equipment for use at PTA-sponsored events.
- Equipment Rental - The PTA may not rent equipment that is managed by PTA volunteers or school district employees.
- Use of Licensed Vendors - The PTA must hire a licensed and insured company to provide and set up all high-risk equipment.
- Equipment Supervision -
- The vendor must supply trained employees to manage all high-risk activity stations.
- Under no circumstances may PTA volunteers operate or supervise the equipment.
- Vendor Insurance Requirements -
- The vendor must provide a certificate of insurance with minimum limits of $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate.
- The certificate must list both the PTA and the school district as additional insureds/certificate holders.
- PTA General Liability Insurance Coverage -
- The PTA must carry general liability insurance with limits of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate.
- Some school districts may require a $3 million aggregate, which may significantly increase the PTA’s annual premium.
- Although PTA insurance is required, claims may be denied if the loss arises from activities operated by an outside vendor.
- PTA Directors and Officers (D&O) Insurance - The PTA must carry Directors and Officers Insurance to protect PTA leaders from personal liability and financial loss if they are individually named in a lawsuit related to the approval of high-risk activities.
AIM provides insurance coverage for more than 90% of Utah PTA local units. The AIM Playlist of Covered & Excluded Events is a helpful resource for identifying activities considered high-risk or questionable.