What is the name of your state? Florida
I am writing about this incident because I need advice from smart, legal minded people.
My daughter's public elementary school recently had to expand, and as a result they had to tear down the playground to make room for the new building. They left $30,000 of scrapped playground euipment on the side of the road (basically) for all of the tax payers to see. When this school year began the PTO made an announcement that they were going to raise money (throughout the community) to purchase a new playground for the kids. My friend and I signed up to be member's of the task force. A week or two into the project it occured to us that this really should be paid for by the school district-not the community (the taxpayers already flipped the bill once). They destroyed our existing playground and they should really be responsible for replacing it. So we called the school district and sure enough they had appropriated funds in the budget to replace the playground. We asked them why they never informed the principal (the principal was at the PTO meeting cheering for the PTO playground project) and they said that they did inform her and that they had been waiting for her to contact them with the exact dollar amount needed. We went to the principal and in a nonaccusatory fashion asked her if she new about these funds. She said she DID know. She said that the PTO was so excited to be the ones to raise the money for the new playground that she just didn't have the heart to crush their spirit! WHAT? Then she proceeded to tell us that she feels that children today just have too much and that not having a playground at the school was a good thing. It forced the children to get back to the basics-to use their imagination. This is a public school and that is not her decision to make-is it? Well, after that meeting my friend and I were thrown off of the PTO "playground task force". The president of the PTO called the playground companies and removed me as the contact. At the 10/2006 PTO meeting the president stood up and actually misled the members as to where the money came from-like it was Christmas. This is crazy! This PTO thinks that this is their private club. The minute they take dues they are responsible to their members! My friend and I sat with the PTO by-laws in hand and asked for financial accountability. You wouldn't even believe how that went over! The secretary of the PTO called me the next day to tell me that there is something very wrong going on (she sees it now). It involves the principal, v-principal, and PTO president. They have had meetings about us and everything. Nobody has gotten involved like this before? Nobody questions these people-it is nuts. Anyway, they re-grouped. Put the order in for the playground. Lied to the school district about getting 3 quotes (they picked their company and went with it). And finally sent me the most horrific e-mail I have ever received (is there a way to cut and paste the body of that e-mail for you all to see)? It is offensive, rude, falsely accusational, and they are basically kicking me out of the PTO. On what grounds? For uncovering fraud? I forwarded the principal that horrific e-mail and told her that I will not be spoken to like that (and that this is not over by any means). The principal left 2 messages at my house yesterday but I have not called her back. I don't need to speak to her. I have confirmation that she is behind this. What do I do? All I wanted was for my kids to have a playground! I did not mean to step into this hornets nest! Help!What is the name of your state?
I am writing about this incident because I need advice from smart, legal minded people.
My daughter's public elementary school recently had to expand, and as a result they had to tear down the playground to make room for the new building. They left $30,000 of scrapped playground euipment on the side of the road (basically) for all of the tax payers to see. When this school year began the PTO made an announcement that they were going to raise money (throughout the community) to purchase a new playground for the kids. My friend and I signed up to be member's of the task force. A week or two into the project it occured to us that this really should be paid for by the school district-not the community (the taxpayers already flipped the bill once). They destroyed our existing playground and they should really be responsible for replacing it. So we called the school district and sure enough they had appropriated funds in the budget to replace the playground. We asked them why they never informed the principal (the principal was at the PTO meeting cheering for the PTO playground project) and they said that they did inform her and that they had been waiting for her to contact them with the exact dollar amount needed. We went to the principal and in a nonaccusatory fashion asked her if she new about these funds. She said she DID know. She said that the PTO was so excited to be the ones to raise the money for the new playground that she just didn't have the heart to crush their spirit! WHAT? Then she proceeded to tell us that she feels that children today just have too much and that not having a playground at the school was a good thing. It forced the children to get back to the basics-to use their imagination. This is a public school and that is not her decision to make-is it? Well, after that meeting my friend and I were thrown off of the PTO "playground task force". The president of the PTO called the playground companies and removed me as the contact. At the 10/2006 PTO meeting the president stood up and actually misled the members as to where the money came from-like it was Christmas. This is crazy! This PTO thinks that this is their private club. The minute they take dues they are responsible to their members! My friend and I sat with the PTO by-laws in hand and asked for financial accountability. You wouldn't even believe how that went over! The secretary of the PTO called me the next day to tell me that there is something very wrong going on (she sees it now). It involves the principal, v-principal, and PTO president. They have had meetings about us and everything. Nobody has gotten involved like this before? Nobody questions these people-it is nuts. Anyway, they re-grouped. Put the order in for the playground. Lied to the school district about getting 3 quotes (they picked their company and went with it). And finally sent me the most horrific e-mail I have ever received (is there a way to cut and paste the body of that e-mail for you all to see)? It is offensive, rude, falsely accusational, and they are basically kicking me out of the PTO. On what grounds? For uncovering fraud? I forwarded the principal that horrific e-mail and told her that I will not be spoken to like that (and that this is not over by any means). The principal left 2 messages at my house yesterday but I have not called her back. I don't need to speak to her. I have confirmation that she is behind this. What do I do? All I wanted was for my kids to have a playground! I did not mean to step into this hornets nest!
Help!What is the name of your state?