At our school we do have teachers who have children that attend the school--should these teachers/parents be eligible to sit on the PFO Executive Board? Has anyone else experienced this at their school? Would it be suggested that they not be allowed to sit on the board for conflict of interest reasons? Any ideas would be appreciated--we currently have the principal and a teacher rep on the board-our board is 7 members and all 7 having voting rights...
thanks for any and all advice etc.

My advice would be to check your bylaws. If it doesn't mention this situation in your bylaws, then I don't see the harm. It might cause problems, but if no one else is willing to volunteer their time to sit on your board, then I say go for it.

We had teachers as co-presidents last year...I would like to tell you it was successful year but it wasn't. While I admire the teachers for taking on the responisibility, they were ineffective leaders. I do think they learned a valuable lesson regarding how hard we parents work for the school but that's about it. Your concern regarding conflict of interest is valid and I know our teacher/co-presidents often felt caught between a rock and a hard place.

Our by-laws state that a teacher can be on the Board but not hold the position of president. They have so many of their own committees, meetings, and continuing education that none of them have tried.

As far as what is actually allowed - that depends on your by-laws. If you don't have by-laws or it doesn't approach this situation than you may want to sit down with all parties to see if you can come up with a good all around solution. We have a board of 6 (parents), the principal and a few teacher reps come to each meeting (always different teachers for different opinions and neither the principal or teachers vote). We are lucky to have a wonderful principal and super teachers so their input on ideas is invaluable to us but they always respect what our ultimate decision is.

Not only could it be seen as a conflict of interest, I think it makes it a lot easier for other parents to work with that teacher when it comes to having their child in their classroom if they are in a board role. Being a board member sometimes puts a bullseye on your back for comments, scrutiny and criticism. Why would a teacher want the respect of parents when they are your son or daughter's teacher, but then be willing to wear the bullseye?
Some roles may be easier for a teacher to hold, but President, VP or Treasurer have a huge responsibility and demands a ton of time. I would worry about their ability to juggle it all especially during mandatory testing times, the summer months, etc.

Have them be a chairperson first or secretary first and then see how it goes.