I am a new high school PTSA pres. for next year because I simply want to have a voice. It seems this age group is being bombarded with social radical ideas like gay clubs etc. and need parents more than ever. How do I begin to suggest to my school's long standing PTA tradition that a PTO may be better for our kids? My state has the highest % of PTA members.

WHY??
I agree that high school is an important time for parent involvement! But why do you feel the need to change?
PTA programs such as Refelctions work well with high school students, and it becomes another way to get parents involved with their children at school! If you have a "showcase" night for the reflections entries, you will get peolpe to attend.
again, I don't really see your point about dropping PTA.

I am also a PTO President and my oldest will be a freshman this fall.
I have noticed a PTA tend to be more recogonized as an organization than the PTOs. This may be an issue in your case.
Instead of rocking the boat, if you will, start a volunteer club aka a service group for students and have guest speakers come for the kids. Our social conserns group will be working with Habitat for Humanity this summer. The PTO supports the group and encourages them.

High Schoolers do need our support but just be careful. There are other ways to be heard and in a less evasive way.

Kids always need their parents. Always. No matter what age. We brought them into this world, we need to always be there for them. If more parents were involved it would be a differenr world.

Trish, you're absolutely right. I've tended to shy away from the PTO vs PTA issues here. I think any well run group with a high percent of active parents and teachers is going to be successful. Certainly one type of group over another is best for the individual needs of a community but that's a decision to be made at the local level.

I suspect the original poster - bbj60 - is more interested in change for personal reasons:

this age group is being bombarded with social radical ideas like gay clubs etc.Maybe the hope was that by establishing a PTO they could more flexibile in the types of programs they run. I don't know enough about PTA to know what, if any, limitations they may put on these types of topics. My wish is that no parent group would use their influence on such subjects as sexual identity. There are many groups within society that address the pros and cons of the issues that high school age students face.

As parent group leaders and members we can and should have a positive impact on the communities we serve. We can be examples of the 7 pillars of Character Counts, exhibit leadership skills, provide community service opportunities, and continue to work to enhance the learning environment by providing the extras over and above the school board's budget. You can do all of those things regardless of the acronym you use.