PTO Today

Problem: Someone is sending nasty anonymous letters around our school, attacking someone on the Exec Board. I think I know who it is, not a 100% sure though. It's someone close, that I know, maybe on board also!! What do I do ? Anyone here experienced this kind of stuff ? I appreciate any advice I can get..

Who are the letters going to? Teachers? Principal? What is the nature of the content?
Is the content encouraging the readers to raise a stink to change a particular policy or is it just unproductive ranting? Is the topic matter even anything that the board has control over?

Depending on the nature of the letters, you may do well to ignore them and let the coward spout off without satisfaction of seeing the board get into a panic. If the letters have any merit, you could initiate a conversation at your next board meeting on the topic and see where everyone stands on it. During that conversation, you could also remind board members that failure to raise issues of this nature in the appropriate venue (a meeting versus nasty anonymous letters) is a violation of the board's ethical standards and that anyone caught violating the standard is subject to dismissal from their board position.

The letters are going to other parents on the board. The letters are trying to remove an exec member and their child from the school, based on a phony reasignment. This is totaly false. The wording in letter sound very familiar to stuff said in a recent PTA meeting.

Remove a child from the school? That sounds like something the principal (or superintendent) should handle.

As to removal of an exec member, I'd suggest putting it on the exec board agenda and debating (a) whether to accept anonymous letters as a matter of policy, and if so (b) whether there is sufficient merit to the charge to warrant a vote. If it really overlaps with what was said at a previous meeting, you can just say that someone would need to motion to re-open the discussion.

Absolutely add it to your agenda for next general meeting. You need to meet this head on. Simply put, explain the situation to the membership, say under no circumstances will the board with threatened or bullied to remove a member and say that any/all future letters from this person will be turned over to the police.
Regarding removing a child from school... don't even touch that topic. Only address the PTO part of the letters.
This person sounds toxic... if you know who they are, confront them alone, express your feelings and tell them straight out to knock it off.

Wow what a web site. Great help thank you all.
Had a board meeting, the issue was on agenda. Of course the 2 people who sent nasty letters failed to show!!
It was discussed. We are thinking of introducing a code of ethics that covers everything from conflicts of interest to making slanderous defamatory comments about other people. Any violation could result in being asked to step down.
I'm amazed it has come to this, it's a shame. Someone just wanted to inject some poison into a good group of people, classic case of divide and conquer.
Any thoughts,,, Thanks again

"Any violation could result in being asked to step down."

I'd make that language stronger---Any violation will result in immediate removal from office and/or dissolution of membership. If you don't make the "penalty" firm and straightforward some people will just roll their eyes and keep on causing problems.

__________________
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.

Who decides if there's been a violation? "immediate removal from office" is a little too much, I think; suppose someone forges a letter from each of 3 officers, now they're "immediately" off the board. Immediate suspension, followed by a majority vote of the board/full PTO, might be better.

If you have the time please read the thread to this Point: Now this person has sent me an email that is a touch bizzare. "My school" "My programs" etc etc.
It is also somewhat confrontational. Not sure what to do?? Any suggestions?

Without knowing the details of the e-mail (guess it's not anonymous), I'd be tempted to write back thanking the person for his/her concern for "our school" and "the PTO's programs" and let the confrontational stuff pass by as if you missed it.

No, actually, if I'd read the e-mail, I'd probably have typed a snide response about how it wasn't "her" school ... and have to hope I came to my senses before clicking send.