As you know, it doesn't take much for parents to talk themselves out of attending your events or getting involved at school.  A new obstacle I started seeing last year was flu fears canceling or hurting PTO and PTA family events. Ugh.

A few thoughts on this:

1. Has this been a factor at all with your group? I've been looking for groups that were affected last year by this fear or that have put good practices in place to combat it. Would love your feedback on our message boards.


2. I've always felt that it's best to address fears like this head on (even if you think they're overblown). If you're hearing talk among your parents, take steps to help. Maybe get hand sanitizer for all your events (and announce that you have it), or have a clean-up crew disinfect all the tables before your spaghetti supper (and announce that they've done it). Providing info on how parents can keep their kids and families healthy is another good service.


3. Finally, we've been hearing of more and more groups that have "healthy kids" as a focus or even as a new committee. If your group is getting more into this topic, we've just created a section on PTO Today with specific content and special offerings just for you. Check it out and sign up to become a Healthy School Kids group. It's a good resource now, and with all the interest around this topic, I'm sure it's going to get better and better in the months ahead. By signing up, we'll keep you in the loop on new offerings.

Good luck in all your work!