Scary Stories to Tell After School: The PTO Meeting No One Attended

Sometimes the scariest things aren’t ghosts… they’re empty chairs at a PTO meeting! On the second Tuesday of the month, PTO President Carla braces herself for the PTO meeting that never comes to be. Parents sit frozen in their cars outside, too afraid to enter the school, wondering, “What if they ask me to chair a committee?” and “What if I have to talk?”, while Carla’s determination and sanity slowly begin to unravel. A chilling, darkly humorous tale of one volunteer’s spiraling descent, this story reminds us that #PTOlife can be scary when no one else steps up. 

👻 Make PTO/A meetings wayyyy less scary! Join PTO Today for a FREE webinar on how to make meetings more effective (and how to get parents to actually show up!). Register now to watch live or on-demand. You'll also be entered for a chance to win a gift card from Oriental Trading Company!

The PTO Meeting No One Attended

It was the second Tuesday of the month—meeting night.

The cafeteria lights buzzed faintly, illuminating a lonely table stacked with agendas, pens, crudité, and a box of store-bought cookies.

PTO President Carla straightened the chairs. She felt something again, a presence of sorts, lurking in the hallway. For the seventh time that night, she checked the halls, then the stairwell, and behind the bookshelves in the library, only to find that no one was there. Not even the principal. He was coming tonight...wasn't he? Carla asked herself. She was sure Principal Joe said he'd make it when they last spoke at the dirty soda bar she had set up for staff earlier that afternoon.

She’d sent the reminders out to parents. Posted on Facebook. Even promised snacks.

7:00 p.m. came.

No one.

7:10.

Still no one.

She thought she saw movement in the parking lot—shapes of cars idling in the dark. Headlights flickering on…then off.

Carla stepped outside, clutching her clipboard tight.

Through the mist, she saw them: shadowy silhouettes of parents sitting in their cars, staring blankly toward the school doors. Frozen in time. Were they parents, or were they zombies?

She knew The Walking Dead was filming a scene in the next town over - Carla was a big Negan fan after all, and had wanted to go watch the crew film yesterday. But, she had to set up the dirty soda bar, and she was always choosing the school over her personal life...

Carla knew that if she didn't do it, no one else would. It was always Carla, Carla, Carla.

She wondered how many parents had trouble deciding between "going to the PTO meeting" or "watching the big game" tonight. Maybe that's where Principal Joe was...

Carla sighed, and zipped up her jacket.

She looked out into the fog, but something didn't feel right.

One parent cracked their window and whispered faintly, “I was just dropping something off.”

Another started their engine when Carla waved.

She returned to the cafeteria.

Alone.

The clock ticked. The cookies went stale. The dip warmed under the glow of the fluorescent lights of the cafeteria.

And from outside came a low murmur, like the wind carrying half-heard fears:

“What if they ask me to chair a committee?”

“What if I have to talk?”

“What if they don't like my fundraising idea?”

“What if they ask me to wear the mascot costume at drop-off?”

“What if I can never escape?”

When the janitor turned off the lights that night, the agenda papers fluttered to the floor. The veggies were warm to the touch.

To this day, if you listen closely, you can still hear the faint sound of crinkling wrappers and awkward small talk… and heavy sighs as Carla's ghost roams the halls of the schools, looking for parents brave enough to come to the PTO meeting. 

Better PTO/A Meetings This Way ➡️ Join us for a FREE webinar Oct. 21 at 11am and 2pm ET, 8 Strategies for More Effective Group Decision-Making. You'll also be entered for a chance to win a gift card from Oriental Trading Company!