Two regulations that significantly affect parents' participation in schools have been posted by the Department of Education. One, Chancellor's Regulation A-660 Parents Associations and the Schools, is up for approval by the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) at its April 20 meeting. The document specifies how Parents Associations should be formed and conduct business, and it delineates the functions that PA's can perform in support of the school . The other regulation concerns School Leadership Teams and is posted as final.

In its revised public notice, the DOE announced that three revisions were made after reviewing public comments:

--PAs may conduct raffles in accordance with the provisions of the New York State General Municipal Law and applicable regulations of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board;

--DOE employees, who are not employed at the school which their children attend, may serve as PA officers; and

--Members of the Panel for Educational Policy and Community and Citywide Education Councils may serve on a PA's executive board.

Additional changes include modifying the terms under which DOE employees can serve on the district Parents Council:

--DOE employees may not serve on the district parent council in the district in which they are employed.

--DOE employees may not serve on the high school parent council in the borough in which they are employed.<!--more-->

The long awaited revision of Chancellor's Regulation A-655, regarding School Leadership Teams (known as SLT's) has been finalized and posted. SLT's are state-mandated councils composed of the president of the Parents Association, the UFT chapter chair, and the principal, or their designees. The SLT's also include additional staff, parents, students and representatives from local community organizations. There must be equal numbers of parents and staff.

Changes were made to satisfy the 2008 Commissioner's decision that ruled the previous version of the regulation improperly curtailed the rights of SLT's. Specifically, the commissioner found that the regulation's provision that the principal has final authority in terms of the Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) and its alignment with the budget, was not consistent with the law that established SLT's .

Now there is a very specific statement on how the CEP process and the school budget are developed in tandem, one informing the other. While the principal is charged with determining the alignment of the CEP to the budget, he must consult with the SLT during the process and there are provisions for SLT members and others to question the principal's decision. Finally, the principal must justify his conclusions in writing to the superintendent.