The Maryland PTA outlines its 2015 legislative agenda which focuses on advocating for strong public funding of education, continued improvement of public schools, and safe and nurturing environments for children. The agenda addresses maintaining funding levels, promoting family and community involvement, ensuring equitable and high-quality education for all students, supporting strong academic standards and teacher training, and advocating for children's health, safety, and welfare.

1. Maryland PTA, 5 Central Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 | Phone: (410) 760-6221 | www.mdpta.org
Mission
“To make every
child’s potential a
reality by engaging
and empowering
families
and communities
to advocate for all
children.”
Agenda
Maryland PTA’s
Objective is to
advocate for
parental and
community
involvement in
public schools
and enhance the
education, health
and welfare for all
children, including,
“to secure adequate
laws for the care
and protection of
children and youth.”
Maryland Parent Teacher Association
LEGISLATIVE
AGENDA 2015
Dear Delegates and Senators:
Welcome to the 2015 Session! Maryland PTA believes in strong advocacy for every
child. Our advocacy seeks to ensure that every child grows up healthy, strong, well-
educated, and becomes productive members of our society. It is this passion that drives
us to improve schools and communities around the state. Our children need effective
advocates for their well-being and academic success, and we invite you to join in that
endeavor. They need caring legislators like you to work tirelessly on their behalf in
schools, communities, and at the State House.
Our 2015 Legislative Agenda appears below. While it addresses many issues, its
priorities are to maintain strong public funding for education, seek continued
improvement in our public schools, and safe and nurturing environments in our
local communities for all children. During the current session, we will be submitting
testimony on various bills and speaking to you or your colleagues based upon these
issues. We invite each of you to contact us if you have any questions or need further
information on the issues presented below.
I can be reached at president@mdpta.org, or 410-760-6221.
Thank you for your interest in our children.
Raymond Leone, President
2015 Maryland PTA Legislative Agenda
During 2015, Maryland PTA celebrates 100 years of advocating for all children. Since
our inception, Maryland PTA has dedicated its efforts to bolster our founding principles,
family engagement in education from birth through high school graduation; education
for every child regardless of socioeconomic background; worked to address childhood
health; work against unfair and punitive treatment of education in the justice system and
worked to help all children achieve success through quality public education. With more
than 180,000 members, Maryland PTA will continue to protect the education, health, and
overall well-being by advocating for educational opportunity and equity for all children.
PTA Reflections Art Exhibit Opening Showcases Magical Moment. U.S. Department of Education

2. Maryland PTA, 5 Central Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 | Phone: (410) 760-6221 | www.mdpta.org Maryland PTA, 5 Central Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 | Phone: (410) 760-6221 | www.mdpta.org
STATE LEGISLATIVE FOCI
Parent, Family, and Community Involvement – Maryland PTA initiatives include
accessible, equitable opportunities for meaningful involvement of parents/
guardians, business and community stakeholders in development and review of
public policies, educational standards, graduation requirements, and environmental and health standards.
Quality and Equitable Public Education—Maryland PTA supports the following:
• Public education funding to support the needs of public schools to initiate or continue to offer high quality educational
services to children from early childhood through high school graduation.
• Additional funding to local jurisdictions to correct past inequities in the funding of public education until such time
that all jurisdictions have adequate financial resources to meet the needs of all students. While movement in this
direction began in the early 2000s, it is yet to be fully achieved. Efforts to fulfill this goal must be redoubled.
• Public funding to adequately and equitably ensure high quality educational services for all special populations
including Physical, Intellectual, and Emotional Disabilities, Gifted and Talented, English Language Learners, economic
poverty, and other special needs.
• A high quality education for the whole child, to include music, the arts, physical education, and the eight federally
mandated core subjects that using technology as a teaching tool to provide educational opportunities for students to
meet career objectives.
• Reserving public funding for education to support public schools. Maryland PTA does not support using public funds
to support private and religiously-based schools via appropriations, vouchers, scholarships, or tax credits.
• Establishment of universal voluntary early childhood (Pre-K) education by the end of the current decade.
• Shifting the “burden of proof” in IEP due process cases from parents to school districts. MD PTA supports this
because school districts are most often in a superior position to establish compliance with the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) than parents are to prove the school district’s non-compliance. Parents typically
lack adequate knowledge of IDEA policies and lack financial resources to obtain expert testimony and advice.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND
MODERNIZATION: Maryland PTA
Supports
1. Funding for public school construction
and modernization that revitalizes the
physical condition of school buildings,
and the capacity of buildings to provide
the appropriate space for physical
education, technology education, school
meals, and state-rated class sizes.
2. Elimination of the use of portable
structures and limitations on the
duration of their use when they are a
necessary interim option.
3. Review and modification of state-rated
capacity formula and teaching stations.
4. Inclusion of security features in
all school buildings.
5. Opportunities for public input
and oversight of construction
projects involving parents and
community stakeholders.
Maryland
PTA supports
Maryland’s
efforts to
improve
educational
outcomes for students by adopting
a set of nationwide consistent, clear,
and more rigorous K-12 academic
standards in English language arts
and mathematics. Because students
need problem solving and critical
thinking skills to succeed in career
and life skills, Maryland PTA
believes that Maryland’s curricular
framework focused on college and
career readiness (MCCR) will provide
fundamental knowledge for life in
a global economy. Maryland PTA
supports activities to inform parents
and educators of MCCR-based
requirements and implementation
strategies at each grade level and
how Maryland’s increased academic
standards will lead to improved
student preparedness . MD PTA also
supports activities that include parents
and classroom teachers in planning
and evaluating the implementation
of MCCR-focused curricula and its
outcomes at the local level. Finally,
while MD PTA supports periodic
assessment of students to ensure
progress toward preparedness, it
cautions against excessive use of
testing such that it impedes such
progress and dampens student
enthusiasm toward learning.
STRONG
STATE
ACADEMIC
STANDARDS
P O S I T I V E B E H A V I O R S U P P O R T S A N D
I N T E R V E N T I O N S
Maryland PTA supports the development of recommendations for
reinforcing student attendance, and setting positive expectations for student
behaviors. Compacts must include rational “open” disciplinary policies
that include the implementation of school wide Positive Behavior Supports
and Interventions (PBIS) or similar evidence-based programs. MD PTA
supports phasing-out zero-tolerance policies and out-of-school suspensions
because these often contribute to achievement gaps based upon socio-
economics, culture, and/or special needs of students.
M A R Y L A N D P T A S U P P O R T S
E F F E C T I V E & C O M P A S S I O N A T E
J U V E N I L E J U S T I C E
1. Dropout prevention programs instituted to address the diverse needs of
students at risk of leaving school without a diploma.
2. Evidence-based truancy programs that provide interventions which
are non-punitive, support effective family counseling, and provide
community-based solutions.
3. Specialized training for school-based law enforcement and calls to
develop a uniform school discipline code.
H E A L T H , W E L L N E S S A N D S A F E T Y
W I T H I N S C H O O L S
Maryland PTA supports public policies that recognize the essential
relationship between health and learning and promote the complete
physical, mental and social well-being of children and youth in a safe,
healthy and nurturing home, school, and community environment.
Therefore, we advocate for implementation of standards promulgated by
public health and safety professionals with regard to physical education,
school meal programs, and safety. These include improving nutritional
requirements for school foods, regulation of competitive food sales,
strong anti-bullying and non-discrimination programs, and policies that
promote wellness through meaningful mid-day recesses and regular
ongoing physical education. We also call for increasing reimbursement
rates for school lunch programs so that more nutrient rich foods can be
served. Maryland PTA also supports providing affordable access to health
care services for all children, regardless of the legal status of their parents.
Finally, MD PTA does not support in any way the introduction of firearms
and other lethal weapons into schools and community facilities that serve
children, except by certified and trained law enforcement personnel and
weapon safety instructors in fulfillment of their duties.
STRONG TEACHER IN-SERVICE EDUCATION
Because high quality teaching is the foundation of all learning,
Maryland PTA supports:
• In-service and pre-service teacher education programs that
include elements of effective parent involvement, diversity, and
cultural proficiency.
• Full-funding of staff development is needed to ensure that
all students benefit from high quality teachers and programs
designed to meet Maryland’s student performance standards.
•The use of teacher performance evaluations only when
they are accompanied by strong programs of teacher
training and improvement that are developed with the
consent of professional associations of teachers and school
administrators.
• Programs that prepare professional educators to teach
a diverse student population of varying ethnicity, socio-
economic status, English
language facility, and
giftedness, and inclusion of
students with special needs
in regular classrooms to the
maximum extent beneficial.
PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY
Consistent with National PTA’s Core Value of Inclusiveness and Position
Statement on Citizenship and Equality, Maryland PTA will support
legislation that seeks equal protection and dignity under the law for all
persons and families, and full access to public education.

3. Maryland PTA, 5 Central Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 | Phone: (410) 760-6221 | www.mdpta.org
Since its inception, National PTA (NPTA) has advocated for improvements to federal education policy for the benefit of every child.
NPTA will continue to work with Congress and the Administration on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), improvements to special education through the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), and quality early childhood education programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Childcare and
Development Block Grant. Maryland PTA joins National PTA in advocating for increased federal investment in education, with the goal
of ensuring that all students graduate from high school college- and career-ready. Specific issues of focus will be the following.
GENERAL EDUCATION
Reauthorization of ESEA-
NCLB remains a top
priority for National PTA.
In addition, PTA is fighting
for improvements to ESEA-
NCLB, including access to
well-rounded curricula, equity
protections for disadvantaged
populations and accountability
to parents and the community.
EDUCATION FUNDING
Federal investment in quality
education is critical to our
nation’s long-term success.
PTA supports replacing the
sequester cuts with a balanced
and fair approach, protecting
vital education investments
in all federal deficit reduction
efforts, securing dedicated
funding for family engagement
in education, increasing
funding for IDEA and
maintaining or increasing
investments in quality early
learning programs.
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN
EDUCATION
National PTA endorses
the Family Engagement
in Education Act of 2013
(H.R.2662/S.1291). The
Act would support effective
family engagement strategies
where it is needed most while
encouraging state and local
district flexibility in identifying
programming that works best.
In addition to full passage
of the bill, PTA will push for
provisions to be included in
the reauthorization of ESEA-
NCLB.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Through the reauthorization
of ESEA-NCLB and
implementation of the
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA),
National PTA will continue
to advocate to ensure that
all students graduate from
high school college and
career-ready, will see that
family engagement remains
a fundamental principle of
IDEA and will work to ensure
that the rights of children with
disabilities and their parents
are fully protected.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION
National PTA supports
federal and state incentives
for high-quality child care
and preschool programs
that are affordable and
accessible, coordinated at
all levels, characterized by
high standards for teaching,
training, health and safety
and incorporate strong family
engagement components.
CHILD HEALTH AND
NUTRITION
PTA strongly supports
continued implementation of
the Healthy and Hunger-Free
Kids Act of 2010, including
healthy guidelines for all foods
sold in schools, strengthening
Local Wellness Policies and
improving nutrition standards
for meals served as part of the
National School Lunch and
Breakfast Programs.
SCHOOL SAFETY
School safety is a crucial
component of effective
learning. National PTA
believes that the safety
of children and faculty
in all school settings is a
fundamental right and has
made it the utmost priority
for our programmatic and
advocacy work.
National PTA will work to
support federal programming
and policies related to safe
routes to school, bullying
prevention and the protection
of children from gun violence.
JUVENILE JUSTICE
& DELINQUENCY
PREVENTION
Protecting the rights of
children and youth involved
in the justice system continues
to be an area of focus for
National PTA. PTA supports
a reauthorization of the
JJDPA that includes improved
provisions that keep youth
who commit non-criminal
offenses out of secure juvenile
corrections facilities, and that
ensures the Jail Removal and
Sight and Sound Separation
core protections are extended
to all children under 18 years
of age.
This is a brief summary of the National PTA’s 2014 Public Policy Agenda.
Please view the detailed Agenda at National PTA’s Avocay site
http://www.pta.org/advocacy/
FEDERAL
LEGISLATIVE
FOCI