To the editor:

We are concerned about an article that appeared in the Deseret News on May 31, titled "2nd petition seeks Ogden official's ouster." The Associated Press article referred to a "PTA petition" being circulated by Ogden PTA. Although Dorrene Jeske is a PTA council president, she was addressing the board only as a concerned citizen, not as a PTA president.The PTA has a policy to ensure that any statement on behalf of the PTA is made only after study and after official authorization has been granted for its presentation by the PTA involved.

Our national PTA bylaws state that "the organization shall work with the schools to provide quality education for all children and youth and shall seek to participate in the decisionmaking process establishing school policy, recognizing that the legal responsibility to make decisions has been delegated by the people to boards of education."

Since the administration of the school and the making of the policies that govern their operation have been delegated by the people to elected or appointed boards of education, committees or departments, no single group of citizens, however representative, should seek to usurp these functions. Therefore, the PTA is not normally in the business of censuring teachers and officials.

We are in the business of ensuring a quality education for all children and youth in the state of Utah and working cooperatively with all of the education family. We will continue in this quest because we believe that all children are worth it.

Joyce W. Muhlestein

President, Utah PTA

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