2019 Letters to Policymakers

In This Section



Notes from the Backpack Podcast

Join PTA For Your Child


National PTA regularly communicates with members of Congress and in the Administration about issues impacting children, families and schools. National PTA also joins with other education, civic, civil rights and advocacy organizations to amplify our collective messages to Congress and the Administration. Click on the icons below to read the latest letters to policymakers from National PTA. 

Child Nutrition

September 4, 2019 - National PTA submits comment expressing concern about the Department of Agriculture's Proposed Rule on a Revision of Categorical Eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
April 23, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to request $1,000,000 in FY 20 appropriations for critical technical assistance to aid schools in successful sodium reduction.
January 23, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress and the Administration to pass and sign the House-approved FY 19 appropriations bill for USDA so student nutrition is not caught in the cross hairs of the current federal shutdown

Education Technology and Student Data Privacy

December 9, 2019 - National PTA submits comment on the Federal Trade Commission’s Request for Public Comment on implementation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.
November 22, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to thank Senators Schatz, Sullivan, Murkowski and Hirono for expressing concerns to the FCC about establishing an overall cap for the universal service fund and other programs.
July 23, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to comment on the Federal Communications Commission Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Establishing a Cap for the Universal Service Fund.
June 13, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to request that the Federal Communications Commission extended the comment period for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Establishing a Cap for the Universal Service Fund.
April 29, 2019 - National PTA Joins Other Organizations to Comment on Department of Education Report Card Guidance.
April 22, 2019 - National PTA Comments on Department of Education Report Card Guidance

Elementary and Secondary Education

December 10, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to reiterate support for ESSA on the four year anniversary of its passage.
November 18, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations in opposition to S. 2682, the SOAR Permanent Authorization Act, which would permanently reauthorize the DC private school voucher program.
November 15, 2019 - National PTA and the National School Boards Association along with others file an amici curiae brief in support of respondents in the U.S. Supreme Court case Kendra Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue.
November 14, 2019 - National PTA submits comment expressing concern about the Department of Education's proposed changes to the Civil Rights Data Collection.
September 25, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations in support of S.J. Res. 54, a joint resolution relating to a national emergency declared by the President on Feb. 15, 2019.
September 10, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations expressing concern about the Administration's decision to divert more than half a billion dollars from school construction projects on U.S. military installations to build a border wall.
May 21, 2019 - National Coalition for Public Education Opposes Any Effort to Add Private School and Homeschooling Tax Incentives to the SECURE Act
April 18, 2019 - National Coalition for Public Education Opposes the DC Private School Voucher Program Reauthorization or Continued Funding

Federal Investments in Education

October 10, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to adopt $15 million for the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFECs) grant program in the FY2020 LHHS-Education appropriations bill.
August 14, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations in support of H.R. 3647, the Impact Aid Infrastructure Act, and urges members to co-sponsor the bill.
June 25, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to support legislation to lift the severe caps on domestic and international discretionary spending in Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021.
May 17, 2019 - National PTA urges Congressional leadership to include school facilities in any infrastructure package taken up by Congress.
April 19, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to increase funding for IDEA Part B by at least $1.7 billion over FY2019 levels in the FY2020 LHHS-Education appropriations bill.
April 19, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to request no less than $15 million for the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFECs) grant program in Congress' FY 20 LHHS-Education appropriations bill.
April 2, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to negotiate a budget agreement that averts deep cuts in funding for critical non-defense discretionary programs required under the 2011 Budget Control Act.
March 21, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to support the highest possible spending levels for programs that support America’s 6 million children and youth with disabilities and the educators who work on their behalf.

Gun Safety and Violence Prevention 

October 23, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to express concerns about certain provisions of the RESPONSE Act.
September 18, 2019 – National PTA President Oral Testimony Before U.S. House of Representatives Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Forum
September 18, 2019 – National PTA President Written Testimony Before U.S. House of Representatives Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Forum
September 10, 2019 - National PTA urges Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring the Background Check Expansion Act (S. 42) to the floor for a vote and to support its passage.
May 9, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to fund the STOP School Violence Act at a level of $125 million, a $25 million increase over FY19 funding.
March 26, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to appropriate 50 million dollars in the FY 2020 budget specifically for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and National Institutes of Health to fund gun violence research.
February 13, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act, and S. 42, the Background Check Expansion Act, to require Brady background checks for all firearm transfers

Health and Safety

November 25, 2019 - National PTA and GLSEN along with others file an amici curiae brief in support of plaintiff - appellee in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit case Grimm v. Gloucester Count School Board.
July 23, 2019 - National PTA submits letter in advance of Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs hearing on “Examining State and Federal Recommendations for Enhancing School Safety Against Targeted Violence”.
June 18, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to block the Administration’s proposal to adjust the Official Poverty Measure calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau.
March 11, 2019 - National PTA and GLSEN along with others file an amici curiae brief in support of appelles in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit case Parents for Privacy v. Dallas School District No.2.
February 28, 2019 - National PTA and GLSEN along with others file an amici curiae brief in support of plaintiff-appellee in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit case Drew Adams v. The School Board of St. Johns County, Florida.
February 25, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to pass legislation to establish national minimum standards to prohibit the use of seclusion and prevent the use of restraint in schools.
January 30, 2019 - National PTA submits comment expressing concern about the Department of Education's proposed Title IX rule to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex
January 24, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to express disappointment in the rescission of the 2014 School Discipline Guidance

Juvenile Justice

September 23, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge the Senate to fully fund critical juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs for Fiscal Year 2020.
March 25, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge Congress to fully fund critical juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs for Fiscal Year 2020.

Special Education

November 26, 2019 - National PTA joins CCD to urge the Senate Appropriations Committee to work with the House of Representatives to increase investments in the federal education programs that serve students with disabilities.
November 26, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge the Senate Appropriations Committee to work with the House of Representatives to increase investments in the federal education programs that serve students with disabilities.
September 26, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to urge the Senate Appropriations Committee to revise its FY 20 allocation for the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill and provide no less than an additional $1.05 billion for the IDEA.
July 18, 2019 - National PTA signs on to statement of principles joining with other organizations to lay out how to meet the Least Restrictive Environment requirement within federal education laws and regulations.
March 25, 2019 - National PTA joins other organizations to express strong support for the IDEA Full Funding Act introduced in the 116th Congress.

Undocumented Youth

October 4, 2019 - National PTA and the National Education Association file an amici curiae brief in support of respondents in the U.S. Supreme Court case Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California.
July 29, 2019 - National PTA expresses gratitude to Congressional leaders on the House Committees that recently held hearings on the humanitarian crisis at our nation's border and encourages continued oversight.