Making My Voice Heard at My Child’s School

Whether it’s a PTA, a charter board meeting, or just trying to find out what’s happening at your child’s school, Louisiana law gives parents more formal standing than most people realize.

Board meetings are legally required to be open

Under Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law (RS 42:11 et seq.), every meeting of a public body — including charter school governing boards — must be open to the public unless a specific legal exception applies. This means:

• Deliberation must happen out loud, in the meeting, not decided beforehand in private
• Written public notice of regular meetings, including dates, times, and locations, must be provided at the start of each calendar year
• For any regular, special, or rescheduled meeting, notice — including the agenda, date, time, and place — must be given at least 24 hours before the meeting
• Notice must be available at the board’s principal office or the meeting location, and provided to news media that have requested it

This applies specifically to charter school boards too — they must follow RS 42:11 just like a traditional school board.

When boards can go behind closed doors

A small number of topics can legally be discussed in executive (closed) session — things like pending litigation, security plans, misconduct investigations, or discussion of a specific person’s character or health (with that person notified in advance). Outside of those narrow categories, deliberation and votes must happen in public, and members must vote out loud — proxy votes, written votes from absent members, or phone voting are not allowed.

Your right to attend and speak

As a member of the public, you have the right to attend any open board meeting. Whether you have a guaranteed right to speak depends on the board’s own rules, but most boards do provide a public comment period — and if you want guaranteed time on the agenda for a specific topic, you can formally request it.

Use the Board Meeting Agenda Request template to request time to address the board directly.

Enforcement — this isn’t just a courtesy

If a public body violates the Open Meetings Law, any person who has been denied a right under the law, or who has reason to believe it’s been violated, can take it to court. If you win, the court can require compliance — and if you prevail, you’re entitled to reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs. This is a real, enforceable right, not just good practice the board is encouraged to follow.

PTAs: what they can and can’t do

A PTA (Parent Teacher Association) is a separate nonprofit organization, governed by its own bylaws — in Louisiana, those bylaws are set through Louisiana PTA’s standard template and must be updated and re-approved every three years. A few things that matter:

• PTA bylaws govern things like officer terms (generally one or two years, with a cap on consecutive terms), membership rules, and how decisions get made
• Changing PTA bylaws — including something like a dues increase — requires 20 days’ notice to the membership and a vote at a General Membership Meeting with a quorum present
• A PTA is not the same legal entity as the school or the school board — it can’t make binding decisions about school policy, but it can be a powerful, organized voice that schools and boards have to take seriously

Starting a PTA if one doesn’t exist

If your child’s school doesn’t have an active PTA, Louisiana PTA provides the path to start one, including the standard bylaws template every local unit is required to use. A school without a PTA isn’t a school without a formal way for parents to organize — it just hasn’t been set up yet.

Charter schools and parent rights specifically

Charter schools sometimes operate with thinner parent-governance structures than traditional public schools, but the legal floor is the same: open meetings, public records, and (depending on the charter) board seats or advisory committees that may be required by the school’s own charter agreement. See Charter School Rights for the records and transparency side of this.

If a board isn’t following the law

1. Request, in writing, the specific meeting notice or agenda you believe was deficient
2. Use the Board Meeting Agenda Request template to formally request to be heard
3. If you believe a violation has occurred, document it — note the date, what notice (if any) was given, and what happened
4. Consider whether the violation is significant enough to warrant legal consultation — remember that a successful enforcement action can result in your attorney fees being covered

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change — always verify with a licensed attorney for your specific situation.