On June 15th, National PTA, represented by Pels Law took legal action and was successful in court to protect local and council PTAs and members in Maryland. The entity once known as Maryland PTA and now known as the Alliance for Maryland Parents, Teachers and Students (the Alliance) has been providing confusing and misinformation to PTAs in the state, including threating to remove their exempt status and take their assets should they fail to join the Alliance by June 15.
Today, a hearing was held and a consent order was obtained from the court prohibiting the Alliance from operating under the Maryland PTA bylaws, taking control of local PTAs’ funds and/or bank accounts without local PTAs’ consent, withdrawing charters of local PTAs, preventing local PTAs from using their current names without local PTAs’ consent, and collecting any payments due to National PTA. For a period of 30 days, the Alliance is also prohibited from revoking local PTAs’ 501(c)(3) status or their Employer Identification Numbers without local PTAs’ consent. During the next 30 days, National PTA will seek to reach an agreement with the Alliance or otherwise seek additional action from the court to fully resolve this issue.
“Today we were pleased to obtain by consent order—signed off on by the Circuit Court for Montgomery County—that the allegations in our emergency temporary restraining order filed on behalf of National PTA were granted,” said Jon D. Pels, Esq.