The Bermuda Parents Teachers Students Association is calling on the court to change its decision to allow new parent council rules.

The move to introduce councils — potentially replacing PTAs at schools in an effort to give parents more say in managerial decisions — was one of three ministry plans being protested by the BPTSA in a Civil Court battle last week.

Last Friday, Puisne Judge Stephen Hellman granted an interim ruling to let them go ahead, along with the transfers of 30 teachers and six principals across the Island.

In a statement, the BPTSA said: “The BPTSA asked the court to retake its decision with respect to the [parent council] rules.

“We feel that the court made its ruling without the benefit of an important legal consideration. The BPTSA wants the court to clarify the true legal significance of the rules before parents are asked to make a voluntary decision about whether they should form these bodies.

“The BPTSA does not believe the rules optimise parental involvement. They work against it.

“As is to be expected, the ministry has opposed our request for the court to retake its decision. They say the rules cannot wait.

“A number of our PTA members have informed us that the ministry has already instructed principals to tell their PTAs that forming parent councils is mandatory if parents want to be involved in the education of their children. This is not true.

“The BPTSA is hopeful the court will reconsider whether the implementation of the rules should be suspended at least until our case is complete.

“But even if the court does not do what we ask, as parents we demand that the ministry cease in its attempts to misinform our members about the true import of the rules. Parents deserve better than petty ministerial conspiracies.”

The BPTSA filed its injunction, which also includes an attempt to block potential school closures and consolidation, after claiming parents had not been adequately consulted by the ministry.

Its statement says: “The BPTSA recognises the importance of its mandate. That mandate is to optimise parental involvement in Bermuda’s education system.

“Parents have no greater responsibility than educating their children. We educate our children so that they may face the myriad challenges the future will introduce, in a way which shows commitment to purpose and a desire to achieve meaningful goals.

“That type of education is not possible when parents are divided, distracted, and willing to hand their

responsibilities over to others. It is virtually impossible for parents to make informed decisions which benefit their children without first seeking out and obtaining answers to the questions that confront us

now.

“The BPTSA will not be distracted from its responsibility to inform parents of the issues that exist in our education system. We will not fail to forecast the coming storms.

“We want an education system that does not pay lip-service to our children’s primary educators. We want an education system that is open and transparent. We want an education system that is motivated by the desire to improve children and families.”