Utah PTA president-elect cites Cedar City art night as example of rural family engagement

Julie Clough, president‑elect of the Utah Parent Teacher Association, told the Utah State Board of Education during public comment that the PTA’s outreach to rural members is producing tangible benefits, citing a Cedar City PTA art night where a student showed “so much excitement” in sharing artwork with family.

Clough said the PTA has been scheduling monthly Zoom meetings with rural leaders to provide training and support, and she asked those leaders what practices have been most impactful. “One of the leaders talked about an art night that their PTA had hosted and that, what was impactful to her was that a student showed so much excitement because they were able to share their art with their family and their family was so excited to see that,” Clough said.

“...when our families are engaged, our kids do better, our teachers do better, our families do better,” she added, describing family engagement as a statewide benefit that extends beyond individual students.

Clough said the PTA has been connecting with rural members over the past year and that those regular contacts included an in‑person visit to Cedar City about a month earlier; she urged continued support for family‑focused activities that build connections between schools and households.

The board’s public comment rules were read at the start of the session: commenters may sign up at publiccomment.schools.utah.gov, may send written comments to board@schools.utah.gov, and are limited to two minutes each. Clough spoke by Zoom and noted she was participating remotely because she had not felt well.

No board action was recorded in response to Clough’s remarks; the remarks were part of the meeting’s public comment period rather than a formal agenda item.