The morning of Friday, Nov. 3, while Gateway Middle School students were looking forward to their afternoon dance, the Gateway PTSA was scrambling to find chaperones.

“We only have two chaperones scheduled and we need more!” read an e-mail from Linda Carbajal, PTSA member. A plea for volunteers had gone out three days earlier, with little result.

On Friday, a few more parents stepped up.

“For this dance, I think it was OK, but a couple extra people probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea,” said Cheryl Taylor, a PTSA member who chaperoned that day. “At social events the kids are running around and it’s hard for people to keep an eye on what’s going on.”

Gateway Middle School needs more parent volunteers, but it’s not alone. Jackson High School and Heatherwood Middle School could also use more parent help.

Taylor, whose children attend Gateway and Cascade High School, called the lack of parent help “a horrible problem.”

“At the middle school level (parent help) just disappears,” she said.

In contrast, when Taylor volunteered at Penny Creek Elementary, the school had almost more volunteers than it could handle, she said.

Angie Skibiel, co-vice-president of Silver Firs Elementary, said her school also has a good volunteer base.

Volunteerism drops off in part because many middle schoolers say they don’t want their parents around, Taylor said.

Even so, parents are intensely needed at that age, she said, a sentiment Carbajal echoed.

“The transition from childhood to young adulthood is such a turbulent time for most of kids,” Carbajal said. “The peer pressure is tremendous, the desperate need to fit in can make some kids make bad choices, there are introductions to drugs and alcohol.”

Volunteerism also may be lacking because many Mill Creek parents work long hours.

Taylor works two jobs, at 60 to 70 hours a week, but she’s lucky to be able to work from home, she said.

“It makes it easier for me to go to the school if I need to volunteer,” she said.

Linda Pazevic, co-president of the Heatherwood Middle School PTA, agreed that many people are busy.

The Heatherwood PTA has trouble filling some of its volunteer spots, but not others.

“We are really fortunate. When we call our parents they do step up,” Pazevic said.

But it can be a struggle to fill leadership roles and staff dances.

“Lani Lawson and I came into the presidency this year because there was no one who wanted to step into that role,” Pazevic said.

The environment at middle school may seem daunting to parents, with its size and multiple teachers, she said. She feels Heatherwood is a welcoming place.

At the high school level, the environment is less comfortable for parents, said Jackson principal Terry Cheshire. That’s partly why parent volunteerism during the day at the school is extremely low, he said.

As for PTSA participation, members of the Jackson High School PTSA did not return calls from The Enterprise.

“It’s rare when we don’t get enough parents for a dance, but it’s a tough spot for parents,” Cheshire said. “(It’s like:) ‘Do I feel comfortable coming up and confronting kids?’”

Jackson has never had to cancel a field trip or dance because of lack of parent involvement.

But Cheshire knows of only one parent who volunteers at school, in the office, in contrast to the scores of volunteers he had when he was principal at an elementary school.

The school could use help tutoring students or helping out at after-school tutorials, as well as keeping an eye on students during lunch, Cheshire said.