I'd like your help in establishing some "soft" guidelines to assist in making decisions about the participation of 3rd party groups at PTO sponsored events.

Here's the background:

A few days before our fall festival, a couple people started approaching the principal and office staff about setting up table at the middle school PTO sponsored Fall festival. The office staff suggested that they thought it might be alright and requested those people contact, me the PTO president. Some other schools in our district have had similar event where they planned to have booths available for vendors.

Last year and this year, in advance, we were only approached by a teacher that needed to raise a lot of money for scholarships for students to go for an annual out of state trip for an entire grade.

As it turned out, the requests seemed closely enough related to school activities that I permitted them to go aheead and set up a table, but I would rather have had a well thought through policy approved at a PTO meeting.

I am thinking that, who the group is, and there relationship to the school would be one of the most important factors.

School Funded (in the last 2 years)
PTO funded (in the last 2 years)
Not school funded, but already approved for use of school facilities at no cost.
School Staff sponsored group.
Involves students of this school
Involved Students of another school in this school district
Good for the educational development of the students in this school / in this district
Good for the social development of the students in this school / in this district
Good for the physical development of the students in this school / in this district
Will the participation of this group substantially interfere with a the primary objective of this event
Will the participation of this group compete or compliment the fundraising objectives of our event
Principal's approval in addition to PTO approval
Involves anything of danger, during or after the event
Request received 1 week before event
Request received 1 week prior to last PTO meeting prior to event
Request received at last PTO meeting prior to event
Written request approved by PTO officer

Eventually I can see ranking these and perhaps on an event by event basis deciding which will be allowed.

Do you have more ideas that I might add to this list?