Jun 25, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Central Greene School Board reversed course on plans to eliminate sixth-grade students from performing in the middle-school marching band after parents and students came forward to address the issue during Tuesday night’s board meeting.

Superintendent Brian Uplinger said earlier plans to exclude sixth-graders was not because of budget cuts, but was because of the district’s “pay-to-participate policy” that does not include that grade.

Within the policy, only grades seven to 12 are permitted to participate in any school-sponsored athletic programs, which includes the marching band even though anything music-or band-related is governed by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and not the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The sixth grade was missed when creating the policy, Uplinger said.

“Whatever is best for students is what we need to do,” Uplinger said. “But my job is to follow policy.”

The sixth grade has been a part of the middle school marching band since 1992. The marching band has not been outscored by another middle school marching band in various competitions for more than a decade with superior ratings 10 consecutive years. The sixth grade’s involvement was apparently an error and against the policy.

One parent along with two students pleaded with the board about the importance of the band experience at their transitional stage of life. They gave the board statistics they had found such as how children who are interested in instrumental and vocal music tend to have less involvement with drugs and alcohol, and how children suffering with mental or physical disabilities begin to communicate better through music.

The students shared personal stories about the awkward transition that happens during the 6th grade year for most children. They said that the band, along with the three week band camp before school started, helped them find where they belonged and gave them a group of people to build friendships with.

After hearing from the parent and students, the board held an hour-long executive session to discuss the issue.

“What we are doing is changing the policy,” Uplinger said.

The board plans to amend the policy to add the sixth grade so their involvement will no longer be against policy. The board also approved to add two assistant marching band directors for sixth through 12th grades.

Uplinger said that this will help give the band department more flexibility by having the same instructors for both of the schools to keep consistency within the middle and high school band.

“I think it is important to keep consistency,” Uplinger said. “It gives them the ability to be more affective with two assistant directors.”