We have recently heard some news regarding marching bands in Alachua county and the requirements they will have to adhere to as COVID precautions. The bands were asked to have no more than 50 students. This guideline is understandable during this time. However, there is one requirement in particular that is upsetting to parents and students alike. Our band students were informed today that marching bands will only serve as pep bands and will not be allowed to perform on the field during half time or after the game concludes.  While we are extremely grateful that the band students will still be allowed to be present at the football games, we are having trouble understanding the purpose of preventing them from performing their show.

The Santa Fe Raider Regiment have been rehearsing since late July.  They have followed all guidelines including small groups, masks when not outside or practicing, social distancing, temperature checks before every rehearsal, sanitizer readily available, as well as wiping down equipment after rehearsals. They met five days a week for two weeks for their band camp and continued to meet twice a week in the evenings prior to the start of school. Now that school is in session, they continue to rehearse three hours a day, three times a week. An extremely important fact we would like to point out, is that there have been exactly Zero cases of COVID amongst our students during this entire time period. 

All sports have been given the go ahead and it seems the only group affected at this time is marching band. This is extremely disappointing for these kids who have worked so hard. Typically during a marching season, students work on a competitive show to compete against other local and state bands. With COVID, these competitions have been canceled this year as there is not a way to have that many people together safely. As a result, our band postponed their competition show and developed a brand new show that would allow for greater distancing among students and that was shorter in performance time. Rather than a 12 minute show, the time was cut in half to at least give the students something to work towards and that would be safer all around. I would like to note the CDC as well as Alachua County schools define the risk of significant exposure as being within 6 feet of someone for greater than 15 minutes. Our show is much less than that time frame. 

Now however, the students have been delivered the blow, that they are not even going to be able to perform at their own school’s football games. The seniors who have devoted their high school careers to the performing arts, as well as all other students, feel defeated and are mourning the loss of yet another thing because of the virus. 

However, it’s not just the loss of something else that is affecting the students. It’s the fact that they see the football team practicing, huddled close together, no masks, no distancing, and they are allowed to continue on as usual. It’s the fact that volleyball, a sport played indoors mind you, is allowed to continue as normal. The cheerleaders, are allowed to perform on the sidelines as usual. It’s business as usual for everyone except for them. If you can’t imagine how that makes them feel, I will tell you. It makes them feel like what they do doesn’t matter. It makes them feel that their sport is less important than all the other sports on their school campus. 

I have witnessed first hand how hard these kids have worked since late summer and how much these football game performances mean to them, this year especially. This is their only chance of feeling normal in a time where normal is almost nonexistent. 

We are asking you to please reconsider this decision and to give our students, especially our seniors, one piece of normalcy this year. We’re asking you to understand their aggravation and inability to understand why what they do is valued less than other school groups. If performing during half time is such a huge concern, please at least allow the students to showcase their hard work and talents at the game’s conclusion. 

We are grateful that sports have been given the go ahead, we are grateful that the school board was able to develop a plan to allow families the option to return to school either digitally or in person, and we are grateful that you will take this petition and it’s signatures into consideration and do what is right and fair for all marching band students in Alachua County.