At Thursday night’s regular school board meeting, Centralia High School band teacher and director Stephanie Aarons-Dennison urged the board to undo a recent policy change that forbids band students on the academic watch list from participating in band activities outside of school hours. Aarons-Dennison criticized the change, saying it would prevent students from participating in performances that are graded assignments for the band curriculum.
“Like tests, these events are part of the class,” she said. “They are assessments just like tests in math, or labs in science. They are the final product of weeks of learning. It is an assessment of learning objectives and teaches accountability, as concerts ensure students’ commitment to attendance, preparation, and teamwork, all essential skills in music education.”
Aarons-Dennison felt that the policy change was being targeted at her class, and she said that the change was not discussed with her before it was made. Superintendent Chuck Lane apologized and acknowledged that he had previously told Aarons-Dennison that he would invite her to speak to the board before the change was voted on, and that he had failed to do so.
Currently, students are placed on the academic watch list if they do not pass at least five of their classes (out of seven) for a quarter or semester grading period. Being on the watch list prevents students from participating in extracurricular activities such as sports and dances, but until the recent change had not prevented performing arts students from participating in graded performances.
The school board previously approved the change out of a concern that band students on the academic watch list were committing time outside of school hours to band instead of focusing on the classes that they were failing. Board members believed that, like with extracurricular activities, disallowing students on the watch list from participating in band performances would motivate them to improve in their other classes.
Lane said that the board would take time to consider the issue and bring it up for a vote at the next board meeting on September 29.
