Board OKs Marching-Band PE Waiver after Lengthy Debate and Public Comment

The Clarkston Board of Education voted to allow two seasons of marching band or winter guard to count as one half-credit physical education elective, approving the change after presentations from staff, a close Teaching & Learning Council (TLC) recommendation and more than a dozen public speakers.

The measure passed after a motion to approve "two years of marching band to count as the equivalent of one half credit of a physical education elective as presented." Board members voted by voice; a minority opposed the change.

Supporters told the board marching band requires sustained physical activity and that the waiver would ease scheduling conflicts for students who take rigorous academic loads. Mike Lewis, Clarkston band director, said marching-band participants average roughly 216 hours per season in rehearsals and performances and that two seasons of participation would free students to fit AP and other electives into their schedules. "This proposal would make it easier for the students to fit in everything in their schedule over their four-year career," Lewis said.

Lewis also told the board the change is already used widely across Michigan districts and cited multiple nearby districts with similar waivers.

The district superintendent, Dr. Ryan, presented context: the item came to the board after an electronic TLC vote that narrowly approved the recommendation by a little over 50 percent. Ryan said the proposal was brought to a broad stakeholder group because graduation-credit decisions fall within the board's purview.

Opponents — including physical-education staff and parents — warned that physical education and marching-band participation serve different instructional goals. Katie Lambert, subject-area coordinator for PE and health, said marching band emphasizes musical and visual performance, not standards-based PE instruction. "Physical activity is different from physical education," Lambert said. She warned the waiver could reduce student access to PE's skill-development and lifelong-fitness instruction and could shrink PE elective offerings as enrollment declines.

Several teachers, coaches and students spoke during public comment. Anthony Terramina, a high-school PE teacher, urged the board to preserve the integrity of the PE curriculum and called out potential liability and injury-prevention concerns if marching band were used as a substitute for formal PE instruction.

Students, parents and band boosters argued the waiver offers students choice and would help keep students in music programs. A parent, I. D. Ortiz, said the change helped his son, who had been bullied in PE and had improved physically and academically while participating in band. CSIMA (Clarkston Schools Instrumental Music Association) President Steve Strader thanked the board for the discussion and for considering the students' experience.

Board members weighed competing priorities. Trustee Hyer described marching band as a "co‑curricular" activity with curricular and extracurricular elements and pressed for more flexibility for students; Trustee Clark said the waiver preserves student choice; Trustee Love said she was conflicted. The board ultimately approved the waiver; opponents on the record urged monitoring for unintended effects on PE staffing and on overall student activity levels.

The board directed administration to implement the policy change and to continue monitoring impacts on PE course enrollments, scheduling, and student health measures. Superintendent Ryan said administration sought stakeholder input and was available to refine operational details with the board.

Why it matters: the change adjusts graduation-credit pathways and affects scheduling for students pursuing advanced coursework or extended co‑curricular participation. It also signals a district-level decision to equate some high-effort extracurriculars with academic electives for credit purposes.

Next steps: the administration will document operational details for the waiver (eligibility, documentation of participation, and how the waiver interacts with state personal-curriculum processes) and report back if enrollment or program impacts require policy adjustments.