Parents and alumni urge Granite Falls to restore marching band competitions after district pauses season

Dozens of parents, alumni and current students addressed the Granite Falls School District board during an extended public-comment period to protest the administration's decision to pause the high-school marching band's competition season.

Steven Berlin, who identified himself as an alumnus, told the board: "The marching band won't be able to do competitions this season as of right now. ... I would really urge the board to do take it whatever steps that they need to to put the policies in place that they need to before this coming season so that the students don't miss out." Several current and recent band members described competition as formative; Sage Beach said competitive marching band "turns kids into responsible, hardworking, timely, passionate, and talented individuals." Parent Sarah DiVittorio, an attorney, told the board the district had not adequately communicated the reason for the pause and asked the board to reconsider the decision.

Board President (speaker 1) responded to multiple commenters by saying the program is "paused," not canceled, and that the district is working through "steps" to ensure the program meets applicable policies and laws before competitions resume. The board acknowledged that some elements of the issue are personnel- or employee-related and therefore not shareable in public but said administration will follow up with parents and that volunteers could help re-establish booster support and safety procedures.

Parents asked for clearer, timely communication and suggested concrete steps including (1) reconstituting a boosters organization to handle fundraising and oversight, (2) aligning band travel procedures with existing student-transportation and safety policies, and (3) providing a named contact for parents to work with the administration. The district committed to follow-up and encouraged parents to contact the administration by email.