Southeastern Students Told They're Out of the Stoughton HS Marching Band

Stoughton, MA — For years, Stoughton residents that attended Southeastern Vocational High School were able to participate in Stoughton High School's marching band program. That is no longer the case, a Southeastern student said.

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John Goldberg, a student at the school, recently told the Stoughton School Committee that he was recently informed that students from Southeastern will no longer be permitted to play with the Stoughton marching band. Southeastern does not have a music program.

Goldberg said he first learned of the decision through the rumor mill earlier this year, but Music Director John Mange confirmed the change in March. He said that Mange spoke with Stoughton High School Principal Julie Miller and was told this was an unwritten policy but, a standard expectation for all extracurricular activities, with the school committee planning to draft and adopt a policy in the near future.

"This sudden change in the past practice stopped and left me and many others wondering why," Goldberg told the committee.

Goldberg met with Miller, who said that there were issues with tracking the three Southeastern students that were a part of the band.

"We were told the band was a class and we were not apart of the class. Marching band has always been a separate class yet eight graders are not held to the same standard," Goldberg said.

Other issues were insurance and liability, according to Goldberg. He responded that insurance is covered by the user fee and the liability exists for all students.

By the end of the meeting, Miller told Goldberg his only course of action would be to go to the school committee, he said.

Oliver Ames, another school in the Southeastern district, allows for Easton students from the vocational school to play in their band as long as they are in good standing, Goldberg said.

Another student from Southeastern in the band, Marissa Wade, wrote a correspondence to the committee asking then to allow them to participate in marching band.

"I feel we are being punished for choosing a different style of education that works better for us," Wade wrote.
Wade added that Southeastern is willing to help the situation and proposed that the students get their grades and attendance checked every day at their school's front office. If they do not show up to practice with a signed slip confirming their good standing, they will have to go home for the day.

Because Goldberg spoke during the public comment period, the committee was unable to have a back and forth dialogue. They will have a discussion and vote on the issue at their next meeting in July.