SE District Members,
The following letter was sent to the Randolph School Committee denouncing recent cuts to the Fine Arts in their school district.
We are writing this letter today out of deep concern for the students and community members of Randolph. It has recently come to light that the school district is planning to cut all art, music, and physical education for the 2020-2021 school year. The Southeastern District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association considers this to be a short-sighted and disastrous action that will negatively impact the community and its members for years to come.
As defined in the ESSA, “music and the arts” are part of a well-rounded education. Massachusetts is proud to have rigorous music and art standards to guide the implementation of these programs in every school district. Any student who does not have access to the arts as part of their school day is receiving an inadequate education at best.
Furthermore, the nation has undergone a collective trauma. The students will need the arts more than ever when they return to school. Their arts classrooms create a welcoming environment, support social and emotional well-being, and teach empathy, self-reflection, critical thinking, and cooperation in ways that no other discipline can offer. To cut these programs is to deprive the students of access to these much-needed supports.
It only takes one year to dismantle a music program. It takes a decade to build it back. We urge you to reconsider these austerity measures. We stand with an overwhelming number of national arts organizations in stating: “It is imperative that all students have access to an equitable delivery of arts education that includes dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts that supports their educational, social, and emotional well-being, taught by certified professional arts educators in partnership with community arts providers.”
Sincerely,
Southeastern Massachusetts Educators Association Executive Board
Jillian Griffin, Chairperson
Please join the “Support the Students of Randolph” Facebook group to help support reinstating the Arts in Randolph.
