Local
Independence High suspends 76th Calvary marching band through end of school year
San Jose’s Independence High School has halted its marching band activities for the rest of the school year, stopping preparations for an upcoming regional competition. Families say the school has not explained the decision, while the principal says it will use the pause to assess the program’s leadership and support.
Independence High School in San Jose has suspended its 76th Calvary marching band for the remainder of the school year, an abrupt move that has left students and families seeking an explanation as the group prepared for a regional competition in the coming weeks.
In a letter to the school community, the principal said the school had made a “difficult decision” to stop the program’s activities. The letter said the pause would give the school time to reflect and establish the leadership, structures and support needed to build a sustainable program in future years.
It did not specify what prompted the decision. Dennis Morrow, a parent involved with the band’s booster club, said families were not given details and that students were upset after months or years of work.
Morrow said he suspects the decision may be related to a temporary band director and an assistant who stepped down the previous week, but stressed that the school had not confirmed that explanation.
The booster club has offered to help keep the season going, Morrow said. He said people with marching band experience, including credentialed teachers, have expressed interest in helping, and that families asked the principal whether they could provide funding or other resources. They had not received a response, he said.
Morrow also said the booster club was removed as the program’s primary funding source last year, without an explanation. The school’s letter said its assessment had taken place over the previous four days.
The suspension leaves students without the rest of their season and cuts short preparations for the planned competition. The school has not publicly outlined what steps it will take next or whether students may participate in band activities in another form.