As a resident of Moore County, a former deputy with the Moore County Sheriff's Office, now in Iraq training the Iraqi police, and a parent of a student at Pinecrest High School, I was stunned to receive an e-mail from my daughter stating that the school board has dropped the band from the school curriculum.

My daughter will be a junior in the fall. She has taken part avidly in all band activities and trips. The school board dropped funding for the band four years ago, and the band has continued to fund itself through various fundraisers to finance uniforms and trips.

The school board has been quoted as saying that the band does not play "real music" and that the drum line is not "real instruments."

There are studies done over the years that show that participation in activities such as the band helps kids stay in school, achieve higher grade-point averages, and keeps them busy with something they love that keeps them from falling into other bad habits.

These kids are highly motivated young men and women who truly love what they do. Does the school board think that the band is there for their enjoyment? Or is the band truly there to help instill pride in the school and in the band members themselves? The school board does not have to agree with what the band plays. It's for the kids.

As a taxpayer and a former deputy, it makes me ill to see that the school board could take such a biased view simply because to them the band doesn't play what they referred to as "real music." It's time for the board to support the kids in our schools and not their personal views of these issues.

Daniel H. Scott

Foxfire, and now

Camp Liberty, Iraq