Comments on: Ridiculous bill to sterilize wind instruments http://www.somervillevoices.org/2009/06/12/uncategorized/ridiculous-bill-to-sterilize-wind-instruments/ An independent, open forum for reports and opinions about life in our city. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:05:30 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Adam Sweeting http://www.somervillevoices.org/2009/06/12/uncategorized/ridiculous-bill-to-sterilize-wind-instruments/comment-page-1/#comment-8644 Adam Sweeting Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:45:16 +0000 http://www.somervillevoices.org/?p=1867#comment-8644 Friends, Melissa is absoultely correct. This bill would be a disaster for music programs across the state. Below is a message I sent to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, a listserv for School Committee members across the state. Please join me in opposing this bill. --------------------- Dear School Committee members, As you may have seen in last week's Boston Globe, the State House and Senate will soon be taking up H111, an act requiring the sterilization of all musical instruments in schools. If passed, the bill would place expensive unfunded burdens on already stretched music budgets. The bill is currently being discussed by the Joint Committee on Education. If it receives a positive vote from the Committee it will be referred to the full legislature for consideration. The members of the Joint Committee as well as individual legislators need to hear from School Committee members as soon as possible. More information is included in the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2009/06/04/mass_legislators_debate_requiring_schools_to_sterilize_wind_instruments/ After consulting with our district's Director of Music, the Somerville School Committee expressed its opposition to the bill at a meeting in February. We reached this conclusion because: 1) Like most districts, Somerville already sterilizes mouthpieces with an industry recognized standard. 2) Instruments are routinely cleaned after a student switches instruments or leaves the music program 3) We have regularly scheduled cleanings for all instruments 4) Students generally do not share instruments 5) The bill could require school districts to expend public funds on a profit-based patented sterilizer In sum, like most districts, we already have in place procedures that ensure clean instruments for all students who participate in our music program. This bill attempts to address a problem that simply does not exist. Students are not becoming ill from using instruments. Forcing districts to adopt to the guidelines specified in this bill would stretch already stretched music budgets. The Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education can be emailed directly: Senator Robert O'Leary Robert.O'Leary@state.ma.us Representative Martha Walz Rep.MartyWalz@House.State.MA.US I hope you will write to them and your individual legislators as soon as possible as we simply cannot afford this bill. Thank you, Adam Sweeting Somerville School Committee Friends, Melissa is absoultely correct. This bill would be a disaster for music programs across the state. Below is a message I sent to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, a listserv for School Committee members across the state. Please join me in opposing this bill.

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Dear School Committee members,

As you may have seen in last week’s Boston Globe, the State House and Senate will soon be taking up H111, an act requiring the sterilization of all musical instruments in schools. If passed, the bill would place expensive unfunded burdens on already stretched music budgets. The bill is currently being discussed by the Joint Committee on Education. If it receives a positive vote from the Committee it will be referred to the full legislature for consideration. The members of the Joint Committee as well as individual legislators need to hear from School Committee members as soon as possible. More information is included in the Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2009/06/04/mass_legislators_debate_requiring_schools_to_sterilize_wind_instruments/

After consulting with our district’s Director of Music, the Somerville School Committee expressed its opposition to the bill at a meeting in February. We reached this conclusion because:

1) Like most districts, Somerville already sterilizes mouthpieces with an industry recognized standard.
2) Instruments are routinely cleaned after a student switches instruments or leaves the music program
3) We have regularly scheduled cleanings for all instruments
4) Students generally do not share instruments
5) The bill could require school districts to expend public funds on a profit-based patented sterilizer

In sum, like most districts, we already have in place procedures that ensure clean instruments for all students who participate in our music program. This bill attempts to address a problem that simply does not exist. Students are not becoming ill from using instruments. Forcing districts to adopt to the guidelines specified in this bill would stretch already stretched music budgets.

The Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education can be emailed directly:
Senator Robert O’Leary Robert.O’Leary@state.ma.us
Representative Martha Walz Rep.MartyWalz@House.State.MA.US

I hope you will write to them and your individual legislators as soon as possible as we simply cannot afford this bill.

Thank you,

Adam Sweeting
Somerville School Committee

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