Our children at Ohatchee Elementary in Ohatchee, Alabama have lost their beginner and intermediate bands. We still have not been given an answer as to why our children will not longer be able to participate in band during elementary school, they will have to wait until the 7th grade to join the band. There are several students that have been preparing to join these bands for several years and are now being told they cannot participate. When our children reach 7th grade they will have to decide whether to take a choir or a band class. Then they will not be able to march with the high school band until their 9th grade year. We feel that this will GREATLY reduce the number of actual horn players in the band and it will SEVERELY affect the size of the band. Where as this may have worked at other schools, we feel that this will not work at Ohatchee. This actually did happen several years ago and we lost our beginner and intermediate bands. Thankfully we had great support and were able to bring these programs back for our children. With your help and signatures on this petition we can bring these much needed music programs back for our children this time ago. Thank you!!!!