Plano ISD band halftime changes leave some parents, students disappointed

A longtime Plano ISD football tradition is looking different this season, and some band parents say the changes are leaving students disappointed.

For years, Plano ISD junior varsity and ninth- and 10th-grade bands and drill teams have performed during halftime of non-varsity football games.

But this season, some of those performances are being moved to before or after games under new scheduling parameters announced by the district.

At one recent JV game, some students performed after the game had ended, when the stands were largely empty.

Kenton Grupe, whose daughter plays in the Shepton High School JV band, said parents were caught off guard by the change.

"It was difficult because I was trying to figure out exactly how was it going to break it to my kids or at least to my daughter," Grupe said.

In an Aug. 24 letter to band and drill team parents, Plano ISD Director of Fine Arts Phillip Morgan said the district's previous practice of allowing multiple bands and drill teams to perform at halftime had contributed to longer football games.

Morgan cited concerns, including referee retention, student-athletes' physical consistency, and delays in completing scheduled non-varsity football contests.

The district said the UIL District 7-6A Executive Committee had adopted new parameters for non-varsity halftimes as part of the latest UIL realignment.

Parents, however, say the change affects more than the length of a football game.

"You're going to be performing for the student body and the football games at halftime, and then all of a sudden come into a season a couple of days before and be told, no," Grupe said. "They are crushed. My daughter is crushed."

What is changing?

Plano ISD said state UIL regulations allow a maximum halftime of 20 minutes for sub-varsity football games, compared with 28 minutes for varsity games.

The district said its traditional JV halftime performances often exceeded that 20-minute limit. Two bands would perform for about 10 minutes each, while two drill teams would perform for about four minutes each.

According to Plano ISD, the District 7-6A Executive Committee has the authority to establish local parameters for non-varsity halftime shows, as long as they remain within the state UIL limits.

Under the new parameters, the amount of halftime performance time varies by opponent.

For JV games between a Plano ISD team and a school outside the district, halftime is limited to eight minutes.

Plano ISD said that it can mean one or more drill teams perform during halftime, while a band performs before or after the game. A postgame performance can also be added at the discretion of the campus band director.

For games between two Plano ISD teams, the district said there is a 14-minute combined performance window during halftime for the band and drill team. Additional performances can be scheduled before or after the game.

The district said the revised schedule does not eliminate performance opportunities.

"Plano ISD's goal is to preserve meaningful performance opportunities for our 9th- and 10th-grade students while complying with sub-varsity UIL time limits and the parameters adopted by the UIL District Executive Committee," the district said in a statement.

Plano ISD also said every ninth- and 10th-grade high school has been given an opportunity to perform at halftime at least once during the non-varsity football season.

The district is also providing chartered transportation for JV bands and drill teams to accommodate pregame performances and avoid conflicts with regular end-of-school transportation, according to Plano ISD.

Parents say the experience is different

While Plano ISD says students will continue to have opportunities to perform, parents say moving performances outside of halftime changes the experience for students.

Grupe said that what was once a unified performance in front of a full crowd is now divided across different parts of the game.

"One performance where we used to be unified together and have it, you know, have the halftime Thursday night live performance is now carved into three different areas, and everybody in the stands is kind of going, what's going on here?" he said.

Grupe said parents are not asking the district to ignore UIL rules. Instead, he wants more discussion about how the changes can be implemented.

"Is there something that we can combine together and provide a solution for them?" Grupe said. "But nothing has been proposed. It's this way or the highway."

Who made the decision?

The distinction over who made the decision has become another point of confusion for parents.

CBS News Texas asked the University Interscholastic League whether the state organization was responsible for the new halftime schedule.

UIL said it enforces a 20-minute maximum for sub-varsity halftime shows, but that halftime timing is typically determined at the local level by a district executive committee.

Plano ISD said the decision was made by the District 7-6A Executive Committee, which is made up of representatives from member schools and operates separately from the state UIL office.

The district also emphasized that the changes do not affect varsity football games or varsity bands and drill teams.

"There is no change to our traditional 'Friday Night Lights,'" Plano ISD said.

For parents like Grupe, the issue is ultimately about giving students a meaningful opportunity to perform in front of their classmates and families.

"The issue is the kids are negatively impacted from a decision that was made and not discussed," Grupe said. "There was no transparency made."

Plano ISD said it will continue working with its Fine Arts and Athletics departments to implement the new schedule while preserving performance opportunities for its students.