Travel for Young Musicians in NWA

In 2019, the Bentonville School Board revised the Off-Campus Education/Student Travel policy to minimize absences and limit travel expenses. The policy now limits travel every year to a 300-mile radius, only allowing students to travel outside of this radius every other year unless they have a state-level ranking.

The problem is: There is no state-level ranking system in Arkansas for Orchestra (as is common in other student activities) and there are no national orchestra competitions within this 300-mile radius that are adequate for the level of skill in the BHS Orchestras.

Competitions and conventions such as ASTA (American String Teachers Association) provide high-value classes and experiences to students and teachers. It is extremely important that BHS Orchestras are able to travel every year in order to access opportunities like this!

However, under the current policy, Orchestra is only able to travel every other year. We propose amending the board policy to include the following statement: "If no state-level competition is available, students may travel outside this radius once per year.” This will give equal opportunities to all departments, including Orchestra.