Brockton School Subcommittee Flags Aging Turf, Music Enrollment Drop at March Meeting

BROCKTON — March 4, 2025 — Brockton school athletics and arts subcommittee hears turf safety warning and music enrollment decline. The School Committee's Athletic, Arts, Music, and Extracurricular Activity Subcommittee met Tuesday with no votes taken, but Athletic Director Kevin Caron issued a pointed warning that the artificial turf at Marciano Stadium — approaching 15 years old and under replacement discussion since 2022 — risks failing its annual G-Max safety test and forcing student-athletes off the field entirely, as has happened at Barnstable. Superintendent Dr. Tili Hani presented data showing a measurable participation drop in fifth-grade instrumental music after lessons were moved to before school in the 2023-24 academic year, warning the decline "could start to show itself at the high school level within the next few years" and noting that Brockton is an outlier among peer cities Taunton, New Bedford, and Fall River, all of which offer music during the school day. On a brighter note, Caron highlighted that BHS sprinter Lucas Andrade set a new state and New England record in the 55-meter hurdles at 7.22 seconds and has been nominated for Gatorade Massachusetts Track Athlete of the Year.