An open letter to the Golden State Warriors,

You let our students down and I want to bring it to your attention so it does not happen to any other children. On Friday, October 21st, our award winning Bristow Choir, under the direction of former state music teacher of the year Mark Morello, performed the National Anthem for the fifth time on your arena floor. They have been invited back repeatedly because they sound better than most high school choirs, let alone middle school choirs.

What should have been the highlight of these 11, 12 and 13 year-olds week, month and year turned out to be anything but. Two days prior to the game, you informed Mr. Morello that only 30 students would be allowed on the floor because of a “NBA Rule Change.” This was after months of rehearsal and practice, parents and family members buying tickets for the game and many opportunities for you to communicate this new rule to us. We were not new to the process, as again this was our fifth performance. The rule change was even more puzzling since the choir is scheduled to have 58 students sing the National Anthem at the new Sacramento Kings arena this season.

Despite repeated pleas, you refused to allow 13 of the choir members who had rehearsed and purchased tickets to perform during a preseason game. Then you refused to consider providing refunds for families who had purchased tickets and whose children were prevented from performing. You did allow 13 children to stand and watch the performance on the court and you can see them in white shirts in the photo above. It makes zero sense to me why it was better to have them stand there as opposed to sing with their choir. Finally, you didn’t turn on the microphone during their performance, so even the parents who had spent hundreds of dollars to come to the game could only see their children sing, not hear them. The way you handled this situation brought deep disappointment and heartbreak to many of my students and families.

You may have beaten Portland that evening in your final preseason game, but you lost in so many other ways. Lifelong Bay Area residents and Warriors fans, like myself, have embraced this team because of the selflessness and class consistently on display in your organization. I realize that the National Anthem performance during a preseason game is likely item #1,625 in the list of things you concern yourself with, but for these kids it was an experience they will remember the rest of their lives. You let them down.

As superintendent of the Brentwood Union School District, I could not be prouder of the professionalism shown by Mr. Morello and by the courage and perseverance shown by the Bristow Choir during this unfortunate incident. They gave their best and deserved yours. Please look at your communication and organization to ensure this does not happen to any other school children. Thank you.

Dana Eaton

Superintendent, Brentwood Union School District