A sub-grant of $90.90 is being sent to each county board to see that the BUGLE BILL is being implemented. Funds may be used in one or more of the following ways:
a. Paying students for transportation costs to and from graveside services;
b. Maintaining and upgrading county files of capable music students names and contact info (accessible to funeral homes);
c. Starting a fund to purchase needed musical instruments for sounding Taps;
d. Providing co-curricular training for students in the proper sounding of Taps at graveside, and
e. Providing the participating music students an honorarium or
minor recognition (certificates, pins, etc.)
Some counties, upon receiving the $90.90, are still asking how to spend the monies. The sub-grant can be extended, plus we expect that the Legislature will appropriate at least the same amount of funding to continue supporting the Bugle Bill implementation.
Terry Harless, WVDE Exec.
Director of the Office of Finance, writes the
following to the counties:
Every county should have possession of, or soon be
receiving, a Bugle Bill grant for $90.90 recently sent for signature. The
Project Code erroneously had 00000. It should have been Project Code 288XX. Your correction of the project code would be
appreciated. Questions have arisen
about the use of these grants since the $5,000 appropriation split 55 ways
results in $90.90 each. Obviously not easily spread across a county but perhaps
band directors can assist in determining specific uses. Suggestions within the scope include student
transportation reimbursements, maintaining files in order to contact students
with capabilities, training and purchase of, or toward, an instrument. I can
extend the obligation period at a later time if you foresee building upon this
amount since the appropriation is expected again in fy09. Feel free to
ask Julia for further guidance if necessary. Again, while the amount of funding is
minimal, the intent is poignant to many as described in the attached Code that
speaks to this issue.
§18-2E-8e. Veteran's honors funeral assistant community service program.
(a)
Findings. --
The Legislature makes the following findings:
(1) Serving in the armed services in defense of the life, liberty and pursuit
of happiness enjoyed in our democratic society involves a tremendous sacrifice
on the behalf of those who serve, often at the cost of their own lives;
(2) It is a fitting tribute to those who have served in the armed forces and
the families who have shared in their sacrifice to honor that service and that
sacrifice in the most respectful manner;
(3) It is often difficult for the families of deceased veterans who wish to lay
their loved ones finally to rest in a military honors funeral to find a bugler
to sound their final Taps; and
(4) Organizations within the state and nationally, such as the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Bugles Across America and many others, have
recognized the difficulty of finding buglers to sound Taps at military honors
funerals and may be able to assist.
(b)
Purpose. -- The purpose of this section is
to facilitate collaboration that will encourage capable young people to assist
with the sounding of Taps at military funerals honoring our veterans and,
thereby, help them to develop a better understanding of the sacrifices, a
respect for the commitment and an appreciation of the privileges that the men
and women of the armed services have protected through their service.
(c)
State board guidelines. -- The state board shall, in
collaboration with organizations and supporters of veterans, establish general
guidelines for the establishment of school level programs that encourage
capable students in grades six through twelve, inclusive, to sound Taps on a
standard or valved bugle, trumpet, cornet or
flugelhorn during military honors funerals held in this state. The general
guidelines shall address the issues to be set forth in the county board
policies required under this section and shall include contact information for
technical assistance from the department of education and organizations and
supporters of veterans assisting in these programs. The state board shall
distribute the guidelines to every county board. The state board shall also
distribute an appropriate program summary and contact
information to the colleges and universities in the state so that they may
establish similar programs for their students.
(d)
County board policies. -- Each county board shall
establish a policy for the implementation of a veteran's honors funeral
assistant community service program that addresses at least the following:
(1) The distribution of information to music and band teachers for their use in
notifying capable students and obtaining the consent of their parents or
guardians for voluntary registry as a candidate able to sound Taps during
military honors funerals held within a reasonable distance from their
residence;
(2) The credit toward community service or work based learning requirements of
the county or other recognition that will be awarded to a student for the
registry and sounding of Taps during military honors funerals; and
(3) The limits on the amount of regular classroom instruction that a student
may miss for the sounding of Taps during military honors funerals to fulfill a
community service or work based learning requirement or, if none, on the
excused absences that the student may accrue for this activity.
County boards are not responsible for any costs associated with the program,
may not be required to provide or pay for student transportation to funerals
and are not liable for student supervision while absent to participate in
funerals. However, county boards are encouraged to collaborate with
organizations of veterans and supporters of veterans to assist with the veteran's
honors funeral assistant community service program.
Julia Murin
Lee, Arts Coordinator
Office of Instruction
West Virginia
Dept. of Education
Building 6, Room 608
1900 Kanawha Blvd., East
Charleston, WV
25305-0330
email:
jrlee@access.k12.wv.us
phone: 304-558-5325,
ext. 53231
fax: 304-558-1834