School Trip Cancelations

[osprey4]

My son's high school band has been planning a trip to Disney World since last summer. The kids and parents have invested literally hundreds of hours planning and fund raising, and I have personally spent $400 for him to be able to attend.

Now the school board has suddenly invoked a policy, three weeks before the trip, that requires a parent or adult relative of each child to be present during the time they are at Disney World. This may effectively kill the trip and cost us all the time and money spent so far (no refunds, since we signed a contract with the travel company).

Anyone else experiencing school trip cancellations? This whole thing has got me pretty riled up.

[M_Six]

Take a concern over terrorists incidents and multiply it by the fear of lawsuits and you get this kind of irrational hysteria.

I'll bet if you make a big stink about it with Disney, mention a few newspapers and TV networks, they'll refund your money. Otherwise the headlines will read "Disney refuses refunds to parents concerned for their children's safety." Bad news for Mickey & Co.

[osprey4]

It's not Disney but the travel company that has taken the money. They were up front about the fees being non-refundable, so I went in with my eyes open.

We asked the board what was it about having the parents along that made the trip any safer, to which they had no answer.

[M_Six]

It doesn't make them any safer from terrorist attacks, but it does help protect the school from lawsuits. That is most likely their real concern.

[Epidemic]

The sky is falling the sky is falling

Go chicken little keep on warning us.

[J-Excel]

If the contract that you signed doesn't say anything about a parent or guardian being present then it sounds like breech of contract.

[osprey4]

It's so clever how the board makes a decision that leaves them off the hook.

The board granted permission for the trip last summer. Our Band Parents arrange the trip through a company that does these things, with a no-refund policy. The board invokes this policy requiring a parent in attendence. So they have no liability, they've allowed the trip to go on but they've relieved themselves of any responsibility concerning the students.

[phenious]

My father is stationed here in Germany and all school trips have been cancled for now and most outside trips are cancled as well. We are still allowed to do private travle though... glad they havent stoped that yet Last year for spring break I went to Greece with a youth group... they got a no for that this year Going to Mallorca with some buddies for spring break/senior trip.

-: phenious :-

[osprey4]

Well, it's official, we were forced to cancel the trip last night. Only about 1/3 of the band could commit to going. It's not a huge band--about 90 kids--so sending 30 kids didn't seem like the right thing to do.