Local school boards have suspended all international travel for the remainder of the school year.
Both the Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) and the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) announced last week that their Boards of Trustees have made the decision to cancel international trips for students, staff and trustees. The school boards cited recent world events and a recommendation from the insurance provider as the reasons.
“This is not a decision we make lightly,” said NLSD board chair Arlene Hrynyk. “We know many students and parents have worked hard to plan and fundraise for trips and that they will be disappointed that they are cancelled. The safety of our students is our top priority and given the uncertainty that exists in many parts of the world today, we felt this suspension was necessary.”
NLSD received recommendations from the Alberta School Boards' Insurance Exchange concerning the risks associated with international travel. The suspension of travel will affect trips planned by Cold Lake High School and J.A. Williams High School for later this year. Two staff trips have also been cancelled, as well as the trustees' attendance at a conference in Boston.
The LCSD ban on international travel will affect any student trips planned for the 2015/'16 school year. However, if world issues change drastically the board will revisit the suspension.
“We did not make the decision to suspend international travel lightly. We made this decision because of recent world events. Our primary concern is safety of our students and staff, and this decision was made in their best interests,” said board chair Mary Anne Penner.
Lakeland Catholic has committed to reimbursing students or parents for any deposit paid for which they can't obtain a refund from the travel agency who arranged the trip.
Northern Lights is working with the schools the affected to help them access travel insurance refunds or explore alternatives.