Reconsider School Trip Cancellation

To the Editor:

I want to commend the editors of The Bee for the beautifully balanced and wise editorial, “A Lesson in Fear,” which appeared on the front page of the paper on October 5. You showed sensitivity and respect for the fear that led to the cancellation of the eighth grade trip to Gettysburg and Washington. Yet you also argued, calmly and persuasively, that a school system as good as ours should have tried harder to avoid teaching our children the lesson that will be taught by this cancellation.

Certainly no one in town wants to risk the safety of our eighth graders. And if the situation escalates between now and the spring, I am certain that the majority will want to cancel the trip. The principal of the Middle School points out that reservations have to be made now for a spring trip. Is it actually the case that a significant amount of money will be lost if it is necessary to cancel the trip later on due to an escalation of the threat? It isn’t obvious that this would be the case, given how many people have been able to receive refunds for canceled travel plans in the past month.  What exactly are the cancellation terms we’re dealing with? Wouldn’t it also be possible to purchase the kind of insurance that would be available to anyone who fears the necessity of canceling a trip? Are we really so gripped by fear right now that we believe that in the spring our nation’s capital will not be a secure place to visit, given the military resources of our nation?  If we do in fact have so little faith in our nation’s security, maybe the teachers and parents should have had the opportunity to discuss modifying the trip. I don’t think anyone believes that the terrorists are going to attack the Gettysburg battlefield. Couldn’t the eighth graders still go there? Philadelphia is nearby and the students could learn a great deal by visiting this historic city. Even if you think Washington might be dangerous, do you think Philadelphia is likely to be a terrorist target? Or are we going to keep the eighth graders away from all big cities, not just Washington and poor, suffering New York?

I think that a great deal could have been gained by getting the eighth grade teachers and parents together to discuss different options and to discuss the different timetables for cancellation and their likely costs. I appreciate what Ms Sherlock says about the teachers themselves having fears, but perhaps if everyone had had a chance to discuss this, they could have calmed each other down, addressed fears, and considered all of the options in a clear, reasonable light, talking to each other. I am not an eighth grade parent, but as a parent, and as an advocate and admirer of our superb school system, I agree with The Bee that it is regrettable that the school system is sending a message to our children that we believe that the world, this spring, will be too dangerous for them to venture into. There is a stereotype that safe, comfortable suburban towns like ours try to separate themselves from the outer world with a kind of fortress mentality. As Newtown has shown, with its wonderful response to the tragedy of September 11, we are not like this. We consider ourselves part of the greater world. We are not building a fortress to hide our children away, in our nice homes on our pretty, winding, dangerous roads. We want to be rationally vigilant about our children’s safety, but we want them to know, as The Bee put it, that the world is theirs to seize. I hope that the school system will reconsider this cancellation and that they will open up the discussion, and consider all reasonable options. We owe this to our kids, because they’re watching.  

Dana Brand

32 Hi Barlow Road, Newtown                                      October 8, 2001