Public school board reviewing trip decision
Posted Nov 15, 2016 07:59:03 AM.
Last Updated Nov 15, 2016 02:20:25 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Waterloo Region District School Board say it will review its decision to cancel all previously scheduled travel to Belgium and France.
Nick Manning is the Chief Communications Officer for the WRDSB and he tells 570 News, the school board has a policy that does not allow students to go on trips to countries that require a high degree of caution.
“We will accept only trips to countries that the travel advisory service for Canada recommends as having a normal security procedure required. That’s really out of an abundance of caution for our people to make sure that they are safe,” said Manning.
When the school board first received the applications for the trips, in October of 2015, there was no issue about student safety.
“The situation was normal,” said Manning. “So, of course our coordinating council approved those decisions and allowed those trips to take place. Since then, there has been a number of changes, we’ve all seen what’s happened sadly in France in the last year, and the government of Canada has changed those warnings.”
One thing the school board is reviewing is the Government of Canada’s meaning about exercising a high risk of caution.
“What any one of us do to exercise a high degree of caution when faced with the kind of threat that the government of Canada is warning us about?,” asks Manning. “That’s what gets us in the position of needing to decide.”
Staff is expected to provide an update to trustees at their meeting on Monday, November 21st, but it’s certain.
“We can’t commit to make any decision on Monday,” said Manning, “What we have committed to doing is bringing back to trustees to review where we are. That will include conversations that we are having with the Vimy Ridge Foundation, Veterans Affairs, Global Affairs, and discussing it with our insurance providers to see if we can make any changes.”
One of the trips that was cancelled was the one to honour the 100th Anniversary of Vimy Ridge in April of 2017.
The decision was met with backlash from parents, after 80-to-100 students had signed up to go to France.
“I hope people understand we need to be very cautious with the lives of young people and we need to make the right decisions,” said Manning.
It also got the attention of former MP and Ontario Premier Bob Rae.
