BarbaraF

Montgomery County (MD), just outside of DC, has cancelled school sponsored student trips abroad during spring break (Canada is acceptable, however). My daughter was supposed to be going to Peru. I say, she's safer in Peru than in DC if we go to war, and am disappointed that she won't be going. Am I naive, or irresponsible?

avalon

Neither, but your school district is.

jamikins

I completely agree with avalon..although I suppose for the school boards sake, they must feel that its better to be safe than sorry...it is disappointing

StCirq

That's ridiculous, but predictable. For heaven's sake, I live in Northern Virginia and our school follows the Fairfax County schools for snow days, and as a consequence my kids have missed 14 days of school this winter, atleast half of those for no good reason whatsoever. The public schools are wusses, not to mention totally naive as to world politics.

cparris

I live in a suburb of NYC. My daughters school trip to Washington DC will be canceled if we go to war. Crazy huh?

Nutella

I don't think it's a matter of the safety in Peru. The issue is a group of kids being out of the country and possibly not able to fly back to their families right away. I think the school board is being responsible.

janis

I agree with Nutella. I'm sure the kids would be safe on the trip - but how would those families feel about it if the kids were stranded in Peru for a few weeks -- or longer. AA and other airlines are already offering guaranteed refunds if flights are cancelled due to war. I certainly wouldn't want my children out of the country on their own for the next few weeks/momths.

StCirq

Why would kids be stranded in Peru, even if we were at war with Iraq?

rex

&lt;&lt;if flights are cancelled due to war&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Why would flights to Peru be canceled in the event of war? (unless someone is referring to going to war AGAINST Peru?)<BR><BR>Did any flights get canceled &quot;due to war&quot; in the past 40 years?<BR><BR>Whatever the answers to these questions, there will always be parents and school board memebrs who would cancel school trips for reasons that totally baffle me.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

Andrea_expat

Well, the last time *I* can remember flights getting cancelled &quot;due to war&quot; was September 11, 2001. Tourists and business people were stranded all over the country and the world. They were able to resume travel after a few days, but it certainly would have been longer if there had been more attacks.<BR><BR>Thousands of Westerners living or visiting Shanghai and Hong Kong were &quot;interned&quot; in prisoner of war camps by the Japanese when they invaded China in World War II - they were held for two and a half years. <BR><BR>Over 100,000 American tourists were stranded in London (after having fled Europe) at the outbreak of World War I.<BR><BR>Personally, I'm willing to accept the level of risk. I live in China and have no plans (yet) to return to the US if war breaks out, and have several trips planned this spring that I have no intention of cancelling (yet).<BR><BR>But the school district has a very different level of responsibility than an individual person or family, and their fear certainly isn't without precedence.

RufusTFirefly

Agree that school districts, and many individuals, cannot take the same risks that some people are able to. Not referring to physical risks, but there is the potential for delays and disruptions in flight schedules that some groups and people just cannot afford (both financially and for other reasons; e.g., jobs to return to, health conditions, trying to feed and house a group of high school kids).

gail

Our daughter's school-sponsored trip to Scandinavia is still on for late June. Final payment is due on Monday. Trip is still on and I plan on making the payment. If the world situation is too terrifying in June, I guess we will just lose the money - trip cancellation insurance just covers if US Dept of State issues warning to specific countries to which tour goes. Hard to imagine a travel warning to Norway!

Patrick

I wouldn't cancel my own trip on a bet, but I fear that the way things are today in our &quot;sue-happy&quot; society, I can't blame the school board. They are actually smart enough to know that in the event the kids were stranded in another country due to some delay caused by act of war, they would get sued like crazy by the silly parents who would be ranting, &quot;how could you have put my kids at risk like that?&quot;<BR><BR>A local school group here did a trip to Paris a few years ago, and all their luggage got sidetracked so the kids spent their entire week in Paris having to go buy enough clothes to wear that week. Instead of accepting it, a whole group of the parents threatened the school board with law suits for not having better control over the situation? Huh? Like the school board should have been handling the baggage for the airlines? Can you imagine what this same group of parents would have done if the kids got stranded due to a war breaking out, when the school board knew that it was a likely possibility?<BR><BR>Sad situation, but unfortunately I understand the reasoning behind it.

rex

&lt;&lt;a whole group of the parents threatened the school board with law suits for not having better control over the situation&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Threats of frivolous law suits are one thing; there are a lot of hot-headed people who make irate phone calls, &quot;threatening&quot; to sue, with no understanding of civil litigation, and no concept of how laughable their threats are.<BR><BR>Actual attempts at litigation over matters that involve tiny, but possibler anticipatable risks are another matter - - and there are rational ways to address these, other than curbing the educational opportunities of children.<BR><BR>I'm no more educated in the law than the average college graduate (i.e., darn near zero), nor do I sit on any school board - - but I dare say that fear of litigation is a menace in America, ranking right up there with fear of terrorism itself.<BR>

RufusTFirefly

It's not just being sued because of a delay--no one would win such a lawsuit. It would be thrown out of court. But the logistics of possibly having to find accomodations, pay for food and local transportation, etc. for a group of school kids would be a real pain in the ass. Who would pay for food and lodging for the kids whose parents couldn't afford to pay for the extra days?

rex

&lt;&lt;Who would pay for food and lodging for the kids whose parents couldn't afford to pay for the extra days?&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Their parents would. It's called responsibility. It goes with risk and opportunity.<BR><BR>Terribly lacking in America, and getting worse.<BR><BR>The terrorists really are winning.<BR>

Statia

Amen, Rex.

elle

Double amen, rex. <BR><BR>

Scarlett

<BR>When there is a war (&quot;if&quot; is probably not the word anymore, they aren't telling over 300,000 troops &quot;nevermind&quot; ) I would want my children nearby, not in another country. If I cannot be with them, then I would want them close to me.<BR>Peru may not be where the action is-but it is pretty far from home if the airlines get interrupted. <BR><BR>

Queenie

<BR>A third AMEN! to Rex.<BR><BR>I hesitate to contribute to this thread, but it really has me steamed.<BR><BR>My question is WHY is the trip being cancelled? If it is because there could be a delay in getting home - go to a youth hostel, pile 6 to a hotel room, sleep in the train station or airport floor. Buy bread and cheese to eat. Let these kids feel how uncomfortable a great majority of humans must live their life on a daily basis. <BR><BR>And this is only IF flights are delayed, IF comfortable lodging and restaurant meals cannot be obtained. (And, unfairly, the American Passport often allows one to move to the front of the line.) <BR><BR>Travelling to another land and experiencing hardships along the way is a great educator. And, in this circumstance, would also teach them some farther reaching effects of a war. <BR><BR>