Canadian students see New York trip spiked amid political climate, security fears

Members of a Moncton high school band, who had been busy rehearsing and fundraising for a trip to New York City for months, found out nine days before leaving that the trip was cancelled.

The school district says the decision was made due to the political climate in the United States, amid the ongoing trade war between that country and Canada.

But parents and students at École L’Odyssée says they were never consulted about the decision, and are disappointed with the cancellation.

“It started when our son hopped in the vehicle when I picked him up after rehearsal and he said, “Trip’s cancelled’ and knowing it was April 1, I said, ‘Oh an April Fools’ joke?’” said Andy Peterson, whose son Erik is a Grade 10 student in the band.

“And no. In fact, the opening line of the email from the music teacher was: ‘This is not an April Fool’s joke.’”

The email sent to parents said the trip was cancelled because the provincial government decided to cancel all non-essential school trips to the United States.

When asked about this, a spokesperson from the Department of Education told Global News that no such directive was issued and that decisions on travel are made by each school district’s superintendent.

“Given the climate that we’re in politically and such we had zero apprehension because we know how much planning has been done,” said Peterson.

“We know how much experience that their music teacher has in doing this and preparing.”

In an email sent out to parents on Wednesday, Francophone South School District Superintendent Monique Boudreau said the decision was made with the support of the education minister and that in the current sociopolitical context in the United States, the district security risks.

In the email, which was written in French and translated by Global News, Boudreau also said they didn’t want to expose students to “potentially unpredictable situations, notably at the border.”

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Peterson says he and other parents want this decision reversed, and more transparency from the district.

“Take some responsibility, meet with the parents, take us through your thought process,” he said.

On Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson with the school district told Global News the decision to cancel the trip was a “precautionary decision” after discussions with the education department.

Geneviève Chiasson wrote that the district anticipated receiving guidelines from the province on suspending non-essential travel to the United States.

“Knowing that the (school band’s) departure was fast approaching, we chose to act quickly—with the department’s agreement—to inform the affected families before the official release of those guidelines,” she wrote.

“However, following our announcement, the government ultimately decided not to move forward with travel-related guidelines this week. Instead, we were advised to use critical thinking when assessing any non-essential travel to the United States.”

She went on to say that it is no longer possible to reschedule the trip.

When asked if they were making similar decisions on American travel, a spokesperson for Anglophone East School District said the guidelines are set by the province.

And a spokesperson from Anglophone School District West said it is not approving any new travel to the United States, but trips that were already booked and approved “prior to the current situation” will proceed for the rest of the school year.

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