A New Brunswick school district has suspended all non-essential student travel to the United States as a “precautionary measure.”
The District scolaire francophone Sud said it does to not want to risk students’ safety at “potentially unpredictable situations” at the U.S. border.
“Our decision was made in consultation with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, which supports our approach,” a statement from the district reads. “Our primary responsibility remains the safety and well-being of the students entrusted to us. For any school trip, we are accountable for all participating students and staff. In the current context, we do not wish to take any risks that could compromise their safety.”
The district said they only had one planned trip to the United States, which was organized by the École L’Odyssée harmony group.
“We are fully aware of the tremendous efforts put in by the students of École L’Odyssée’s harmony group, their families, and the staff in preparing for this trip,” the statement reads. “We understand that it was a meaningful, unifying project that students had worked extremely hard to bring to life. We are truly sorry to have had to bring it to a halt.
“However, we must continue to act with vigilance and in the best interest of our students.”
Andy Petersen said his Grade 10 son was scheduled to go to a music festival with the school orchestra in New York next week. Two days ago they learned the trip was cancelled.
“They’re all disappointed,” Petersen said. “They had ramped up the number of rehearsals and they were literally a foot out the door and the district, the superintendent, slammed the door on them.
“It would be nice for the students if the superintendent had, I guess I’ll say the courage, to talk to them and explain the decision making process. If there was an actual process that looked at, you know, the pros and cons of go and don’t go, then there really should be a way to explain the decision.”
Petersen said they were initially told the decision not to go to the United States came from the province.
The New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development said there has been no directive from provincial or federal governments to school districts regarding travel to the United States.
“Decisions on travel lie with the Superintendent,” said communications officer Charles M. Renshaw. “We realize these are difficult decisions to make as these trips provide valuable growth opportunities for New Brunswick students.”
The district said they cancelled the trip with the expectation of receiving guidelines on the suspension of non-essential travel to the U.S. from the education department, but the province did not move forward with those guidelines.
“We were advised to use critical thinking when assessing any non-essential travel to the United States,” the district said in an updated statement. “At this point, it is no longer possible to reschedule the harmony group’s trip. The essential services required to carry out the travel plans—including transportation, accommodations, and planned activities—are no longer available, making it impossible for the trip to proceed.
“We are supporting the École L’Odyssée team, who are already exploring ways to offer the harmony students an equally meaningful experience, here in Canada, before the end of the school year.”
The province confirmed with CTV News Atlantic it informed school districts about a possible travel directive, but they ultimately deemed it unnecessary at this time.
“The frustration part of it is the lack of consultation, the lack of transparency and the unwillingness to meet with the parents to explain it,” Petersen said.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Alana Pickrell
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