Cancellation of Nice trip upsets some Nanaimo parents
Cutting trip short teaches students 'to run away from terrorism,' says parent
Some parents of a group of Nanaimo students who were on a school trip to France during last week's attack say they're frustrated that the school district chose to cut the trip short.
Approximately 85 students and about 12 chaperones from Nanaimo were in Nice when a truck plowed into crowds during Bastille Day celebrations on July 14, killing 84 people and injuring many more.
Nobody on the school trip was injured, but some of the students were less than 30 metres from where the attack took place.
The Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District announced the next day that it was bringing the students and chaperones home early.
But parent Jennifer Fink said the school district didn't ask families what they wanted and many parents learned of the trip's cancellation from the media — not from district officials directly.
She said her daughter, Paris, 17, had saved and planned for months for the trip and didn't want to cut the trip short.
The group was scheduled to travel to Spain next as part of a cultural learning trip and return to Vancouver Island on July 25.
"There a large majority of the parents that do not want the trip to be cancelled," Fink told CBC over the weekend. "They do not want their children to be brought home."
"They feel like it's teaching them to run away from terrorism and it's teaching them to curl up into a ball. It's not allowing them to work through the trauma in a productive way."
On Monday, Fink said in an email that she spoke to the school principal over the weekend, and she would be flying out on Monday morning to meet her daughter so she can continue her trip.
Students are 'safe', district says.
Meanwhile, district spokesperson Dale Burgos, said in an email Monday that the district and education ministry are still working to get the students home "as soon as possible."
"The students are safe and being supported by counsellors," Burgos wrote, noting that parents have been kept informed with telephone calls and emails.
In a news release issued Friday afternoon, the district said the move to return the students was "a difficult decision,'' based on advice from safety groups, including the district's violence threat assessment team, the Ministry of Education and the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment.
"Getting our students home safe, and providing counselling support for those in Nice is the number one priority for the district," said Superintendent John Blain in a written statement.
The ministry also sent a Canadian school psychologist and trauma response expert to spend time with the students.
"They have witnessed a horrific event and will need ongoing support from the district. We are prepared to offer our counsellors to all students and staff for as long as they need."