The East Windsor school district will continue its field trip plans despite the high risk of terrorist attacks.
By: David Pescatore
HIGHTSTOWN Interim Chief School Administrator James Sheerin on Wednesday announced that field trips would go on as scheduled, despite the war situation and the lack of liability insurance coverage to protect the district.
The crowd of approximately 75 parents, students, and school faculty burst into applause after hearing the declaration, which came after a detailed risk-analysis presentation.
Dr. Sheerin said that if the district was to allow the proposed Hightstown High School trips to Disney World, Spain, France, and Germany, there would be a high risk of the district facing lawsuits in the event of a terrorist attack. The district’s liability insurance does not cover injuries suffered during terrorist actions.
He also said that in such an event, there would be a high risk that the parents would lose trust in the schools, the district could face serious financial problems, and that the surviving students who did not travel would be emotionally affected.
If he chose not to allow the trips, Dr. Sheerin said, there would be a high risk of parents losing money invested in the trips and that the district could be liable for the lost funds. There also would be a high risk that the students would feel cheated out of an opportunity and that the Board of Education, parents, and students could lose confidence in the leadership of the chief school administrator.
With these risk factors in mind, as well as his assessment of the desires of the community, Dr. Sheerin said he would allow the trips, but suggested three "triggers" that could be used to assess future excursions.
The three triggers are: "a Red alert declared by the Department of Homeland Security, a recommendation by the State Department not to travel to a specific location, and a state Department of Education advisory alert on field trips."
Any of these situations would result in the immediate cancellation of trips until the trigger was removed.
Dr. Sheerin finished by telling parents, "Ultimately, you have the responsibility for the safety of your children. There are probably parents who wish that we pulled the plug on the trips, so that they wouldn’t have to, but if you are not willing to accept the risk, do not send your children on a trip."
Two hundred students are signed up to go to Disney World, 17 for Spain, 15 for France, and 14 for the Germany trip.
Township resident and Hightstown High School freshman David Lerner expressed his appreciation.
"I thank you for this well thought and represented decision," he said.
David was the first to speak at Monday’s board meeting, when the issue was first raised.
"We should not live in fear of what could happen. We should show that we are not afraid of terrorism," he said on Monday.
Dr. Sheerin said the decision of whether to cancel field trips was his to make. He said he wanted it clear that he solicited the opinions of the board and the public, but the responsibility for the decision was his.