Surrey schools putting U.S. field trips on hold amid trade war
B.C.'s largest school district is 1 of 2 in Canada electing to stop field trips south of the border
There are disappointed students, anxious parents and cautious school officials in at least two Canadian school districts that have suspended or cancelled trips over political uncertainty in the United States.
British Columbia's largest school district in Surrey has put all field trips down south on hold to prevent any "negative experiences at the border," while New Brunswick's largest French school district abruptly cancelled a high school band trip as a "precautionary decision."
Mark Pearmain, Surrey's district superintendent, said the city is "diverse" with many students from different backgrounds, including some who may not be Canadian citizens.
"Some of them might be here because their parents are temporary foreign workers, and it's a recognition that we just always want to make sure that our staff and our students are always safe," he said.
The district has about 40 to 60 international field trips each year, and about half of those go to the United States. Some of them are sports-related, while others are dance competitions or musical events.
He said they don't want to see a scenario where a student or a staff member experiences trouble at the border.
Pearmain said they're suggesting teachers look for opportunities to explore "our amazing country," Canada, including "beautiful British Columbia."
He said he's hopeful things will settle down in the future, and schools can go back to their previous practices.
Monique Boudreau, superintendent for the Francophone Sud School District, in Dieppe, N.B., said in a statement it made the "difficult decision" to suspend a planned trip to the United States this month for a high school orchestra from École L'Odyssée, a public school in Moncton.
Boudreau said the decision came "in the context of a complex and uncertain sociopolitical environment," followed by discussions with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
She said they cancelled the trip after the department had indicated that it expected to receive guidelines concerning banning non-essential travel to the United States.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt told reporters last week that there wasn't a directive from the province to districts or to schools to stop travel to the United States.
"We are hearing about anxieties of travelling into the United States, but those decisions and the authority for those decisions lie with the schools and districts," she said.
Boudreau said it's no longer possible to reschedule the 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," said Boudreau.
The district shares the disappointment felt by the students, their families, and the school staff, but they remain confident in their decision, she said.
Boudreau said the École L'Odyssée team is already exploring other ways to offer the band students an "equally meaningful experience" in Canada before the end of the school year.
Global Affairs Canada updated its advisory for those travelling to the United States last week, warning people that they may face "scrutiny" from border guards and there's a possibility of detention or that they could be denied entry.
The updated advisory notes that if people are denied entry to the United States, citizens could be held while awaiting deportation if they fail to meet entry exit requirements.