By Charles Lefebvre

School boards keeping an eye on U.S. travel

Feb 13, 2017 | 4:34 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Local school boards say there are no plans to cancel school trips from Canada to the United States at the moment as a result of uncertainty over travel to the country.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Libya – countries with a primarily Muslim population- from entering the United States for 90 days. The order prompted protests and legal challenges across the United States. The travel ban was suspended by a Washington judge, a decision which was upheld by the Ninth District Court of Appeals. Trump has vowed to fight the ban.

Recently, the Greater Essex County District School Board in Windsor cancelled trips to the United States in February, as well as a trip to Washington D.C. in April, due to safety and equity issues. The board says the cancellations are not a permanent ban on trips to the United States, and will continue to evaluate the situation in the United States. Canadian citizens were not included in the original travel ban.

SD76, the Prairie Rose School Division and the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education all have school trips coming up in the spring and say there are no plans to cancel any trips, but note the situation is fluid.

“Our policy as it is currently written states the board can cancel the trip based on the circumstances on the ground at the time that the trip is going to go,” said Mark Davidson, SD76 superintendent. “At this point, we haven’t considered making changes to the way we use that policy on the administration side, so we’ll examine those trips when they come up.”

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Davidson says the only trip SD76 has planned to the United States is a trip to New York in April. He adds the board keeps on eye on travel advisories issued by the Canadian government leading up to the trip.

“We really need to make decisions closer to the time of the trip, rather than making them well in advance,” he said.

Joe Colistro, superintendent of the Catholic Board of Education, says the board most recently approved a trip to Phoenix in April, and will not be cancelling them at this time.

“However, we are monitoring the situation carefully, and we will continue to consult with our board, should safety or entry or other needs arise,” he said.

Prairie Rose School Division presently has two trips scheduled this year, one to New York in March and a trip to Costa Rica in April. Angela Baron, communications coordinator, says trips are reviewed on a case-by-case basis before they’re approved by the board.

-With Files from The Canadian Press