There will be no visit to the city that never sleeps for New Westminster drama students this spring break.
The four-night trip has been cancelled due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19, according to Kristen Keighley-Wight, the school district’s communications manager.
The trip included three Broadway shows, a tour of Radio City Music Hall, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the Museum of Natural History and more.
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the trip to New York,” district superintendent Karim Hachlaf told parents in a letter. “We have been in contact with the travel agency (EF Educational Tours) already, and are discussing refunds and future credit options.”
The decision was made to ensure the safety and health of everyone involved, Hachlaf stated, emphasizing it again in an email to parents.
“I want to re-state that the decision to cancel is a difficult one, yet I must prioritize the safety of our students and staff – a responsibility I take very seriously,” he stated.
The decision was made after 1,000 New Yorkers were told to self-quarantine, Keighley-Wight said in an email to the Record.
“In addition to just the virus and health issues, the logistic and financial concerns of what a possible quarantine would mean had to be considered, as did the number of activities on the trip that involved crowded locations and large gatherings,” she wrote.
Staff met with parents to discuss the cancellation on Thursday, March 12.
The trip was for drama students in grades 9 to 12. The cost of the trip was $4,074 at most, including late fees, according to the district, and the cost was less for those who booked early.
Parents were able to get travel insurance through the travel agency and through their own providers, according to Keighley-Wight.
“The tour provider has been very accommodating and responsive. They’ve built out a number of options for parents to choose from,” she wrote. “The exact details fluctuate a little family to family, depending on the insurance options they chose to select. Parents are being offered options that include refunds, full credit travel vouchers for a wide range of future trips, or the possibility of even transferring travel credits to immediate family members or other students/staff.”
