CBE not considering cancelling U.S. school trips at this time

A silhouette of an airplane is seen in the sky. (Pexels)

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) said it is not considering cancelling any scheduled school trips to the United States at this time, as economic and political uncertainty clouds Canada’s relationship with its neighbour to the south.

In a statement Thursday, the CBE said it has two schools scheduled to travel to California in the coming weeks for “immersive music experience programs.”

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“Student and staff safety is our top priority. Student trips to other countries are always monitored and can be cancelled at any time,” the CBE said.

“The CBE follows a rigorous process for all international travel and we continually monitor travel advisories for all destinations and respond to any change.”

The questions come as some school boards across Canada are opting out of cross-border trips.

British Columbia’s largest school district in Surrey has put all its 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.”

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.

The CBE said parents can withdraw their child from participating in any trip, but there could be financial implications depending on their reasons.

The Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) said it considers all student international travel on a “case-by-case” basis but did not say whether any trips have been cancelled.

“CCSD will continue to follow all recommendations and advisories from the federal government regarding international travel,” the school board said in a statement.

With files from The Canadian Press