It is a topic that has repeatedly come up over the course of the last year, and one that is sure to be controversial: field trips for extracurricular activities.
Soon the topic will get a closer look from the West Windsor-Plainsboro school board. Is it fair to expect families to pay for their children to attend an out-of-state (or sometimes out-of-country) trip with their various student groups? And is this putting some students whose families may not be able to afford the trips at a disadvantage?
It has been the board’s policy to stay away from using board funds to approve the various trips that come up through the year — the baseball teams’ spring training, which usually occurs in Florida; class trips; band and orchestra trips to Europe; and many more.
School board members have occasionally debated allowing the trips when such approvals come up on the agenda. But at the July 26 meeting, Board Member Richard Kaye said the curriculum committee has begun looking at the costs associated with major school trips.
The board is considering whether to allow the trips at all because of the economic strain these trips may put on some families who feel pressured to come up with the money to prevent their children from missing out the experience with their peers.
“The reality is the economics of the world are real in our community,” said Kaye. Referring to the trips, he asked, “Are they realistic? What is the impact for the families?” And most of all, what is the educational value, and should there be a limit on the distance allowed for trips to take place? These are questions Kaye says the board will study in the coming months.
