A need for a new policy and some more information led the Sewanhaka school board to table approval for five international field trips Tuesday.
The board needed to approve an amendment to its field trip policy requiring any district student traveling internationally to purchase the maximum level of travel insurance before it could authorize five overseas class trips for the spring of 2017, Superintendent Ralph Ferrie said.
Administrators also needed some clarification about the ratio of chaperones to students and how many chaperones the tour company, American Council for International Studies, would include in the cost of the trip, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Cheryl Champ said.
“It’s the same company, but different amounts of comped seats,” Champ said. “So I just need to get clarification if that’s the company or that’s just the way we’re writing things.”
The school board unanimously approved the policy change and will likely approve the trips — two to Italy, one each to Spain and Costa Rica and a fifth to both England and Ireland —in April.
Three sets of documents outlining the trips say ACIS will waive the cost of one chaperone for every eight students, and one says one chaperone will travel free for every six students.
One outline does not list a number.
The trips next year are part of English, social studies and foreign language classes at Floral Park Memorial, New Hyde Park Memorial and Elmont Memorial high schools.
They cost between $3,425 and $4,699 per student and last between eight and 10 days.
The district has sponsored the trips for several years, Champ said, even when several districts stopped allowing international travel after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The district tries to get them approved a year in advance, she said.
Also at its March 22 meeting, the school board granted tenure to Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services Regina Agrusa and Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Kevin O’Brien.
The board also approved changes to its policies on parental involvement and disposition of property.
The Sewanhaka school board will next hold a special budget meeting April 12 before its vote on the district budget May 4.
