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Board raises liability concerns over international student trips after administrations 12-country ban; legal counsel to be asked for guidance
Summary
Trustees discussed whether to approve international travel amid reports the administration issued a 12-country travel ban. Board members and counsel flagged risks including students being held at borders on return; the board asked legal counsel to brief trustees and to consider drafting family notices about travel risk.
The Ithaca City School District Board of Education opened a procedural discussion about international student travel after district administration announced a 12-country travel restriction. Trustees said legal counsel raised liability and safety concerns and that some trips already approved or proposed may need further review.
"Our policy currently is the board has to approve any international travel," a board member said during the discussion, noting that trustees have already approved one trip and withheld consideration of another.
Board members described reports from other districts of students experiencing difficulty re-entering the United States, with instances of U.S. citizens, permanent residents and green card holders held up at borders. Trustees discussed whether to require more explicit family notification about return risks or to pause approval for certain destinations.
"I asked that. It would not those documents usually do not hold up in court. And so it wouldn't relieve the district of any liability in that regard, but it could serve as notice to caregivers and supporters, that they acknowledge that this that there's risk," a board member said in response to whether a family notice would be useful.
Trustees identified specific planned trips during the summer: an approved trip to Germany that is not part of the current concern, and at least one proposed trip to a country on the banned list, which trustees named as Morocco and Vietnam in discussion. The board said it will ask legal counsel to speak at a future meeting so counsel can outline specific concerns and suggested best practices for unprecedented scenarios.
No motion was made to ban international trips outright; the board's immediate direction was to consult legal counsel and to draft recommended language for families to acknowledge risks. Board members stressed the value of travel but said risk mitigation and clear notice to families are necessary next steps.
