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Silver Creek board approves middle school travel club, OKs June 12, 2027 London–Paris trip
Summary
The Silver Creek School Corporation board voted to create a middle school travel club and approved a June 12, 2027 field trip to London and Paris, expanding a long-running high school travel program. The board also approved a liability waiver and assumption-of-risk form by 4–1.
The Silver Creek School Corporation board on May 27 approved a new Middle School Travel Club and unanimously approved a field trip to London and Paris scheduled for June 12, 2027.
The travel-club proposal, presented by Matt Horton, Silver Creek High School teacher and travel club sponsor, and Amy Compton, assistant sponsor and counselor, would open international travel to students entering sixth, seventh or eighth grade in the summer of 2027. "We have a very rich history of student travel at Silver Creek," Horton said, describing a program that has taken students to about 20 countries since 1972.
The board’s action matters because it formally extends an established high-school program to younger students and sets program rules and safety expectations. Supporters said the planned trips aim to build language immersion, cultural exposure and cross-school connections; opponents were not recorded during the deliberations on the club itself.
Horton and Compton described a three‑year rotation of itineraries the district plans to use for middle‑school travel: London and Paris; Costa Rica; and Greece. "The first trip that we would like to do is London and Paris," Compton said. She said the trips would be designed specifically for middle‑school students and that each student would be expected to travel with a guardian on early iterations to mirror the high‑school process.
Brady Rhodes, state manager of education partnerships for EF, the district’s travel partner, told the board EF emphasizes safety and assumes tour liability. "Safety, number 1 thing for EF," Rhodes said. "EF assumes the liability for these programs. We have a $50,000,000 liability insurance policy, to cover Silver Creek's travel program while they're on tour." Rhodes also described EF’s ongoing support for districts that run similar middle‑school programs.
The presenters outlined chaperone and health‑care staffing plans: chaperones would be solicited from middle and elementary school faculty, administrators and board members; the district would prioritize taking a district health‑care provider; if none were available, the presenters said they would seek an outside health‑care provider. Compton said including elementary teachers helps ensure at least one chaperone knows incoming sixth‑grade students.
Board members moved the proposal through two votes. A motion to form the Silver Creek Middle School Travel Club passed 5–0. A subsequent motion to approve the June 12, 2027 London–Paris field trip likewise passed 5–0; board minutes record the vote as "Motion carries 5 0." Miss McDaniel seconded the motion to approve the trip after it was introduced by Mister Basham.
Separately, the board voted on a waiver of liability, release and assumption of risk form related to district activities. Miss Franklin moved the waiver; Mister Basham seconded. The roll-call vote on the waiver was recorded as: "Mister Basham? Aye. Miss McDaniel? Aye. Mister Groan. Nay. Miss Franklin. Aye. And I am also a aye." The minutes record the waiver motion as carrying 4–1.
District leaders said additional details — including chaperone selection surveys, exact staffing for each trip and enrollment timelines — will be developed in the coming months. Horton and Compton said the district intends to introduce the 2027 trip in August and to survey faculty and administrators shortly thereafter about chaperone interest and selection.
Board members and district staff also emphasized that the middle‑school program will mirror high‑school safety and operational practices while training new chaperones over multiple years. "We will… substitute that in for new chaperones until we start getting some experienced ones," Horton said, noting that high‑school chaperones or experienced administrators could assist the first years as needed.
The board approved the travel club and trip during a regularly scheduled meeting that included presentations on food service, finances and technology updates. The travel program expansion will next move into operational planning and communication with families and staff.
