District forms committee to broaden access to student ed tours; French teachers propose trip to Senegal

District 128 staff told the board on Monday that the district has formed a committee to review educational-tour policies and practices, with a focus on affordability and accessibility for students.

The committee, chaired by Larry Varn and Ben Rodriguez, will begin meeting in March, staff said. Its charge is to review ed-tour logistics, legal paperwork, fundraising guidance and affordability strategies so price is not a barrier to student participation.

At the meeting staff described two proposed tours, including a French-program trip to Senegal. Staff said teachers proposed Senegal because conference presentations showed it is an affordable, safe and culturally distinct destination within the French-speaking world. “It reaches our global attribute and … gives students a sense that not all of the French-speaking world is white and European,” a staff member said.

Staff said the travel company running the proposed trip has run prior high‑school trips to Senegal, will provide travel guides for the group, and can accommodate dietary restrictions. The district noted the U.S. State Department currently lists Senegal as safe to travel; the trip would require a yellow‑fever vaccination but would not require malaria prophylaxis, staff said.

On affordability, staff said teachers and clubs have existing fundraisers and scholarships; staff discussed a district aim to create guidance so students are not excluded due to cost. The teachers’ fundraising target for individual participants discussed at the meeting was to allow a student to raise close to 50 percent of the trip cost, though staff said that target was aspirational and “not specified” as a formal district guarantee.

Practical details discussed: the proposed trip currently anticipates three chaperones for about 20 students (a 1:10 ratio); staff recalled a minimum participation threshold of 15 students to run the trip, and said the district requires a “cancel for any reason” policy that would permit cancellation up to 48 hours before travel. Staff also said teachers would contact other high schools that have run trips to Senegal to gather firsthand guidance for parents.

Separately, the board approved an out‑of‑state educational trip for a student group to Springfield to consult with state legislators; Brenda Nelson was named as the staff lead and Representative Laura Favor Dias was cited as having invited the students to provide testimony to state committees on youth mental health and school start times.

Staff said they will return with clearer district guidance on fundraising and scholarship support and will share any proposed policy changes with the board when the committee reports.