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Committee approves revised NJROTC Washington trip after parade registration snag
Summary
Chief Abel told the Coventry School Committee that event coordinators failed to register the cadets for a National Memorial Day Parade, which would have added roughly $150 per marcher; the committee voted 5–0 to approve updated trip dates and an alternate itinerary emphasizing museums, the Naval Academy, and Arlington National Cemetery.
The Coventry School Committee on May 7 voted 5–0 to approve updated dates for an NJROTC field trip to Washington, D.C., after NJROTC leadership said event coordinators omitted the unit’s parade registration and demanded an additional $150 per marcher.
Chief Abel, speaking for the NJROTC program, said organizers discovered the omission while finalizing logistics and concluded it would be unfair to ask families for the new fee at the last minute. “They informed us that it would be an extra $150 per person marching in the parade,” Chief Abel said, adding that transportation alone already exceeds $10,000 and lodging and meals would add further cost. To reduce crowds and costs, he said the unit moved the trip up one week and replaced the parade element with an itinerary of museum and academy visits, a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a planned meet-and-greet and question-and-answer with General Michael Flynn.
Coworkers and administrators told the committee they supported the revised plan. Superintendent Don Cowart said the alternate schedule aligns well with the NJROTC curriculum and provides students with educational and leadership experiences even without the parade. Cowart and Chief Abel said donors who had funded the original parade participation told organizers they would continue supporting the trip but that organizers offered donors the option to rescind if they preferred.
Committee members raised no objections and approved the motion to accept the revised dates. The committee’s vote was unanimous, with the chair calling the question and the motion passing 5–0. The committee’s action authorizes the field trip on the updated schedule and allows organizers to proceed with final arrangements.
Next steps: the NJROTC will finalize travel contracts, confirm donor commitments, and proceed with the alternate itinerary granted committee approval.
