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Elk Grove parents and students press board after sudden cancellation of sixth‑grade science camp
Summary
Parents, students and PTA members told the board May 4 they were blindsided by a last‑minute site decision to cancel a sixth‑grade Redwood Alliance science camp; speakers said the PTA’s $9,000 nonrefundable deposit now will be covered by a school general fund and urged the district to explain staffing and union constraints cited at the site.
Multiple parents and sixth‑grade students told the Elk Grove Unified School District board on May 4 they were disappointed and concerned after a site decision canceled a long‑standing sixth‑grade science camp (Redwood Alliance / Alliance Redwoods) with little advance notice.
Jerome Jones, a nearby resident, asked whether district conversations have begun about building new elementary capacity and raised a policy question about whether new schools will be year‑round. Several parents and students from Elk Grove Elementary and neighboring schools said they had fundraised and paid a non‑refundable $9,000 deposit on behalf of the class. Speakers said teachers from other grades had offered to substitute so chaperones could attend, and PTA volunteers had worked on logistics; they said the site ultimately refused the proposed alternative citing staffing or union constraints.
Parent Eduardo Claros described extensive community fundraising and said the cancellation affected students who had spent two years preparing for the trip. A student speaker, Emma Losh, said families had given up time off work to chaperone and that the cancellation was particularly painful for the COVID‑era cohort that missed other in‑school experiences.
Several parents asked the district to explain why the school’s general fund will reimburse the PTA deposit, to clarify whether alternative staffing models were explored, and to describe what steps will be taken to prevent similar cancellations in the future. Mary Beth Hollinssworth said another nearby school had found alternative solutions and questioned why Oak Grove’s proposal was rejected. Multiple speakers requested a site‑level follow‑up and said they had been told the deposit refund would come from the school’s general fund.
District response: Board members asked staff to follow up directly with families and the affected school to report on why the cancellation occurred, what options were considered, and how the refund will be handled. The board did not reverse the site decision at the meeting, but asked staff to provide additional information to parents.
Why it matters: Parents said the cancellation removes an enrichment opportunity for a cohort that missed activities during the pandemic and creates budget pressure at the school level when PTA money must be refunded from the general fund. The comments highlight tensions between site‑level decisions, union/staffing constraints, and equity for students who rely on school‑organized field trips.
What to expect: District staff committed to follow up with the school and family representatives, including clarifying the staffing/legal constraints cited and whether alternative chaperone plans could have been permitted.
