Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Field Trip Cancellation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and staff urge policies after popular Cloverdale field trip canceled
Summary
A month before a major annual field trip, Cascade SD 5 canceled the event; maintenance worker and parent commenters urged the board to create safeguards after months of fundraising, and Vice Chair Ruth Stevens apologized for the timing and communication method.
Several members of the Cascade community pressed the Board on May 12 after the district canceled a major annual Cloverdale Elementary field trip roughly one month before the scheduled date. Olin West, who works in the district's maintenance department and is a Cloverdale parent, told the Board the trip had been in planning and fundraising for over a year and described the cancellation as a breach of trust. He "requests that the Board put in place some safeguards and policies" to prevent late cancellations after volunteers and families invest time and money.
Parent Crystal Kiesel said her daughter was "devastated" by the cancellation and criticized what she described as insurance and legal considerations driving educational decisions. Vice Chair Ruth Stevens apologized for the cancellation and for using ParentSquare as the notification channel, saying the communication method was not appropriate. Board Member Jon Remy asked who is principally responsible for the criteria used to determine trip cancellations, framing the request as a governance question the Board expects staff to answer.
Chair Stegall asked that the Cascade Cheer out-of-state trip be tabled and assigned Mr. Dyer to review the safety aspects; the Board agreed to revisit the cheer trip request in the fall. The minutes do not record a formal vote on new trip safeguards or provide a timeline for drafting any policy changes; they note public concern and a request for clearer delegation of cancellation authority.
