Amid terror concerns, MPS cancels all foreign student travel, some trips to Washington, D.C.
MILWAUKEE -- Officials with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) have cancelled all foreign student travel for the remainder of the 2015-2016 school year amid terror concerns. We're told the number of affected international trips is around a half-dozen.
MPS officials have released the following statement:
On November 23, 2015, the United States Department of State issued a Travel Alert due to worldwide terror attacks in countries including France and Denmark through February 24, 2016. Due to these heightened safety concerns, MPS is regrettably cancelling all foreign student travel for the remainder of the 2015-16 school year.
Safety is always our primary concern when students are in our care. We are disappointed these trips cannot take place and share the frustration of our students, families and staff. We are also aware that cancellation deadlines are approaching for some trips and wanted to make sure families could recover most, if not all, of their deposits. The district is working to find alternative experiences for students.
Out-of-state field trips will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. All Washington, D.C. travel for students and staff has been cancelled for the remainder of 2015. We will re-evaluate travel to Washington, D.C. in early 2016.
We want our students to have robust, out-of-the-classroom experiences. But we also feel an obligation to make sure they are safe. We will continue to monitor federal guidelines on travel and hope we can resume educational travel experiences for our students and staff as soon as possible.