School trip to southern Italy

[sopsmum]

My child is meant to be travelling to Naples over the Easter holidays for a school trip to Pompeii. AIBU to hope it doesn't get cancelled? I get that there is a quarantine risk but we are just as likely to have a spike in cases here over the next week or so (and we are not enforcing isolation). Other parents just want the school to cancel. AIBU to hope that they don't and the trip goes ahead or am I being naive? We won't be insured unless the FOC recommend no travel.

Does your child still want to go and understands the implications?

I’d expect the school to make the decision based on the pupils and staff not finances.

Gosh no. I would be praying it would get cancelled.

Oh gosh, the school won't make the decision financially. I just think it's an amazing educational trip and the outbreak is currently a long way away. I'm fearful that they will make a decision to cancel based on hysteria. Obviously if the virus has spread then The FOC advice will change and I'm hoping the school follow that advice rather than cancelling just in case.

It’s a while away so it’s maybe a bit early to cancel. We live in Switzerland and my Ds school have cancelled all trips outside Switzerland or trips to events where students are coming from other countries.
There is a trip upcoming to the same place after Easter and they have not made a decision in that yet.

The parents who want the school to cancel can just stop their children going.

Will the school refund parents if they cancel the trip?

I do feel for schools at the minute.
DS is meant to be on a trip to France in May - no idea what the situation will be at that point, and even if the FCO say it's ok to travel, I'd have a lot of empathy with the teachers going as it puts them in such a difficult situation if they do go and the situation escalates. At this point I think we all just need to wait and see how things progress- it would be disappointing if our DS missed an enjoyable trip he was looking forward to, but if there is a significant risk to his health then it's a no brainer really.

Radio silence from the school so far. I can't see that the insurers will pay out without FOC advice not to travel though but I know some parents are pushing for cancellation. I just don't see the current risk any higher than going on a trip in this country. Obviously things can change and if the official advice is not to travel I wouldn't be pushing for it to go ahead. It's a multi year trip so I guess parents of younger (yr 8 and below) May be more panicked than me.

I wouldn't want to be staffing that trip. What happens if kids or staff get poorly there? Or they get quarantined? That is a lot of pressure on staff

But Italy is a big country. The outbreak is currently nowhere near Naples. Would your view be the same with any overseas trip - what if they were going to say Belgium?

Why do parents expect schools to reimburse them? It’s no different to if you booked your own holiday,

My Dd is also booked on a school trip to Naples in April. We had a meeting last week and the school are follwing advice from all the relevent authorities. At the moment it is still going ahead but we were warned that could change. Guess we just have to wait and see.

Should add I'm happy for her to go if that's what the advice is at the time of travel.

I'm not expecting the school to reimburse me. That's what insurance is for. I just don't want them to cancel without official advice to do so. Sounds like your school is being a bit more upfront drNW.

Actually thinking about it, it's a difficult situation for teachers on any foreign trip.

What happens if they have compromised immune systems ? There was a teacher who started a thread recently about a school trip to China, thankfully I think it was cancelled. Or say a teacher has caring responsibilities for elderly parents and are worried about passing on the virus ? Obviously if the teacher cancels then the trip may not go ahead, but insurance won't pay up. How would parents react in that situation? I mean obviously I'd like to think I'd be understanding about it all, but it would be disappointing to say the least.

The parents want the school to cancel it so they get their money back - but the school can't afford to absorb the cost and refund parents when there isn't FCO advice not to travel, which is what the insurance covers.

They can complain all they like - at present, if the trip doesn't go ahead, the tour company/etc keep the money AND the school has to find the equivalent sum, which quite simply, is impossible.

I'd expect the school to follow FCO advice, so if they do cancel then the trip is covered by insurance, as I would do if I booked my own holiday. Some parents will have struggled to afford a trip, so that their child doesn't miss out, it may be replacing any other holiday that year.

Just wait and assess in a few weeks. Too early to make the decision about going yet.

it’s so stressful , I also have a trip
Coming to south italy and right now plan is to call Today and re route the flights

Then is that doesn’t work fly direct

Then if that doesn’t work I’m screwed as it’s a custody visit , and really
Don’t have enough annual leave

School Should sit tight and make their decision nearer the time

Will the school refund parents if they cancel the trip?

No, the school simply collected the money on behalf of the travel provider. It's not different from you choosing to cancel a holiday you've booked. Maybe we should encourage the FCO to officially discourage travel to Italy.

Wait and assess, but the virus is only going to spread further not reduce and I would hope they cancel. I would not want my child abroad if they are one of their escorting teachers caught it.

Our company put in place a global international travel ban on Friday evening. We had a course running today and 5 attendees who were travelling on Sunday were told not too travel on Friday night.

No, the school simply collected the money on behalf of the travel provider. It's not different from you choosing to cancel a holiday you've booked. I mean if the school cancel, not the parents.

I'd not want my child to go and would think/hope they'll cancel. Unnecessary travel is a huge contribution to this issue and I'm not surprised there are UK cases post half term where the same applies. It's very easy to be not bothered when you are in the bracket of persons unlikely to become seriously ill but that doesn't make it right. Educational experiences abroad will be available quicker in the future if people applied caution now, and I would rather my child receive the education that we have a responsibility to act so as not to spread harm, and that these matters are not a joke that don't apply to us because they may not affect us.

Ds came back from Naples & Pompeii 10 days ago, they were screened at the airport going out & again coming back. It isn't just the travelling, some of our GP's just don't know enough about the areas that are infectios, ds was sent home yesterday with flu like symptoms, they told me I had to have contact with a GP before he could go back to school, I contacted our practice who stated he had been to a category 2 area & I had to contact the Coronavirus helpline on 111, after ringing them & being passed around for nearly an hour I was told that the area was not category 2 & that we should use our GP practice as normal. Ds has been told he can't return to school until 48 hours after symptoms have passed, he is ASD & was terrified that someone in a hazmat suit was going to take him away to quarantine & also we are living with my mum at the moment, she is 81 & he was also scared that he could have passed on something to her.

dontgo if your DC was booked on a school trip that cancelled without FCO advice to do so, then there would be no refund, I don't think the school should shoulder the cost so it would be the parents that lose the cost of the trip. I think i'd probably be ok with that - but i can imagine a lot of parents would not.