School cancels D.C. trip in favor of Ohio experience

The North Ridgeville City Schools eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C., has been canceled due to the concerns over student’s safety, officials said.

This decision was made primarily because of the national attacks that have occurred in the past year.

“Events occurred around the nation, the church shooting in Texas, the Las Vegas massacre, and the New York City driver, that made a lot of teachers and staff members worried,” said Jim Powell, superintendent for North Ridgeville City Schools. “So teachers, the principal and parents got together in November of last year to propose an alternative trip.”

Powell said there is little protection for the students when they’re in District of Columbia.

“The trip is predominantly a walking one,” he said. “The kids go through the streets of D.C. and walk for a good amount of the trip.

“During this time, 200plus kids are going through the streets with no buffers to keep them safe. It’s just too difficult to insure that everything will be as controlled as we want it to be.”

Powell said the solution was a trip more locally based.

“The trip will keep the kids in the state,” he said. “The trip will feature a visit to Cincinnati to see the Underground Railroad as well as the Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum near Dayton.

“The students will stay the night in Kentucky and then drive to the statehouse in Columbus on the way back.”

Powell said he thinks the trip is comparable to that of venture to the nation’s capital.

“The teachers feel it has the same educational value, if not more so,” he said. “Some teachers have said it’s more in line with their state standards.

“You also don’t have the walking that you have with D.C. The buses pull up to the locations directly and it creates more of a controlled environment. The students don’t mind either, because they simply want an overnight trip, and this should be a good one.”