Squamish’s school district has voted in favour of stopping all field trips to the United States, fearing stricter border policies would unfairly bar some students from entering the country.
With the exception of any trips that are too late to stop, schools in the Sea to Sky district will not travel to or through America for the foreseeable future.
“We are very concerned with the potential for concerns to arise at border crossings, and do not want to risk that for any of our students,” wrote Rick Price, chair of the school board in an email to The Chief.
All staff and parent advisory groups have been notified, and the district will be studying the situation in the coming months to get a better understanding, he said.
The decision was made in response to President Donald Trump’s attempts to ban immigrants from several predominantly Muslim countries from the United States, which has sparked worries some Canadian students would be unfairly barred from crossing the border.
It’s a move that’s being lauded by the Sea to Sky Teachers Association.
“The board decision will cost all work-in-progress toward U.S. trips, and students some learning opportunities across the border, but for all SD48 students, parents, support staff and teachers, it’s the proper decision at this time and we applaud the board for it,” wrote Steve Lloyd, the president of the association in an email.
“Teachers must care for all of our students, of course, while U.S. border security now targets certain family backgrounds, threatening to turn some children away.”
This policy comes at a time when other schools in Canada have eliminated field trips for the same reason.
While the immigration ban has been put on hold by judges in the United States, many believe President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric has emboldened border guards to unfairly turn away people at the border.
There have been media reports of Canadians being targeted and barred from the United States, presumably because of their race or religion.
However, whether or not more Canadians are likely to be barred from the border is still unclear, as The Canadian Press has obtained statistics from American border agents suggesting that less Canadians are being turned away than in previous years.
On the other hand, some suggest this merely means less Canadians are trying to go to the United States, or that travellers are taking extra precautions before facing border agents.
