The Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor canceled a field trip to Washington, D.C. for fear of the children’s safety. The decision came on the heels of the attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.
The days leading up to the field trip were not easy on Stacey Zdanis. Her 13-year-old son was about to leave on a four-day trip with his eighth grade class to visit Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Mount Vernon.
"I had felt very torn all day on Monday, kind of sick to my stomach," Zdanis said. "As a parent, you should never have to worry about sending your child somewhere in this country for fears they might not come back."
Zdanis said she’s glad the district made that call for her. "It took a lot of pressure off us as families to make that decision," she said.
In an email to parents, South Windsor Superintendent Kate Carter said staff members and parents had contacted her, concerned that the trip was happening too soon. The Paris attacks had left the country shaken, and reports of threats to Washington, D.C. were just unfolding.
But not everyone thinks the trip should have been canceled.
Atif Quereshi, a parent of two boys, said he understands why it happened, but he’s concerned about the message it sends.
"Giving up our lifestyle, giving up our freedoms, to me, is not the appropriate reaction," Quereshi said. "I’m of the mindset that I shouldn’t have to turn my life upside down, none of us should, because of activities – terrorist activities that occur. Because to me, we’re getting defeated by that mindset."
Threats against U.S. citizens happen all the time, Quereshi said, so it’s tough to know which ones to pay attention to and which ones to ignore.
"Some of us have to make the difficult choices where we may be scared internally for our kids, but we have to let them live a life where they’re not afraid to do those things," Quereshi said.
The trip has been rescheduled for early December. Both Zdanis and Quereshi said they'll worry, but that's part of what being a parent is all about.
