Parents want Brunswick Co. Schools to reconsider field trip cuts

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) —  Brunswick County students missed 19 days of school due to Hurricane Florence. The school district is trying to make up lost instruction time by keeping kids in the classroom which means, no more field trips.

But one mom thinks that’s a bad idea.

“My 4th grader came home from school a couple of weeks ago and was disappointed because her 4th grade trip to Bald Head Island was cancelled,” Hillary Garver said.

Garver’s two children attend Southport Elementary School. When she found out Friday an upcoming field trip was cancelled, she started a petition to get them put back on the calendar.

Brunswick County Schools Spokesman Daniel Seamans says after 19 school days were lost, they needed to maximize in class time.

“We decided that just for this school year alone that we would limit the number of field trips so that we could make sure the kids are in the classroom making up some of that instructional time that we missed,” Seamans said.

But Garver says there was no official notice from the school, and with 2/3 of the community in poverty, some students cannot afford to explore these field trip opportunities on their own.

“There are students that live an hour away from here that have never been to the ocean before, so certainly, if you have a family that is struggling to put food on the table, they are not going to be able to make up these experiences that are lost when they are unable to take field trips,” Garver said.

“We understand the concern, but instructional time inside the classroom is our priority,” Seamans said.

Academic competitions and field trips paid for before the hurricane will still occur.

Garver has almost 500 signatures on her petition. The board of education has added her to the agenda for Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

New Hanover County schools are leaving field trips up to the discretion of each principal. We  have not heard back from Pender County Schools about how field trips are being handled there.