Surrey schools putting U.S. field trips on hold amid trade war

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British Columbia·New

British Columbia's largest schoolhouse territory has enactment each tract trips down southbound connected clasp to forestall immoderate "negative experiences astatine the border."

B.C.'s largest schoolhouse territory is 1 of 2 successful Canada electing to halt tract trips southbound of the border

Nono Shen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 2:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

There are disappointed students, anxious parents and cautious schoolhouse officials successful astatine slightest 2 Canadian schoolhouse districts that person suspended oregon cancelled trips implicit governmental uncertainty successful the United States.

British Columbia's largest schoolhouse territory successful Surrey has enactment each tract trips down southbound connected clasp to forestall immoderate "negative experiences astatine the border," portion New Brunswick's largest French schoolhouse territory abruptly cancelled a precocious schoolhouse set travel arsenic a "precautionary decision."

Mark Pearmain, Surrey's territory superintendent, said the metropolis is "diverse" with galore students from antithetic backgrounds, including immoderate who whitethorn not beryllium Canadian citizens.

Largest schoolhouse territory successful B.C cancels nationalist schoolhouse tract trips to the U.S

B.C.'s largest schoolhouse territory has deed intermission connected immoderate much nationalist schoolhouse tract trips to the US. The determination by Surrey comes amid mounting information concerns astatine the border. Our Jon Hernandez spoke with students and migration experts who enactment the decision.

"Some of them mightiness beryllium present due to the fact that their parents are impermanent overseas workers, and it's a designation that we conscionable ever privation to marque definite that our unit and our students are ever safe," helium said.

The territory has astir 40 to 60 planetary tract trips each year, and astir fractional of those spell to the United States. Some of them are sports-related, portion others are creation competitions oregon philharmonic events.

He said they don't privation to spot a script wherever a pupil oregon a unit subordinate experiences occupation astatine the border.

Pearmain said they're suggesting teachers look for opportunities to research "our astonishing country," Canada, including "beautiful British Columbia."

Surrey Schools' determination to cancel U.S. trips not sitting good with everyone

The Surrey schoolhouse district's determination to enactment pupil and unit trips to the U.S. connected intermission owed to information concerns is being supported by immoderate groups, but not everyone is connected board. Shawn Gallacher, who ran Affinity Group Tours -- a institution solely dedicated to organizing schoolhouse tours and trips -- has worked with each the schools implicit his 38-year run. He says the acquisition for students is irreplaceable.

He said he's hopeful things volition settee down successful the future, and schools tin spell backmost to their erstwhile practices.

Monique Boudreau, superintendent for the Francophone Sud School District, successful Dieppe, N.B., said successful a connection it made the "difficult decision" to suspend a planned travel to the United States this period for a precocious schoolhouse orchestra from École L'Odyssée, a nationalist schoolhouse successful Moncton.

Boudreau said the determination came "in the discourse of a analyzable and uncertain sociopolitical environment," followed by discussions with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

She said they cancelled the travel aft the section had indicated that it expected to person guidelines concerning banning non-essential question to the United States.

A grey gathering with a motion up beforehand reads Surrey School District Education Centre. On the tract successful fron the of the gathering are reddish maple trees.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt told reporters past week that determination wasn't a directive from the state to districts oregon to schools to halt question to the United States.

"We are proceeding astir anxieties of travelling into the United States, but those decisions and the authorization for those decisions prevarication with the schools and districts," she said.

Boudreau said it's nary longer imaginable to reschedule the trip.

"The indispensable services required to transportation retired the question plans — including transportation, accommodations, and planned activities — are nary longer available, making it intolerable for the travel to proceed," said Boudreau.

The territory shares the disappointment felt by the students, their families, and the schoolhouse staff, but they stay assured successful their decision, she said.

Boudreau said the École L'Odyssée squad is already exploring different ways to connection the set students an "equally meaningful experience" successful Canada earlier the extremity of the schoolhouse year.

Global Affairs Canada updated its advisory for those travelling to the United States past week, informing radical that they whitethorn look "scrutiny" from borderline guards and there's a anticipation of detention oregon that they could beryllium denied entry.

The updated advisory notes that if radical are denied introduction to the United States, citizens could beryllium held portion awaiting deportation if they neglect to conscionable introduction exit requirements.