LENOX — Reflecting concern about possible security and safety issues in the nation’s capital during the widening and intensifying Mideast war, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School officials have postponed the 10th grade class trip to Washington, scheduled for March 11-13.
They hope to reschedule it this fall.
Many students wore black on Tuesday, mourning the loss of the trip.
Tenth grade class officers told The Eagle that they were very disappointed but appreciated and supported the administration’s concern for their safety.
“I’m very into the news; it’s always on at our house,” said class President Libby Gop. “So I had a feeling they were probably going to do something. I expected the postponement but just dreaded it.”
She acknowledged that "most students are furious; they're very upset. Some would still want to go, even though they understand why we shouldn’t go.”
The decision by Lenox Memorial Middle and High School Principal Jeremiah Ames and School District Superintendent William Collins was conveyed to students and their families via e-mail on Monday night.
“This has been a very difficult decision, one that will likely disappoint many in our school community,” Ames acknowledged in the e-mail.
“I completely understand why, and I prefer for them to be the ones to think about my safety, but I’m very. very disappointed,” Gop said. “I wish we could go in the fall, but who’s to say the war will be over then. ... I’m preparing for the worst but I’m really, really hoping.”
“The reaction from families was mostly supportive,” Ames told The Eagle on Tuesday shortly after classes started. “One parent expressed disagreement with the decision but acknowledged the concern over safety during these uncertain times.”
Of the 68 10th graders, all but a dozen had signed up for the trip, Collins said. He and Ames aim to reschedule it for this fall on dates to be determined, with the $32,000 cost in the district budget set aside for that purpose.
There’s no cost to the families for the trip, Collins noted. “The School Committee feels that trips such as this that are integral to the curriculum should not have cost barriers,” he said.
Jane Elliot of Lenox, the sophomore class vice president, said she anticipated protests against the war in D.C. next week.
“So I understand they would err on the safe side, that it was better not to go," she said. "We were disappointed, but I understood where the administration was coming from. There might be protests while we’re there, and if they got violent, that would be an issue.”
In his message to the school community, Ames explained the rationale behind the decision.
“The decision was motivated largely by concerns surrounding our ability to guarantee students’ safety given all the uncertainty that lies ahead in the wake of our nation’s recent military action,” Ames wrote in the message to students and their families.
“While some families are still comfortable traveling to D.C., many have expressed legitimate concerns about the school’s ability to guarantee students’ safety in these difficult times,” he stated.
Following the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, which triggered retaliatory strikes in the region by the Iranian military, Ames said he began receiving messages from anxious parents and guardians.
On Monday morning, as the war escalated, the seven chaperones assigned to the trip — school staffers including a nurse — voiced concerns about the students’ safety in case of any incidents in Washington.
Both Ames and Collins emphasized that the postponement of the trip was not a political expression of opposition to the undeclared war but was based solely on protecting the students.
Also, they faced the possibility of nearly half of the students who had signed up for the trip withdrawing. That would raise logistical challenges of providing education at the school for a significant portion of the 10th grade class while the rest would be in Washington.
“While this was a difficult decision to make, throughout the process I was reminded by many of you that our students’ safety and well-being will always be our first priority,” Ames wrote in his e-mail. “On that we will always agree.”
“I definitely agree with their choice based on safety concerns,” said Gabe Weir, the sophomore class secretary. “Our capital is the centerpiece of our country, so if there were to be an attack, I’d assume it would be there. It’s a very tough decision to make, but it’s a kind of ‘I’d rather be safe than sorry’ situation.”
Weir, a school choice student from Pittsfield since sixth grade, said Ames made the right choice.
“I just hope we’re in a better place in the fall as a country and world so we can go back to our plan," he said. "Half the people talked to were angry and wanted to go no matter what. The others said, ‘makes sense, still frustrated.’ ”
Gop stressed that the school leaders and teachers’ decision stemmed from “caring about us. ... We’re mad at the world and the circumstances, but the decision was made for our best interest.”
She pointed out that the class of 2028 was hard-hit by pandemic restrictions and missed a trip to Boston, Nature’s Classroom, a canoe trip, field trips, a trip to Six Flags and other events.
“We’ve really got the short end of the stick, so the D.C. trip is like another punch to the gut,” Gop said. She voiced hope that the administration can plan something else for the class this spring. “It’s very frustrating; we need something. Give us a bone.”