District stands by field trip decision
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor
Since parental outrage over a recent Mill Middle School field trip surfaced, Williamsville Central School District officials have reviewed the issue and stand by the decision to visit religious places.

Cindy Beeley, K-12 instructional specialist, said a meeting was held on Monday with Mill Middle School Principal Michael Calandra and the sixth grade team teachers that scheduled the field trip.

The concerns were about a trip to the Islamic Mosque and Hindu Cultural Center held last week. Also the short notice given to parents, one day, was criticized. (Read one parent's letter about the issue on page eight.)

Beeley said it is policy that at least 48-hours notice be given for field trips but in this case there was a problem confirming times at each location until the last moment. She said usually the district tries to give one to two weeks notice when possible.

Also according to district policy students can refuse to attend any scheduled field trips. They are encouraged to attend school instead of staying home as activities will be arranged for them.

"Another concern was that many parents felt we were not being fair to other religious groups in the community," she said. "In talking to the Mill Middle team I learned that they had planned on going to four places but weren't able because of the October storm."

Beeley added that the school plans to continue the field trip tour next year to include an Islamic mosque, synagogue, Christian church and Hindu center.

This was the first year the sixth grade class had planned such field trips. Beeley said at the 12th grade level an elective course is offered in which students have the opportunity to visit various religious buildings.

Beeley added that there will be changes made following this situation. The team discussed spending more time planning the field trips and speaking with the leaders at the site to better explain to parents what the purpose of the trip is.

"I think there was some misunderstanding with some parents," she said, adding there were no attempts to alter the children's' beliefs.

She said, according to the teachers the students benefited from the trips, saying the sites, which many drive by everyday, are no longer a mystery to them.

Beeley said while it was not required that a student enter the mosque, the district will make sure that is clear on future permission slips.

"We need to be very specific so when children attend religious sites they know the rules when entering a holy place," she said. "We learned from the situation and are making changes."