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The Edmonton Catholic school board is cancelling all international field trips this school year after mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., it told staff Monday.

About 500 students are affected by the cancellations, said Edmonton Catholic Schools spokeswoman Lori Nagy. Five trips were scheduled in December — four basketball trips to Hawaii and one hockey trip to Minnesota. Another 15 trips were scheduled from February through May to destinations including Florida; Phoenix; Anaheim, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; New Orleans; France; Italy; London and Spain.

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“Due to recent events in Europe and the United States, our decision is made with our top priority being student safety,” said the notice to staff.

“This was a very difficult decision and we have considered several factors including the uncertain world climate that we now live in. Recent media reports advise that there have been 355 mass shootings in 336 days in the United States, which confirms that acts of violence can occur anywhere at any time. This new statistic illustrates our concern for the safety and well-being of students and staff when travelling.”