Greece school board cancels senior trip to Disney World at 3 high schools

The Greece Central School District Board of Education voted to cancel the Odyssey Academy, Greece Olympia and Greece Arcadia high schools senior class trips to Walt Disney World next year, citing a problem of equity and inclusion.

"The decision was based on difficulties with student supervision in the parks and the district’s commitment to equity and access," a letter sent to parents from the schools said Wednesday.

Going to Walt Disney World has been a tradition in the school district for years. Students from three of Greece's four high schools have taken the trip in the past, with Odyssey Academy going for about 15 years, Arcadia for five and Olympia beginning last year.

According to members of the board, this tradition may divide students into "the haves and the have-nots."

The school district said it pursues "equity and excellence," and when students can't afford to attend a trip that costs about $1,000, it singles them out.

"(It's like) putting a star on them that says, 'You're not going on this trip,'" board President Sean McCabe said.

The board spent time Tuesday night discussing the value of soft skills, educational impact, cost and tradition concerning the planned senior class trip. A handful of board members said they were having a hard time deciding how to vote, with cost as a top concern.

“I just think the Disney trip is excessive," McCabe said.

"What's bothered me for the past six years is the issue of inclusion," board member Joe Grinnan said.

The district looked at data from the class of 2018, which attended the Disney trips in November 2017.

Of the 655 seniors at the three high schools, 34 percent attended.

50 percent of the eligible seniors qualified for free or reduced-price lunches.

70 out of the 225 seniors that went on a Disney trip qualified for free or reduced-price lunches.

Before the vote, Kristin Cappiello, social studies department chair at Odyssey Academy, said she has been part of the Disney World trip for 10 years, without incident. She has been working with students who began fundraising during their freshman year.

About 80 Odyssey Academy students attend each year with last year's trip costing $1,100 for four nights. Students have about seven opportunities to raise money between ninth and 11th grades.

McCabe said fundraising doesn't always work in Greece because poverty is generational and some students who live in the district do not have families or neighbors that can afford to help a student raise enough to attend.

Slightly more than half of the district's students are considered economically disadvantaged, according to the state Education Department.

Eamonn Scanlon, education policy analyst for The Children's Agenda, said he is glad the district is "looking at inclusivity," and that exposing inequity is a productive conversation.

Equity is different than equality, he explained, and not every person has the same access to raise the same amount of funds, even if they're given the same number of chances.

Students and families who have already made payments toward the class trip will be refunded.

According to the letter, "money earned through fundraising is non-refundable, but if you would like your personal contributions refunded," parents can email the school.

Otherwise, "contributions will automatically be reallocated to cover the cost of other senior year activities or offset the cost of prom tickets or yearbook purchases," the letter explained.

The letter cited difficultly with student supervision, which district spokesperson Laurel Heiden said speaks to the number of chaperones to students on the trips in comparison to the size of the parks.

Over the years there have been issues related to student behavior that lead the district to take a deeper look at the Disney trips, Heiden said. However the district said that is not the reason for the decision.

"I’m beyond angry that parents were not given the right to know about this before, so, subsequently we did not get a chance to have our voices heard," Odyssey parent Sharon Valincourt said. "My daughter is the last of our three children and now will be the only one not able to go on her senior trip."

Valincourt said that she believes there is more to the decision than equity and that it could be tied to past disciplinary issues on previous trips.

While the district does not deny "issues during field trips and school activities," in the past, Heiden said, "the board’s decision last night, however, focused on promoting equity and reducing disproportionality."

She was notified of the cancellation by an automated phone call and email.

Board member Mary Caitlin Wight said options other than Disney should be pursued that would provide "greater equity to more of our students," and that she understands the value of tradition.

"We look forward to working with students to start a new senior tradition that we hope to be memorable, more inclusive and less of a financial burden on our families," Green said.

Superintendent Kathleen Graupman said she hopes the district can work out a solution that is good for the students and the community.

The board plans to review and refine policies concerning school trips to provide clear guidance on what will be supported in the future.

"I think we have work to to do related to the policy (on trips) itself," Graupman said.

MEFINNERTY@Gannett.com