David Wiwchar still didn't know on Monday morning where in Europe his daughter might be flying from or when she'd be returning home.

Peter Behie had just received a text from his daughter, Alex, who had landed in London.

Catherine Hagen's 17-year-old was on a flight from Geneva to Toronto.

Story continues below advertisement

The three parents' children were among 85 students from several high schools in Nanaimo who were on a busy promenade in Nice last Thursday when a truck plowed into the crowds celebrating France's Bastille Day.

Everyone on the trip escaped unharmed, but parents say they've since been frustrated with poor communication from school officials, who abruptly announced an end to the trip and have scattered the students across Europe without keeping family back home properly informed.

Some parents are also upset that the trip was cancelled instead of allowing the students to continue on to Spain, as originally planned.

"Think about it: As a parent, I have a 17-year-old, who, in my view, is being moved by the school district in an unauthorized manner," said Mr. Behie, a lawyer in Nanaimo.

"We don't know who they are with, what hotel they might be staying in. It's a gong show," he said.

The school board announced last Friday that the group of students would be returning as soon as possible, but Mr. Behie said the board should have allowed the students to continue on their journey.

"Most of us feel very strongly – like what is happening in Nice today, where you have people out in defiance – that you don't get cowed by stuff like this," he said.

Story continues below advertisement

"The girls were healing and feeling they were being resilient and doing the right thing by carrying on with the trip, and parents agreed with that."

Mr. Behie sent the school board a letter saying the district had no authority to end the trip. The letter, which he said was endorsed by 40 parents, also noted that some parents were willing to sign additional waivers if the students were permitted to stay. The letter offered to have parents fly to Europe to chaperone the remainder of the trip.

Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools Superintendent of Schools/CEO John Blain said in an e-mail that he couldn't provide any information about when the students were expected to return home.

A group of parents showed up at the district's offices on Saturday demanding a meeting. Mr. Blain acknowledged that some of those parents "asked if the district was open to other options," but he said the board decided to continue with plans to bring the students back.

"I want you to know that we are working around the clock to have our students come home safely, as that is our priority," Mr. Blain wrote.

When the board announced the students would be returning, it said the decision followed consultation with the provincial Ministry of Education, the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response, and the organization Safer Schools Together.

Story continues below advertisement

"As France remains on high alert and Spain has been in a heightened state of alert for the past year, the likelihood of further risk to our students, staff and volunteers is simply too high," Kevin Cameron, executive director of the threat assessment centre, said in a statement.

Catherine Hagen said she had been in touch with her daughter, Laura, since the attack and had good communication with her chaperone. She received a call from the school's principal on the night of the fireworks to say her daughter was safe, and she told the principal she didn't want a "knee-jerk" reaction to bring the students home.

Ms. Hagen said she thinks the school board was trying to act in the best interest of students, which she appreciates, but that the board's decisions have been "misguided."

"My concern is that assumptions were made about the children's reaction to the attack without, in my opinion, input from them about how they were feeling – and that the decision to return them has compounded their upset," said Ms. Hagen, who added that her daughter and other parents felt it would be more helpful to finish the trip together while continuing to support one another.

Mr. Wiwchar, who works at a radio station in Port Alberni, said he knows his 15-year-old daughter is disappointed to be on her way back, but he understands why the school board made the call it did.

"Looking at Europe right now, it seems like it's on a bit of a knife's edge – with the attacks in France, with the coup in Turkey, all these things happening" he said. "It seems like there are a lot of things that could put people in danger."

Story continues below advertisement

He said making a decision for a large group comes with liabilities, and he understands why the school board didn't want "to condone 85 kids staying in a possibly troubled area."

A spokesperson from B.C.'s Ministry of Education, which the board says was consulted on the decision, declined to comment and referred questions back to the school district.