By Nicole Falco
Two recent incidents involving two other Nassau County school districts sparked questions about the appropriate level of supervision during overnight trips. Also, several district coaches and athletic directors sought clearer guidelines for such trips.
The most recent incident involved three Mepham High School varsity football players who are accused of sexually abusing three junior-varsity players during a week-long football camp in Pennsylvania in August.
The Board of Education policy committee, led by Trustee William Stris, was scheduled to meet with representatives of the district's parent-teacher associations on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and with administrators at another time. Stris said the committee would take the suggestions of parents and administrators into account when considering revisions to the district's current policy, which is about 12 years old. The committee will then discuss the revisions with the rest of the board. A new policy will be adopted at either the November or December board meeting.
Overnight field trips have been put on hold until the board's review is complete. The trips have not been canceled. Trips affected at Central High School include the senior class trip in January and the baseball team's and Streamers' trips to Florida in the spring; at North, a soccer team trip upstate in July; and at South, a baseball trip to Cooperstown in the spring and a cheerleaders' trip next summer.
"It is my belief that the board will be able to provide guidance to the administration in a timely way that will permit decisions regarding these trips," said Dr. Marc Bernstein, interim superintendent of High School District schools.
The board announced its decision to review the district's policy and put overnight trips on hold at its October board meeting. A handful of parents said they are opposed to putting trips on hold and feared they will have to be canceled if decisions aren't made in time to make trip arrangements.
"The board is not looking to take out the fun in school," said Anthony Iadevaio, board president. "We have not canceled anything."
When reviewing the policy, the committee will ask questions such as, What is an appropriate level of supervision? How many children should be assigned to one room? Should an adult sleep in each room?
"I think everyone would agree the world has changed in many ways since 9/11, and I think it has changed again since the Mepham incident in August 2003," Bernstein said at the October meeting.
