Cancellation of Nice trip upsets some Nanaimo parents

Some parents of a group of Nanaimo students who wereon a school trip to France during last week's attack say they're frustrated that the school district chose to cut the trip short.

Approximately 85 students and about 12 chaperones from Nanaimo were in Nice when a truck plowed into crowds during Bastille Day celebrations on July 14, killing 84 people and injuring many more.

Nobody on the school trip was injured, but some of the students wereless than 30 metres from where the attack took place.

The Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District announced the next day that itwas bringing the students and chaperones home early.

• Nanaimo students to return home immediately after attack in Nice

But parent Jennifer Fink said the school district didn't ask families what they wanted and many parentslearned of the trip's cancellation from the media not from district officials directly.

She saidher daughter, Paris, 17, had saved and planned for months for the trip and didn't want to cut the trip short.

The group was scheduled to travel to Spain nextas part ofa cultural learning trip and return to Vancouver Island on July 25.

"There a large majority of the parents that do not want the trip to be cancelled," Fink told CBC over the weekend. "They do not want their children to be brought home."

"They feel like it's teaching them to run away from terrorism and it's teaching them to curl up into a ball. It's not allowing them to work through the trauma in a productive way."

On Monday, Fink said in an emailthat she spoketo the school principal over the weekend, and she would be flying out on Monday morning to meet her daughter so she can continue her trip.

Students are 'safe', district says.

Meanwhile,district spokesperson Dale Burgos, said in an email Mondaythat the district and education ministry are still working to get the students home "as soon as possible."

"The students are safe and being supported bycounsellors," Burgos wrote, noting that parents have been kept informed with telephone calls and emails.

In a news release issued Friday afternoon, the district saidthe move to return the students was"a difficult decision,'' based on advice from safety groups, including the district's violence threat assessment team, theMinistry of Education and the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment.

"Getting our students home safe, and providing counselling support for those in Nice is the number onepriority for the district," said Superintendent John Blain in a written statement.

The ministry alsosent aCanadian school psychologist and trauma response expert to spend time with the students.

"They have witnessed a horrific event and will need ongoing support from the district. We are prepared to offer our counsellors to all students and staff for as long as they need."