Canfield board rejects 8th-grade D.C. visit

The superintendent wants pupils to have the option of going to Washington, D.C.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- In light of the recent sniper shootings, some school board members here are worried that they might be putting eighth-graders in harm's way by sending them to the nation's capital in March.
Eighth-graders from Canfield Village Middle School typically travel to Washington, D.C., on a spring trip. School board members Charles Eddy Jr. and Sam Pitzulo said they were worried that pupils could become the target of terrorists or a sniper this year.
"Even if they catch the [sniper] tomorrow, I don't know if it's a good idea to send a couple of buses to Washington," Eddy said.
A sniper has shot 12 people, killing nine, in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., area since Oct. 2. One of the victims was a 13-year-old boy who was wounded outside his Bowie, Md., middle school.
On Monday, the board decided not to approve an eighth-grade trip to Washington March 26-28. Instead, the board voted to allow the pupils to take a trip to an unspecified location.
A decision on the destination will be made by Jan. 27. School officials have discussed taking the pupils on a trip in Ohio.
Plans could change
Pupils may still go to Washington if parents and school officials feel the trip is safe.
Eddy added that he's worried that the possibility of a U.S. war in Iraq could make the nation's capital a target of a terrorist attack.
Last spring's eighth-grade trip to Washington was canceled in response to safety concerns stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks. Instead, pupils were taken on a trip in Ohio.
Superintendent Dante Zambrini stressed that the board's primary concern is pupil safety. He added that he accompanied pupils to Washington for 12 straight years.
Schools in the D.C. area are taking extra security precautions, such as suspending outdoor activity, because of the fear of sniper attacks.
The board had discussed not approving any trip Monday night. Zambrini, however, said the pupils should have the option of taking a trip even if it's not to Washington.
He added that Washington may not be as dangerous in the spring.
"You'd hate to cancel a trip based on what you don't know," Zambrini added.