St. Albert Public students are no longer allowed travel to the United States for school trips because their trustees have deemed that nation too dangerous to visit.
St. Albert Public Schools trustees voted 4–1 (Trustee Kim Armstrong opposed) in favour of a motion from chair John Allen April 16 to suspend immediately and until further notice any and all student travel into the United States of America.
This decision came about at a time when Canadian travel to the U.S. had cratered in large part due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s global trade war, amidst reports of visitors to America (such as Canadian Jasmine Mooney) being held in detention centres for weeks without warning, and at a time when the American government had taken a hostile stance toward sexual and gender minorities.
Unsafe environment
Allen said St. Albert Public policies commit the board to providing students with a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment. It was incumbent on the board to act in a way that upheld a high ethical standard.
“The government of the United States has, in recent months, by proclamation and by fiat, begun to act in a frankly draconian matter around persons entering in and being evicted from the United States,” he said.
Allen said the U.S. had enacted policies that run counter to Canadian and American laws around due process. That made travel to the U.S. unsafe.
“We simply cannot in good conscience allow our students to be put at risk by travelling to the United States at this time.”
Allen emphasized that this was a temporary measure, and that trustees could re-examine this ban should the situation in the U.S. change.
Board administrators told trustees that there were currently no school trips to America planned that would be affected by this ban. Some schools would typically send students to New York or California for theatre, sports, or other educational events later in the school year.
Armstrong opposed the motion, saying that a ban could deprive students of unique experiences. She suggested this matter be deferred to September.
Trustee Stanley Haroun supported it, saying students would be in serious danger if they went to the U.S. at this time.
School boards in B.C., New Brunswick, and Manitoba have also paused or cancelled trips to the U.S. in recent months due to safety concerns, CBC reports. On April 15, the Canadian Association of University Teachers warned its members against non-essential travel to the U.S. due to the political situation there.
While it was not advising against travel to the U.S. as of April 17, the federal government did update its travel advisory for the U.S. on April 4 to note that American authorities “strictly enforce entry requirements,” and that Canadians could be detained if denied entry.
Sturgeon Public and Greater St. Albert Catholic officials told the Gazette by email that they were not currently considering a ban on student travel to the U.S.
Don’t buy American?
In a related motion, trustees voted 3–2 (trustees Armstrong and Kristi Rouse opposed) in favour of a motion from Haroun to review its purchase agreements with American companies and to encourage administration to instead contract with other free-trading nations where practical in concert with guidance from Alberta Education.
Haroun said he tabled this motion in response to the current trade war with the U.S.
“We will not compromise our sovereignty.”
Board administrators said many of the district’s resources (such as its computers, Google and Microsoft programs, and PowerSchool) were made in the U.S., essential for school operation, and had no Canadian alternatives. Alberta Education has not banned schools from buying American but had encouraged them to buy Canadian.
Armstrong said this motion went beyond the board’s scope of duties and that the upcoming federal election could greatly change Canada’s trade relations with the U.S.
