All field trips outside of a 75-mile radius from the Silver Spring area have been cancelled.
The decision to cancel field trips came as a result of Department of Homeland Security measures and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) decisions. Administrator Linda Wolf says that Montgomery County wants students to be close to home in case of an emergency.
Wolf believes that the cancellation of trips is a direct effect of the invasion of Iraq. "If the war were to end, [the decision to cancel field trips] could change," says Wolf.
The MCPS decision to cancel field trips has forced the Robotics Club to find new means of attending a nationwide robotics competition in Houston, Texas on April 9 -12. Sponsor John Templin requested parent's permission, making MCPS not liable for the trip.
According to Templin, the members of the Robotic club put in time after school and on Saturday's in order to build the robot. "It would be like a play [if you] put hours and hours into it and [then] not put on the play," says Templin.
Templin says that he is not prepared to "abandon an event for an unknown reason."
The club has spent $4,000 on the entry fee. Templin estimates that the total cost of the trip, including air fare for the sixteen students planning on attending the trip is $15,000.
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