Schools serving Centretown are warning parents about the dangers of trips marketed to high school students and emphasizing the fact that many of these are not affiliated with the school in any way.
Taking the extra step to communicate with parents about this issue, schools are sending out voice messages and posting warnings on their websites.
The schools say this is an attempt to make clear they have no association with graduation trips and the problems that often arise out of them.
In a message on the Lisgar Collegiate Institute website, the school warns parents that “binge drinking WILL be prevalent,” “illicit drugs will probably be available” and risky sexual behaviour means “students DO return from these trips pregnant and/or infected.”
Trevor Dorsay, vice-president of customer service at S-Trip! Tours, which offers a ski trip for Lisgar students, says he understands that parents worry and tries to alleviate misconceptions by communication.
“When parents first find out that the trips are not organized by the school, their first reaction is ‘Oh it’s Girls Gone Wild,’ but when they find out it’s supervised, they breathe a big sigh of relief,” he says.
As an alternative, some schools are offering supervised trips. For example, Glebe Collegiate is running a school-sanctioned ski trip to Monte-Sainte-Anne.
The staff sent out a voice mail message to parents explaining the difference between the two trips, says Wendy Gagnon, a teacher at the school.
However, schools are having a difficult time communicating to parents the difference between this kind of trip and the unsupervised trips run by tour companies.
“The information about the trip came in a glossy brochure and looked good. If you were a parent who wasn’t aware, it might look like it was through the school,” says Carol MacLauchlan, whose son, Duncan, a Grade 12 student at Lisgar, is not allowed to go.
“I know what goes on in Mexico,” she says. “There’s just too many horror stories.”
Sometimes it’s also difficult for the students themselves to distinguish between trips, especially since the majority of their promotions are done at high schools.
These are called “school crashings,” says Jordana Grant, who works for S-Trip!.
“We’re very aware that some school don’t want us on their property,” says Dorsay.
This is the case at Lisgar, so the companies get as close as they can.
However, the tour groups say they are open about the fact that they have no association with the school, and they also emphasize the safety of the trips they offer.