Terror alert prompts closer look at class trips

The possibility of her daughter being suspended from school felt like a small price to pay for Laura Ianiro’s peace of mind.

Students are prohibited from carrying cell phones in the Brick Township school district, but when the nation’s terror alert status was raised to "high" last week, Ianiro encouraged her daughter to carry one anyway so they could be in contact during an emergency.

"I know they don’t want kids carrying phones in the schools, but right now I want to be able to talk to them if something happens," Ianiro said. "Maybe these attacks will never happen, but if they do, I want them to be able to talk to me."

Panic gripped the country last week as reports swirled of imminent terrorist attacks by week’s end. Many people stocked up on supplies like water, canned food and even duct tape to seal their windows in the case of biological agent attacks.

Although Bush administration officials sought to downplay the situation by week’s end, acknowledging it had no credible evidence pointing to specific targets or times, officials in the Brick school system are not taking any chances.

"At this point, all of our field trips are under review," said Brick Superintendent of Schools Thomas Seidenberger. "My original reaction is, we need to treat this with common sense and calmness. It’s a delicate situation, but I wouldn’t overreact at this time. If we need to refine our policies, we will."

An already planned trip by an economics class from Brick Township High School to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has been canceled; however, that decision was not made by Brick. The NYSE typically welcomes class trips, but officials there sent a fax to the district stating that it would not allow them at this time, according to Board of Education Secretary Nicholas Puleio.

Particular scrutiny is being given to out-of-state trips to high-profile tourist and government destinations that could be "hot spots" for an attack, according to Seidenberger. Specifically mentioned were the Lake Riviera Middle School handbell choir’s and Brick Township High School band’s annual trips to Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Also under review is Project Graduation, which will include a parent- and teacher-chaperoned, nighttime boat trip to New York harbor that will begin shortly after the students’ graduation ceremony.

Seidenberger said district officials have received numerous phone calls from concerned parents wondering if the district had plans in place to handle terror situations. All school principals have been asked to review their school’s emergency plans with their staff and forward lists of all scheduled field trips to the superintendent’s office. Meetings are planned between Seidenberger and all the district’s principals, as well as advisors from the Brick Township Police Department, to discuss strategies in the case of an attack.

"If we need a change in course, we will come back to the board on March 6 with our recommendations," Seidenberger said at last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.

"Please be assured that we are treating this situation very seriously," he said. "It’s just bubbled up over the last two days."