The Board of Education made a final decision at its executive meeting Monday night on precautions against the coronavirus that the district will take on overnight, local, and international field trips. The plan will be communicated to students and parents Tuesday morning, district Superintendent Erik Gundersen said.

“It is not a quick and easy solution,” said Gundersen at the BOE’s regular meeting.

A Pascack Valley parent spoke at the meeting, outlining her concern about the reimbursements for the potentially cancelled trip to Italy. 

“I just feel that we’re giving [the travel company] too much leeway,” the parent said. “We’re waiting for them to give us an alternative itinerary, but there is no alternative. There is nowhere to go.”

Gundersen said that the district is committed to working in conjunction with the trips’ chaperones on reimbursements. He brought up the possibility for at least underclassmen to go on the same trips in the 2020-21 school year, with the expectation that the coronavirus will no longer be a concern.

“We are going to be advocating for reimbursements on all of the airlines, the travel agencies, and tour companies — any money that parents have put out for,” Gundersen said. “We have no way of guaranteeing how much we’ll be able to get, but we’re going to work closely with the teachers to do that.”