Teacher negotiations could determine fate of school trips for 1,733 students

School administrator John Stewart is just as excited, if not more, than the 32 students he will help guide to Vimy Ridge this April.

That's in part because Stewart's grandfather took part in the First World War assault that is immortalized in the Canadian monument, which is the centrepiece of Prince Andrew High School's European trip.

"There's so many different levels of excitement, it's just beyond my expectations," said Stewart.

But along with the excitement is the worry some of the dozens of school trips planned for this year, including Stewart's, may be called off at the last minute.

Teachers can't chaperone under work-to-rule

That's because under work-to-rule job action, teachers who chaperone these trips are not allowed to accompany the students.

Between now and the end of the school year, 1,733 students are booked to go on school trips. There are eight student groups traveling to Vimy from the Halifax Regional School Board alone. Other boards have approved trips to Quebec, the United States, Europe, Mexico and as far away as China.

According to information supplied by Nova Scotia school boards, 69 trips have been approved to go ahead between February and June. Of those, 27 excursions are scheduled to coincide with spring break between March 13 and March 17.

There are also two annual student exchanges, with 21 students registered to travel to Campeche, Mexico. Another 20 are scheduled to travel to Japan, but that trip won't happen until the summer holidays.

Normally, international trips take place during spring break or Easter to limit the number of teaching days missed by students, but at least eight schools are planning to take part in ceremonies to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April. Some school boards have made an exception to the rules to allow the Vimy trips to go ahead.

Hopeful for a resolution

Stewart, a member of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, said cancelling the trip would be a huge disappointment given how much work has gone into fundraising and preparing for it over the past year.

"I have great faith in both our union and our government that in 70 days they should be able to come to some sort of conclusion that's favourable."

The teachers and students at Prince Andrew are scheduled to leave April 6. That's 77 days away.

EF Tours, the Toronto-based company behind the Prince Andrew trip, and many others planned for Europe, has been talking to individual groups about the possibility of turning the school trips into community trips and replacing teacher chaperones with parents or other adults.

Premier 'encouraged' by talks

Stewart said his group considered that, but he felt the work involved would be too cumbersome to undertake on short notice.

Negotiations between the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the Nova Scotia government broke off briefly over the weekend but have since resumed.

Neither side is speaking about the talks, but Premier Stephen McNeil offered some hope Friday that progress is being made.

"I'm encouraged by the conversations that are happening," he said.

"I look forward to continuing to get positive results."