Heading to Florida or other warm-weather destinations for spring break used to be a rite of passage enjoyed mainly by college students. But in recent years, high-school juniors and seniors have been joining in the annual ritual, too.
It’s a development to which Michigan principals wish parents would “just say no.” That, at least, is the consensus of a panel of mid-Michigan principals assembled by the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP).
It’s not that educators are out to thwart a good time. But they are concerned about the risks involved in such unchaperoned trips out of stateæor even out of country, where students may be unfamiliar with local laws and customs.
Recognizing that some high-school students will continue to plan these kinds of spring-break trips regardless of the risks, the educators suggest the following guidelines for parents to help their kids safe:
- Check out the special “Spring Break” programs on MTV, or other television channels, to get a clear picture of the atmosphere your child could be exposed to on this kind of a trip.
- Just say “No” to your child if you’re uncomfortable with his or her plan for a spring-break vacation. While some high-school students view such a trip as a “given,” it’s really your decision whether or not to allow it.
- Check with the principal if your child tells you that a spring-break trip is being sponsored by the high school. In most cases, schools don’t plan trips during scheduled breaks.
- Don’t finance your student’s entire trip. Insist that your son or daughter earn money toward the vacation.
- Suggest alternate destinations. Spring break may be an ideal time to schedule college visits, a family trip, or an excursion that has a service-learning component (such as volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to build a house).
- Sit down with your child and his or her friends to plan the trip. Contact a reputable travel agent for information about different destinations, costs involved, local customs and laws—and the consequences if laws are broken.
- Before allowing your child to take a spring-break trip with other students, honestly assess your child’s level of maturity and responsibility, as well as his or her knowledge of the risks of alcohol, drugs, and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Insist that your child’s spring-break trip be chaperoned by responsible adults. Adults who chaperone such trips should become thoroughly familiar with the responsibilities and potential liabilities.
- If another adult serves as chaperone, provide him or her with a health-insurance card for your child, a notarized statement giving the chaperone permission to authorize emergency medical care, and phone numbers where you and other contact persons can be reached in the event of an emergency.
- If you are a chaperone, insist that your child and his or her friends adhere to a specific evening curfew for the duration of the trip. Also, be sure your child’s friends contact their families back at home at least once a day.
The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, founded in 1911, is the statewide society representing principals and assistant principals in middle schools, high schools, and vocational centers. With more than 2,000 members, including 96 percent of public high school principals, MASSP’s mission is to improve secondary education in Michigan through leadership, research, and promotion of standards of excellence.
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