Overnight school field trip vent

[mmcguire]

Our DS14 left at 3:30 PM yesterday for a field trip to DC. According to their agenda, they were supposed to arrive around 10:30 PM last night.

Before the trip, we bought DS a prepaid phone. The school's said they could bring cell phones to use at the hotel, but they couldn't bring them on the bus or they would be confiscated.

DS called me from his hotel after 11:30 PM last night (an hour later than scheduled), saying they'd just arrived. The school, however, didn't bother to call until 8:00 AM this morning. There was a recording informing us they had arrived safetly in DC at 11:30 last night, but they felt it was too late to call us then. During that hour of wondering where they were, we couldn't call DS because his phone was packed in his suitcase under the bus per the school's instructions.

I'm sorry, but waiting until the next day (and after most people have left for work, no less!) to let parents know their kids are safe is unacceptable, esp. when they took away the kids' only means of communication AND arrived an hour late!

Am I being unreasonable?

 

[meandtheguys2]

We survived several day trips without cells or a parent msg. I don't see it as a big deal.

 

[Nanu57v]

I think I'd be freaked out too.

 

[mommasita]

Did the school promise to call when they arrived?

 

[dumboiu]

Am I being unreasonable?

no.......imho you are spot on.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Strange that they weren't allowed to have the phones on the bus. I understand not having them while in school, but they weren't in school. When our kids go on field trips they're allowed to have their cell phones with them. I'm not sure if they allow calls to be made at any time, however. I would think a 10:30 call to let family know they are a little behind schedule, but almost there would be ok.

 

[TEENEE]

The school was in a no win situation. Some parents would have been upset over a phone call so late at night others would be upset over the morning call. I think I would let it go.

 

[Mkrop]

I would be glad I did give my kid a cell.

 

[Allison]

My son is currently on a band trip to Disney World. The school didn't call to let us know when they arrived and I didn't expect them to. I only expected them to call if something went wrong. An hour is really not that much of a difference. I'm surpised they called you at all actually.

My opinion is yes you are being unreasonable. However, did they say they would call on arrival?

 

[Nikel]

I've never heard of a school calling all the parents like that just to let them know they were there. So based on that, I wouldn't have wanted the phone to ring at 11:30 or later.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I have to know where my kids are at all times. I would have been freaking out and calling the hotel before then.

 

[ariel & eric]

When my kids travel like this I always think "no news is good news".

DS traveled to Toronto last year we never heard from them for 3 days. I guess my thinking is we will here something if it is bad. I try not to worry about things I have no control over .

 

[mommasita]

I don't know about unreasonable. But, I think I would have been concerned at least.

I am glad they got there safe and sound. I won't judge, as my son's overnight trip is in April, and I surely will be sitting waiting for news of a safe arrival.

 

[MELSMICE]

The school was in a no win situation. Some parents would have been upset over a phone call so late at night others would be upset over the morning call. I think I would let it go.

Exactly.

I'd let it go. I wouldn't expect a call from the school, only my child.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I don't quite get why they had to pack their phones in their luggage under the bus. What if therw was an accident or some other sort of emergency and no one could get to their phones???

Granted, we went on field trips all the time and no one had a cell phone, but if the technology's there, then why not be able to take advantage of it???

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

We survived several day trips without cells or a parent msg. I don't see it as a big deal.

And in that case, no one was expecting a call either. There were many things that people survived without in the past...indoor plumbing and electricity, to name a couple...but we have them now and rely on them. I have my children check in with me in many situations where, when I was young, I couldn't do the same with my parents. It's not about "surviving", it's about the convenience and comfort that we're lucky to have access to now.

If they said they were going to call when they arrived, then that's what you're expecting and they should have done so.

My DDs have traveled to Spain with the school, and whatever time they arrived, they started the phone chain, and everyone understood that. If they didn't want their sleep interrupted with a phone call saying all was well, they didn't have to be on the phone chain. I'm not aware of anyone who didn't want an "annoying" call saying "Everything's fine and we're here."

I also don't understand not allowing cell phones on the bus. Were they having a class on the way there? I'd want my kids to have their cell phones with them.

 

[mickeyboat]

I am with the no news is good news camp, unless the school said they were going to call when they got there.

Denae

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I don't see it as a big deal. Our schools never call home when they went away.
The 5th graders go to a camp for 4 nights where you call the school and there is just a daily recording on what they are doing.
Four years ago the kids didn't have cell phones so you never heard from them.

The 6- 8th graders only go away for one night yet the 5th graders go for 4?

 

[piglet too]

My son (8th grade) is going to Washington D.C. in May. I have no idea if the school will be calling, or if he will be allowed to call when they get in. However, I feel the whole "no news is good news" will apply and I am OK with that. When I went on my trip when I was in 8th grade, no calls were made. Heck, my parents actually travelled to San Diego at the same time, so they were not even home to get a call.

 

[piglet too]

I don't see it as a big deal. Our schools never call home when they went away.
The 5th graders go to a camp for 4 nights where you call the school and there is just a daily recording on what they are doing.
Four years ago the kids didn't have cell phones so you never heard from them.

The 6- 8th graders only go away for one night yet the 5th graders go for 4?

This reminded me of the same DS I spoke of above, trip in 5th grade. It was three nights and the school told us there would be no calls unless there was a problem.