Concerned about the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, Hinsdale High School District 86 officials have decided to cancel a student trip to Austria the Hinsdale Central orchestra was scheduled to take over spring break.
Ten adults and 42 students had signed up to go on the trip, which would have been from March 28 to April 3, Chris Jasculca said.
Athena Deng, a freshman violinist in the orchestra, is disappointed the trip was cancelled.
“Who wouldn’t be disappointed?” said Deng, who lives in Clarendon Hills. “It was going to be a real fun trip to Austria and now I don’t have any plans for spring break.
“I get where they are coming from, from a safety point of view,” Deng said. “We knew there was no way (the district) was going to let us go, especially with Italy being locked down. A lot of parents wouldn’t have felt it was safe for us to go. If we went, we might not have been able to leave and that would have been very bad.”
The orchestra was scheduled to perform in Salzburg and Vienna, participate in a clinic with a professor from the Mozarteum in Salzburg and sightsee in Austrian cities, including Vienna, Mondsee and Melk, Deng said.
The district is adhering to the travel notices from the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control. The latter recommends people do not travel to China, South Korea, Italy or Iran, unless it is essential. Older travelers or those with chronic medical conditions also are advised not to travel to Japan.
District 86 administrators are discussing with the leaders of teams and clubs that have other trips scheduled the benefits versus the potential health and safety risks they pose, the district said in a statement.
About 20 students from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South high schools’ Business Professionals of America clubs qualified to compete in the organization’s national competition May 6-10 in Washington, D.C.
“The district will make a decision regarding this trip as we get closer to the departure date,” based on the circumstances at the time, Jasculca said.
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The Business Professionals of America National Association reported it will continue to monitor conditions related to the coronavirus in the weeks ahead, but as of March 10 expects the national conference to proceed.
District 86 officials said they will help explore options for refunds and reimbursement for any trips that are cancelled.
Within the school buildings, the District 86 custodians and its cleaning service have increased the disinfecting of surfaces frequently touched by numerous people, such as drinking fountains, doorknobs and locker handles.
The district also is looking to buy more more hand sanitizer stations and other resources to prevent the spread of any viruses or illnesses, District 86 Superintendent Tammy Prentiss said in the statement.
“While we have seen an increase in the number of students visiting the nurses at Central and South, the average attendance rate at both schools has been above 94 percent,” the statement issued March 9 read.
The district asks that anyone who visits an area where there is widespread or ongoing transmission of the virus, to notify the school as soon as possible, and follow the CDC’s recommended 14-day home confinement after they return to the United States.
“To date, there have been no reported or confirmed cases of the virus in DuPage County,” Prentiss stated.
If a student, member of the staff or their relatives are exposed to the virus, the district will work with its feeder schools and the CDC to implement emergency plans, which may include dismissing school, canceling classes and events, and using remote learning.