Expensive school trips - and cancellations :(

Tweet

Both of my daughters have gone through the gifted program at our local public high school (one is still in the program and the older one has graduated). One of the aspects of this program is that there is a big year-end trip ... and it is mandatory (they have work to do during the trip and things to be submitted for grading when they return). This year's trip cost $500 per child and that does not include meals or spending money. They were to have gone away during the first week of May. Well, due to H1N1 (swine flu), the trip had to be canceled. In fact, all trips in the whole school board were canceled. As of today, not one parent has received a refund. We keep asking and no information is coming home with the students. We are hearing rumors that they are "trying" to give us refunds and further rumors that they are considering applying the money to "something else" or another activity. In my opinion, that is really unacceptable. I paid, in installments, for my daughter to take a specific trip. I even bought the cancellation insurance they offered. If that trip didn't happen, I have not authorized them to use my money for anything else. 52 students were to have taken the trip so, at $500 each, that's $26,000. Even if there's a cancellation fee applied by the travel company (which I don't know if there would be in the case of an epidemic like swine flu?? Any travel professionals among us that can enlighten me?), that's still a lot of money on the school's books that belongs to the parents. Questions to the organizers are, so far, being skirted and avoided. Has anyone had experience with a cancellation like this? Did you get refunded? Do you think they have the right to decide to use the funds for another activity? I don't think parents are being unreasonable but patience is wearing thin. School ends June 19th and we're worried we won't get this resolved in time.