Student travel company says St. John's school's concerns about trips unwarranted
A company that specializes in helping high school graduates organize trips abroad says a recent warning sent out by a St. John's school is understandable but contained false information.
On Friday, an administrator from Waterford Valley High sent out an email to parents and students saying that the company S-Trip! was "pursuing" students from the school for a "Spring Graduation Trip."
The email described such trips as "all-inclusive" with "no regulation of alcohol consumption and no adult supervision."
Alexander Handa, president of S-Trip!, said while he understands the concerns of the school, those points are simply not true.
"That is a false statement," Handa told CBC News Monday.
"Any student that is under the age of 18 is given a different wristband than those [who] are of the age. Whether they're 17 or 18 years old, we step in and make sure that the trip is responsible."
S-Trip! offers vacations to Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic as well as other foreign locations. The company has three offices in Canada and recruits student organizers through its website and social media accounts.
Handa said the company can't guarantee that absolutely no underage people on the trips will somehow get alcohol, but he said S-Trip! takes measures to make it as difficult as possible.
See a video from S-Trip! below, outlining the process they go through when helping students plan a trip.
Students are recruited to organize the graduation trips, and Handa said the company treats it as an opportunity for them to practice their leadership skills. In addition, he said parents of those students are always contacted by S-Trip! during the process.
"We speak to parents and we make sure the parents understand the commitment," he said.
"A mother and a father need to sit down and talk about this with their son or daughter, and I think the school has done the community a service by saying this."
CBC News reached out to the administration of Waterford Valley High on Monday for clarification on their description of the trips, however no response could be provided at that time.
Handa said he has also tried to contact the school and is still waiting for a response.