Fears Over Future Terror Attacks Prompt Some To Cancel Plans In The City
SAYVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Multiple school districts in the Tri-State Area have called off school field trips in the interest of safety following the Paris terror attacks.
As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, police Commissioner Bill Bratton called the decision irresponsible.
For their own part, students from Long Island and beyond reacted with mixed emotions, learning that high school and middle school field trips within the area and abroad have been postponed, rescheduled, and in some cases completely canceled. The decisions are stoked by security concerns.
"I'm kind of scared to travel – I'd just rather stay in my home," one student said.
"I feel like it makes me feel safe," another said.
But others objected.
"You learn a lot more outside the classroom," a third student sad.
"I think they're going a little bit overboard," another said of the school administration.
The Jericho School District in Nassau County, for one, thought spring trips to Europe are ill-advised this school year. The decision to cancel was out of an abundance of caution, said Supt. Henry Grishman.
"That is why we have taken international travel off the table, and we'll continue to monitor what we do through the remainder of the school year," Grishman said.
In Suffolk County, other districts announced there will be no trips to Washington, D.C., or even just down the road to New York City.
The Connetquot Central School District is among them. Supt. Lynda Adams said the district "has decided it is most prudent to cancel field trips… for the months of November and December.
"I think it's a good idea that they're canceling field trips," said Connetquot High School graduate Lora Batorsky. "I know I didn't go -- I was going to run a half marathon in Philadelphia this weekend, and I decided not to go."
Some parents disagreed.
"Safety first -- you always have to protect the kids," said Frank Grasso of Sayville. "But we live in America, and we have great support systems here."
"I think our world has gotten very PG, and I think it's something I experienced as a kid, and I would like my children to experience the same," said Sayville parent James Caporuscio.
Farmingdale State College professor Marla Johnson also questioned the idea.
'We don't want to teach our children to live in fear," she said, "because if we don't do things 'out of fear,' then we're really creating our own prison," she said.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton called canceling school trips irresponsible.
"Totally, totally uncalled for," Bratton said. "This city is safe and secure, and what they are doing is exactly what the terrorists want."
Still, many fear an attack on the U.S. is imminent -- and some people within New York City were every bit as on edge.
As CBS2's Jessica Schneider reported, 40 percent of people polled felt that terrorists might strike on American soil, that was up from 32 percent before the Paris attacks.
Some even said that their concerns were putting a damper on the holiday season.
At Terminal 5 Concert Hall on the West Side, young fans streaming in for a country concert said it took some convincing for their parents to let them go.
"We got tickets last Friday, right when the attack happened, so they said I don't know if it's a good idea to go into the city. But then we talked them into it, and we told them we'd be careful," Sara Pearl said.
The Department of Homeland Security said with no credible threat, it hopes school districts will conduct business as usual and go ahead with their plans.