Remember the American kids who were warned not to come to London in case it exploded? Sure you do.
Well they find out tomorrow if the trip is still on:
Fort Myers High band parents will vote Thursday on whether to send their children to London for its New Year's Day parade, a ballot that could result in a cease-fire in a war of words grabbing international attention. Lee County School Board members Tuesday took a rare step and overruled Superintendent James Browder, voting 5-0 to let Fort Myers parents make the call. According to guidelines set Tuesday, 80 percent of marching band parents must vote in favor of the trip. Additionally, each parent must sign a statement agreeing to support and finance the trip, and acknowledge the safety and risk factors of traveling abroad.
Now of course there's a typically convoluted voting system to get past and suddenly the focus has switched from safety concerns to cost:
Aside from safety concerns, the burden of fundraising and its potential impact on students and parents is why Browder denied the London trip. Browder also responded to a harsh comment in The News-Press Tuesday from Lee's tourism chief, arguing that critics should put their money where their mouth is. "Nobody else has bellied up to the bar and given us the $250,000," Browder said. "Nobody's made that offer. Nobody in England has made this offer."
Priceless. And here's a kicker from one of the parents:
"Our kids have to face enough threats at home without sending (them) overseas to a place where terrorism has happened,"
The kids however seem keen as ever despite the dumb as hammers mentality of their elders:
"It will be an amazing trip," said sophomore Leilani Martinez, 16, who has never flown on an airplane. "Now it means so much more because we've fought so hard for this."
