The days aren’t gone when students hit their parents up for $250
to hop on a bus and go off into the wild for a bona fide science
camp experience. It’s just not that simple any longer. The rules
within the Gilroy Unified School District are now in force: if it’s
happening during school hours, every student who wants to attend
has to have the opportunity.
1. It’s become an equity issue: All students should have the option
The days aren’t gone when students hit their parents up for $250 to hop on a bus and go off into the wild for a bona fide science camp experience. It’s just not that simple any longer. The rules within the Gilroy Unified School District are now in force: if it’s happening during school hours, every student who wants to attend has to have the opportunity.
It’s an equity issue. One that certainly complicates the entire process, but is understandable.
There are holes in the logic, of course. If, for example, all the 6th graders at Ascension Solorsano Middle School raise the funds to go, what about South Valley Middle School students? Maybe they have a tougher time raising money?
2. There are a few possibilities to make these trips more affordable
But that logic can be extended to the point where it suffocates any effort to take any worthwhile excursion.
Keeping the all-go-or-none-go rule confined within a school, as it is currently, makes good sense. It’s amazing what a school can do when it pulls together.
Beyond that, a goal might be in these tough times to make such worthwhile trips as going to science camp more affordable. Less parents are able to afford hefty amounts, and that means more fundraising in a tight economy.
3. Without question, experiences outside of class are worthwhile
What about Gilroy Gardens or Mount Madonna County Park? Are there options to bring in the same kind of curriculum-based instructors who could conduct lessons in the great outdoors?
That’s worth some thought. There are always willing parents to help cook and chaperone, and if the cost became more reasonable the door would be open for more Gilroy students.
Experiences outside the classroom often have the potential to make a significant impact on students – to open their eyes to the world and clearly make education relevant.
The more GUSD students who can gain this insight, the better. And those opportunites should be open to all.
