Questions about Haines School District superintendent Tony Habra’s trip north as a chaperone for a student trip last month revealed hurdles posed by such trips.
At Tuesday’s school board meeting, board member Lisa Schwartz questioned the cost of Habra serving as chaperone. Habra and para-educator Rachelle Galinski chaperoned students to tour University of Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska’s Institute of Technology in Seward.
Assistant principal Cheryl Stickler said chaperoning qualifies as professional leave with pay. The school generally sends two staff members on each trip, as male and female chaperones are required when male and female students travel.
Board president Anne Marie Palmieri said in cases where the school is asking a staff member who has a child on the trip to chaperone as a parent, the staffer should take personal leave.
But principal Rene Martin said staffers wouldn’t want to give up personal leave days to chaperone. Martin said finding substitutes when teachers chaperone is a “critical issue” in September, April and May, when seasonal workers return to full-time jobs.
Palmieri suggested a parent could serve as second chaperone but Stickler said the responsibilities were too great.
Superintendent Habra said he would research how other districts handle chaperoning.