Some Parents Concerned After School Board Puts Field Trips And Excursions That Were Not Approved Before September 2 On Hold

“Please be advised that for the short term (September through November), all field trips and excursions that have not been previously approved are currently on hold.

There are a few exceptions to this hold, outlined below:

Day Trip:  Day trips submitted after Sept. 2, 2026,  may be considered only if they meet all of the following criteria:

Location: Must be local (within the same geographic area of the Board).

Timing: Must occur within regular school day hours.

Cost: Must be low-cost and affordable for all students to attend.

Curriculum: Must have a clear connection to the curriculum.

Extra-Curricular Teams & Clubs For teams and clubs seeking to participate in events outside of their pre-approved schedule (league play), additional opportunities will be permitted provided they meet the following parameters:

Timing: Takes place outside of the instructional day.

Cost: Low-cost and affordable for all students to attend.

Inclusivity: Provides equitable participation opportunities for all attending students.”

The school board says no “approved trips” have been cancelled.

“Approved trips have not been cancelled and will continue as planned. New extra-curricular proposals are being reviewed with the administrator, which is a regular practice at the school. Additionally, there has been no change to scheduled sports and league play.” Carolynne Bull, Manager of Communications Services for Trillium Lakelands District School Board told Kawartha 411 News.

When asked specifically about the Rugby tournament Bull says it was technically not “cancelled”.

“This particular tournament came to the administrators attention this week and is outside of the regular league play. It was not cancelled because it had never received approval. Tournaments that are in addition to the regular league play are considered field trips and due to the review taking place, this particular tournament field trip does not meet the criteria.”

Bull says the board has started a review of field-trips and extracurricular activities.

“Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) values opportunities for students to engage in curricular field trips and extra-curricular activities. Currently, TLDSB is in the process of reviewing field trips and extra-curricular excursions across all schools with a focus on access and equity for all students. This will include a review of cost, time away from school for both students and teaching staff, travel expenses and transportation availability, as well as accessibility.”

In particular when addressing access and equity Bull says this is in response to concerns raised by parents and staff.

“When we refer to access and equity we are looking to address areas of concern raised by parents/guardians and staff, including cost for students to participate both for field trips and for extracurricular activities in addition to the other areas already mentioned.”

“Sports and extracurriculars aren’t just “extras.” They’re places where kids learn confidence, resilience, teamwork, belonging and how to do things that scare them. I’ve literally watched that happen with my own children.” says Westlake.  “Tournaments aren’t just a fun day out of class. They give entire teams playing time, help athletes develop safely, build confidence and team bonding, increase participation and school spirit, and can be fundraisers that help keep school sports affordable. They can also give athletes exposure and experience that may contribute to post-secondary athletic and scholarship opportunities.”

Ontario’s education minister recently urged parents not to take their kids out of the classroom for sports. He later clarified saying they could still ask for special leave.

While the board didn’t mention it, the Ministry of Education recently announced new rules around attendance for this school year. Starting this month attendance and participation will count for 15 per cent of students’ final marks in grades 9 and 10, and 10 per cent in grades 11 and 12. 

Students who have more than two unexcused absences will not be able to receive the full 10 or 15 per cent attendance portion of their grade.

According to CBC News Ontario high school attendance has dropped significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.  According to data from Ontario’s Ministry of Education, only 40 per cent of Ontario high school students at public and Catholic schools regularly attended school in the 2024-25 school year. This is a decline from before the pandemic — attendance levels were nearly 60 per cent in 2018-19 according to CBC.

But Westlake says if the new attendance rules played a part in the boards decision it is shortsighted.

Other school boards are taking a different approach. York Region School Board directed us to its website which doesn’t appear to have had any changes to field trips or excursions.

Tames Valley School Board says at this point they have not made final decisions on how they are handling the attendance when it comes to field trips and school sports. A teacher at Durham District School Board told Westlake that her board is not doing what TLDSB is doing.

Westlake also wonders if budget pressures are part of the equation.

“I can’t prove that this is a budget decision, and I don’t want to claim something I can’t prove. But right now, absenteeism is starting to feel like it could be a smokescreen for a broader cost-saving initiative. If that’s not the case, then I think the board should be transparent about that. Tell us whether finances played any role in these decisions, and show us how these particular restrictions were determined to be an effective response to chronic absenteeism.”

Bull says schools will receive the results of the review by early November.