Usefulness of class trips questioned
BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer

MILLSTONE - Board of Education members had concerns about the field trips that they unanimously approved on Feb. 11.

The board approved a field trip for the eighth grade to visit the Hard Rock Café, Ride the Ducks, the Eastern State Penitentiary and the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. The prison visit is part of a "Scared Straight" program.

Board members also approved a fifthgrade trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, a third-grade trip to the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft and a secondgrade trip to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

While board member Laura Dreifus said she understands the need for field trips and how difficult it is to find a venue large enough to accommodate large groups of children, she questions the usefulness of the Liberty Science Center and Franklin Institute trips.

"It's not worth the time and money we as parents put up with," she said.

Dreifus said she accompanied students on a previous trip to the Liberty Science Center, where they only had 45 minutes to look at the displays due to the time constraints of the school day. By the time students arrived, watched an IMAX film, had lunch and visited the gift shop, they had little time to spend in the exhibits, she said.

"Parents don't have a clue as to what their kids are seeing," she said.

Board member Margaret Gordon suggested students skip the movie and see other exhibits at Liberty Science Center.

Fourth-grade teacher Irene Pearson commented that she wholeheartedly supports keeping kids away from souvenir shops on class trips.

Board President Mary Ann Friedman said she had questioned administrators about the benefits of the trip to the Franklin Institute, where the secondgraders would view a body systems exhibit.

Board member Doreen Beaumont said CentraState Health Awareness Center in Freehold has a very good exhibit about the body for kids.

Dreifus said she has seen the exhibit at the center and called it "phenomenal." She added that the district could not send a large group of students to the exhibit, but could send individual classes to see it.

Formore information about the eighthgrade trip to the penitentiary, visit www.easternstate.org/visit/kids.php.