Districts Starting to Loosen Student Travel Bans

By Michelle Galley

Students from Community High School District 155 in Crystal Lake, Ill., often took field trips to Chicago, just 50 miles to the south. But district officials, fearing an increased risk to student safety, called a halt to all trips after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"It was a tenuous time," said Mike Mills, the superintendent of the 6,000- student district. Tall buildings in Chicago, like the Sears Tower and the Chicago Trade Center, district officials reasoned, could become the next targets after the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were struck.

Today, Crystal Lake students again regularly trek to the Windy City. As airport security has increased and the nation has regained a sense of normalcy—even the White House will be reopened to visitors this month—many districts are reconsidering...