her parents contacted, Mr. Chen would have to call the superintendent and
law enforcement would have to be involved.
About thirty minutes later, a relieved but very angry COSA called. The
student’s friends knew she had left. She had told them that she had a pro-
fessional acting job on the West Coast, and she had gone to the airport to
catch her flight. The COSA added that she had reached the girl’s mother,
who, indeed, knew and approved of all of this. Subsequently, Mr. Chen
had a long conversation with this mother. The rest of the school trip was
without incident. The once missing girl safely flew back home to her fam-
ily from her West Coast job. The student’s guidance counselor spoke with
her and her mom.
The other incident involved a trip of special needs students to a park on
Staten Island. This was on school time and was considered an educational
trip to learn about nature. The three teacher chaperones were experienced
teachers. At about 4:00 p.m., Mr. Chen received a call from an angry
superintendent. She had just received a call from a policeman on Staten
Island. It seems that two students on this trip had been left alone in the
park. These two special needs students found a pay telephone and called
911 to report that their bus had left without them. They were now in the
police station.
Fortunately, the assistant principal of special education was still in the
school. Upon hearing about this, she called the precinct and said she was
on her way to personally pick up the children. She called the parents to
say there had been a mix-up and she would make sure their children were
brought home. She drove to Staten Island, picked up the children, and
brought them home. Needless to say there was significant follow-up with
the parents, children, and, most of all, the teachers. In the end, the children
were safe, but Mr. Chen was left to imagine what could have happened.
As principal, Mr. Chen approved hundreds of trips during his many
years as a principal. These were the only two incidents where the welfare
of children was at issue. In both cases, the children were safe. The teach-
ers were free to provide children with expanded horizons, but after each
of these incidents, what could have happened made him wonder if it was
worth the risk to the welfare of children (and to his own position) to al-
low trips. This questioning only lasted a few hours. As you will learn as
a principal, you have to continue to trust your staff and permit students to
experience the world outside of the classroom.
Let Your People Fly 79