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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today criticized the Department of Education (DOE) for not helping families recover the full amount of money parents paid for a school trip to Mexico that the DOE cancelled due to safety concerns.

Last October, students of MS 447 signed up with EF Tours to take a trip to Mexico in May to enhance their Spanish language skills. On March 26th, the DOE notified the school that it was canceling all trips to Mexico given the travel alert issued by the State Department. EF Tours, however, has offered only partial refunds of the students’ payments.

In his letter to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, which can be viewed at www.comptroller.nyc.gov, Thompson wrote: “I fully appreciate the reasons that DOE cancelled the trip; however, I strongly urge that DOE take an active role in demanding that EF Tours provide a full refund to the parents and students involved. Although EF Tours may be within its rights to withhold money, I also believe that leaving these students and parents with no reasonable option and only a partial refund is not appropriate.”

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