Sask. high school worries band trip to NYC will be cancelled amid teacher job action

High school students in North Battleford are worried their trip to New York City could get cancelled, as teachers continue to withdraw from extracurricular activities.

North Battleford Comprehensive High School Concert Band is scheduled to leave for New York City on March 14.

The students are set to tour the city and perform at various venues during the five-day trip.

Dominique Mannix's 15-year-old daughter is one of the 29 students booked on the trip.

"Hopefully it's going to go ahead, but we're also being a little bit realistic and realizing that there's a good chance that they may not be able to go next week," Mannix said.

"They're disappointed, they're worried. They obviously have planned and worked really hard on being able to go on this trip and they're super excited to go."

Mannix said some of the students' fundraising efforts have been cancelled as a result of teacher job action.

"We don't want to be taking these actions, but unfortunately, we have no other choice," Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte told CTV News.

Saskatchewan Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill disagreed.

"The job sanctions that the STF chooses to make, that's the STF's decision on what, where and when those jobs sanctions are," Cockrill said.

"I would urge the STF leadership to spend less time pulling extracurricular and spend more time at the bargaining table."

The STF said the government has refused to include language around class sizes and support for kids with complex needs in teacher contracts.

"Government to this point in time has not provided their bargaining team with the authority to engage in conversations. It has only been 'take it' or 'leave it' offers — and that isn't true, good faith negotiations," Becotte said.

Mannix is hopeful a deal can be reached before the trip.

"Some of these kids, especially the ones in grade 12, they probably won't get another opportunity to go," Mannix said.