Jakarta –
Forty-two students are stranded in the US. That was after a hotel apparently tore up their passports by mistake.
Launch BBC, Tuesday (28/2/2023), they are from Barr Beacon School in Walsall and will be returning home from a ski trip. But they have to stay another four days to get emergency documents.
“I am proud of the staff who were able to manage this challenging situation. Forty-one passports were destroyed while the group was staying in a hotel in New Hampshire,” said Principal Katie Hibbs.
He said the British embassy had finalized their application and they would return home the following day, Wednesday. One parent said the trip was a landmark event for pupils in years 8-10, and it had been canceled twice due to the Covid pandemic.
“It was a really horrible shock. It was the first time he had been away from his family for this long. And what they did was really challenging and it was their experience,” he said.
But he said the teacher who led the trip communicated well and supported the students.
“He was up all night answering our emails and questions, when he should have been sleeping. The pastoral care, and how they are looked after has been so reassuring,” he said.
He also credits Hibbs for promptly putting plans in place and making sure all parents filled out the necessary paperwork within 24 hours.
“The way the principal has solved the problem from a distance is fantastic,” he said.
“He just communicated really well with us and was really calm and very clear.”
Watch Video “Passport Validity Period Extended To 10 Years“
(msl/fem)
