April 16, 2007, 2:42 PM EDT
NEW YORK -- A spring break trip to Cuba taken by students and a teacher
from a public high school in New York City has raised concerns about
whether the group violated U.S. restrictions on travel to the Communist
country and the possibility some could face thousands of dollars in fines.
"We are investigating," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters on Monday.
A city Department of Education spokesman said this year's trip to Cuba
was not officially sanctioned by the Beacon School, although the
school's Web site featured a call for applications and a list of
selected students, as well as details of previous sponsored trips to the
island.
"We were told that it violated State Department travel restrictions,"
said department spokesman David Cantor.
He added that the education department had asked a special investigator
to see if any school regulations were violated on this trip or previous
ones. However, it's unclear what the education department could do if
the teacher, Nate Turner, and the students acted independently, Cantor said.
The Beacon School has a history of sponsoring trips to foreign
countries, including South Africa, Mexico, Spain and France. In 2004-05,
according to the school Web site, students had to take a class if they
wanted to go on a trip to Cuba.
In mid-October, Turner posted a release on the school's Web site
advertising that applications for this year's trip were available. An
essay was one of the requirements. It was unclear how many students
actually went on the trip, though a school Web site posting listed about
30 students who had been selected for it.
Turner did not respond to an e-mail request seeking comment on Monday.
Neither did school principal Ruth Lacey, though she told the New York
Post, which first reported the story in its Monday editions, that the
school had denied approval for the trip but that Turner went ahead and
arranged it.
Julia Lord, whose twin sons chose not to go after being told only one
could take the trip, said Turner was a terrific teacher, and that
parents were informed that the trip was not officially sponsored by the
school.
Her husband, Lee Kalcheim, said he felt it was ridiculous that there
would be any problems with such a foray.
"Our policy toward Cuba is nonsense," Kalcheim said. "You antagonize.
You just make things worse. We should have just had normal relations
with them."
Traveling to Cuba has been difficult for more than 40 years because of
the country's rocky relations with the United States. In 2004, the U.S.
implemented special restrictions that made it even more difficult.
Molly Millerwise, spokeswoman for the U.S. Treasury Department, declined
to comment on the Beacon School case.
The department hands out travel licenses for Cuba trips, and Millerwise
said permission is granted to some groups, including for those seeking
to engage in religious activity or humanitarian aid.
Educational licenses are granted to graduate and undergraduate students
for trips that last a minimum of 10 weeks, but no such licenses are
granted at the high school level, she said. People who violate sanctions
can face penalties ranging from warnings to a $65,000 fine.
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