SEQUIM — A 10-year relationship between the Sequim School District and the Yamasaki Sister City Program may be severed if directors of the School Board take Superintendent Garn Christensen’s advice.
The cultural exchange program, which involves a contingent of district students traveling to Sequim’s Japanese “sister city” and receiving young guests from Yamasaki in return, has been officially sponsored by the school district for many of its years of operation.
The School Board, meeting Monday night, voted to table a motion deciding the program’s fate until its Aug. 12 meeting.
With official sponsorship, legal liability escalates and the district’s insurance carrier is no longer willing to cover potential claims associated with such travel, Christensen told board members Monday night.
Select few students
Making it clear that he sees overall benefits to the program, Christensen said he could not recommend continuing district sponsorship only a select few students attend the trip each year.
“There’s no question it’s a very valuable program,” he said.
“But when I put on my school district risk-management hat, I don’t see it as a part of our main educational objectives.”