THE principals of two schools in Co Derry have said their decision to cancel a cross-community trip to Euro 2016 in France was taken for the safety of pupils.
St Mary’s Grammar School and Magherafelt High School pulled out of the planned trip after contacting Irish and British government officials.
More than 50 year eight and nine pupils and five members of staff were due to travel to the tournament next month where they hoped to see games involving the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Thousands of soccer fans from both sides of the border are expected to make the journey after both teams qualified for the finals for the first time.
French security chiefs are on high alert ahead of the tournament over fears that Islamic extremists might target games.
St Mary’s principal Deirdre Gillespie said doubts about the trip were first raised after 130 people were killed in Paris during a wave of gun and suicide attacks last November.
The decision to cancel was taken in April, weeks after Isis also carried out attacks in the Belgian city of Brussels which claimed the lives of 35 people, including three suicide bombers.
Ms Gillespie, who is chair of the Magherafelt Learning Partnership, said the joint school trip had taken 18 months to plan and was part of a cross-community programme which brings children to major sporting events including the Olympics, Rugby World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
She said it was called off “as a result of our concern for the safety and well being of pupils based on global terror attacks and the Brussels attack”.
“With the information we were getting through about the threat to France we felt we had to cancel,” she said.
Ms Gillespie said the parents of children who were due to take part will be fully refunded.
However, she revealed that the two schools have been left with a bill after insurers refused to pay out.
It is understood the tour operator has returned only a small proportion of the deposits paid.
The head teacher said both the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin and the Foreign Office in London were contacted before the decision was taken.
“They referred us to websites,” she said.
“And when you go on websites and read it, it’s absolutely frightening.”
She said there was no resistance from parents over the decision.
“Everyone understood the clear rationale as to why we were doing it."
Magherafelt High School principal Stephen Elder said the events in Paris and Brussels had brought about an “unsettled feeling”.
“The children were disappointed and you try to get the balance right and I hope we have not overreacted, but you could not live with yourself if something did happen."
Mr Elder said the parents of the children who attend his school were “all supportive of the decision”.
He added that the cost of reimbursing families at Magherafelt High could amount to between £1,500 and £2,000.
