Threat cancels Holocaust Museum trip
Wednesday was set to be the day for several American Cultures classes to tour the Holocaust Museum, one of the highlights of many students’ freshman years. Instead, they will be in class. Because of a new propaganda video from the Islamic State (ISIS), which names Washington D.C. as a potential target for a future terrorist attack, the trip has been cancelled.
The announcement came during RTII on Monday, when Mr. Matthew Shockey, a social studies teacher who teaches classes scheduled to go on the trip, came over the public address system to announce the trip had been cancelled, and that reasons and refunds would be discussed the next day in class.
Inquiries to social studies teachers confirmed that the cancellation was in response to a new video purportedly released by an ISIS affiliate that threatens attacks on any entities participating in Syrian air strikes, specifically enumerating Washington D.C. as a potential target.
“[The video] has given us little choice,” says Mr. Shockey in an email.
The new threat comes on the heels of terror attacks in Paris, France, that killed some 129 people, and catalyzed international fear over possible follow-ups from ISIS, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks.
There is no word as to whether the trip will be rescheduled.
UPDATE: On Thursday, November 19, the Holocaust Museum field trip was rescheduled for Monday, December 14.
Editor's Note: Not embedding the video in question was a deliberate editorial decision of the LSNews.org editorial staff. Questions or concerns can be directed to lspioneernews@gmail.com.
