Walsall pupils stranded after hotel 'shreds 41 passports'
- Published
Forty-two pupils were left stranded in the US after a hotel apparently shredded their passports in error.
The teenagers from Barr Beacon School in Walsall were due home from a skiing trip on Saturday but have stayed four more days to get emergency documents.
One mother said she was initially shocked but the school's "phenomenal" response had been reassuring.
Head Katie Hibbs said she was proud of staff on the trip "for managing this very challenging situation".
The group are now in New York on an impromptu sight-seeing tour while they have been sorting out documents through the British Embassy.
They were previously staying at the Kancamagus Lodge in Lincoln, New Hampshire, which has been contacted by the BBC for a response.
Mrs Hibbs told the BBC: "Forty-one of the passports were destroyed whilst the group were staying at the hotel in New Hampshire."
She said the British Embassy had completed their applications and they were due home on Wednesday.
The mother who spoke to the BBC did not want to be named. She said the trip was an significant event for the pupils in Years 8 to 10, and had been cancelled twice due to the Covid pandemic.
She was concerned about her teenage daughter after parents were emailed about the passport situation last week.
"It was a horrific shock really," she said. "It's the first time she has been away from family for this long. And what they were doing was really challenging - skiing black runs or blue runs, depending on their experience."
But she said the teacher leading the trip communicated well and supported pupils.
"She was up throughout the night answering our emails and questions, when she should have been sleeping," she said.
"The pastoral care, and how they have been looked after has been so reassuring."
Silver lining
She also praised Mrs Hibbs who immediately put a plan in place and ensured all parents filled out the required paperwork within 24 hours.
"The way the head teacher has been problem-solving from a distance has been fantastic," she said.
"She has just communicated well with us and was really calm and really clear. She has just been phenomenal."
The mother said "thankfully" her daughter had her mobile phone and she had been able to talk to her.
"The silver lining is that they can have an amazing experience and I said 'just be present and enjoy it'," she said.
Pupils have seen the city's sights from the Staten Island Ferry and visited attractions, including Central Park.
Mrs Hibbs said the four staff members in New York were now "supporting pupils to explore the city on a dwindling budget" and she looked forward to the party's return.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "Our staff are always on hand to support Brits in trouble overseas and we have been in close contact with this school to assist them. We are processing their applications for emergency travel documents so the staff and children can return to the UK as quickly as possible."