6th grade class trip to Florida? Wha..?

ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!  Nope.  I knew this sometime in the past as I have two older sons...but in my Mommy way and dealing w/ my CRS(Can't Remember Shit) I had forgotten.  Until.  My youngest son, who's going to be in 6th grade next year, asked me if he could go.  Talk about over the top.  The 6th grade class trip is going to Florida for 1 week, to visit Disney world and other locations.  Why?  I don't know, I have yet to ever see what the logic is behind it.  They go during spring break and it costs $1800 per student, and $1800 if the parent wants to go and chaperon.   WHAT?!  First of all, there's no way in HELL OR on God's green Earth that my kid is going to Florida for a week w/ people I don't know...yeah, they may be teachers but do you read the headlines?  I don't trust them THAT far.  Second of all, I can't afford to take my own vacation let alone shell out $1800 for my youngest son to go on vacation while the rest of us sit here and be bored out of our minds.  I believe there are 130ish kids in my oldest sons class, 38 of them went on the Florida trip as 6th graders.  I know this because I asked the principal, I was curious because I couldn't believe that anyone would go for it.  38 parents didn't say "No".

What is with this? Why does the school think this is a good idea?  When my oldest was in 9th grade, the band went to Hawaii, why? So they could say they went to Hawaii, they didn't march in a parade, they didn't play their instruments, they just went there for a week to have fun and came back.   The 8th grade's class trip was Cedar Point, this one I did let my kids go, it was only for the day and they actually had to do a worksheet for Science/Math while they were there.  We are from Michigan, so Cedar Point is not nearly as far as Florida, and the cost was pretty minimal.  9th Grade goes to Chicago for the museums..fine.

When I was in School we had ONE class trip, that was for the SENIORS, I believe it was to Cedar Point, I didn't go, I think I had to work or something..again CRS.  We had winter camp in 7th grade, in our own state, about 100 miles from home, we had camp in 5th grade also in our own state, about 60 miles from home.  That was the extent of trips in my whole school career.   I was ok w/ that I didn't grow up stunted or anything because my class didn't take a trip to Florida.  I've been to Florida 3 times, nice place, wouldn't want to live there. I just don't get it.

So I calmly explained to my youngest son, that "no, you can't go on the trip, it's too expensive and neither of your brothers got to go."  Life goes on.