In September of 2019, the Seniors at the Gloucester Township and Pennsauken NJ campuses, started school excited for the lasting memories they were going to make.  

The excitement began as soon as they walked into the door for the final chapter of their high school years.  The emails and meetings started, prepping them for prom, scholarship opportunities, graduation, but the highlight of the year would be their senior trip to Disney.

The itinerary was released, the plans were made, parents and kids started making payments.  The start of school in the fall, turned into the bitter cold of winter, and everyone was looking forward to that warm, tropical escape to the most magical place on earth.  

Just as spring was about to start, things here in NJ were warming up; more than half of the school year was behind them.  

Then, the unthinkable happened...COVID.

What should have been their best year in school was quickly turning into a year full of heartbreak, missed memories, and disappointment. 

Kids were immediately shifted from in-person learning to full remote learning with very little time for planning and preparation.  Kids without Internet would be forced to learn VIA paper, kids who enjoyed the social interaction with their friends were reduced to video chat, kids that just wanted to enjoy the magic of their senior year were shocked.

The school continued to assure the kids this was likely temporary.  They constantly reminded them they were in this “together”.

March went into April.  The questions started.  What about prom?  What about the senior trip?  The school continued to assure them it was still moving as planned with just a minor travel date change.  Parents and kids were given the opportunity to cancel the trip for a nominal fee, with the assurance if they didn’t, the trip was insured.  Many kids and parents held on to hope and didn’t cancel.  The kids and parents worked hard to continue making their trip payments, despite many of them being out of work.  

April turned into May.  Prom was cancelled, graduation was cancelled, but the senior trip was still going as planned.  Hanging on to the last string of hope, the kids looked forward to those last moments of high school with their friends.

Then, mid May, they were delivered what they all feared.  The trip was now cancelled.  Their last opportunity to “just be a kid”, their long awaited trip to the most magical place on earth, was ripped right out from under them. 

The school assured everyone they were working with the travel agent to file claims for reimbursement.  The school maintained the position that refunds would be issued.

They held a drive by senior parade, set up photo opportunities with their caps and gowns, recorded the kids walking across an empty stage and receiving a mock diploma.  

Nothing was what any family envisioned for the Class of 2020.

The heartbreak parents felt was unthinkable, the heartbreak kids felt was unimaginable.

Fast forward to October 2020, the kids and parents are left with not only stolen memories but a loss of money they were promised they would receive.  

Refunds were issued for the airfare, but the trip funds remained unreturned.

The excuses from the school piled up.  

First the insurance denied the claim because it was filed as a group.  The claims were then submitted individually.  They were denied.  

Disney wouldn’t speak to the school.

The travel agent at A Coast Tours LLC of Orlando remained silent.

The school board attorney got involved, communicating with the attorney for the travel agent.  The school felt confident that communications were going well.

The travel agent received the money from Disney.

In the end, the attorney for the A Coast Tours LLC informed the school board attorney no funds would be returned.

The school board attorney has since bailed and suggested that the board contact an attorney more familiar with out of state law.

Parents and kids have lost hope.

We are asking that Camden County Technical Schools immediately refund the students and litigate matters with the A Coast Tours LLC on their own.

The school arranged this trip, the payments were made to the school, and clearly due diligence was not done prior to using A Coast Tours LLC.

A Coast Tours was not a registered business in NJ.  Under the law in NJ, A Coast Tours LLC was required to file formation/authorization documents for the public record as well as file for a business registration certificate (see law here:  https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/busregcert.shtml

A Coast Tours LLC operated in NJ unlawfully.  Camden County Technical Schools did not perform the due diligence of ensuring that this business was operating in NJ in accordance with NJ rules and regulations.

While it’s unfortunate that Camden County Technical Schools have been unsuccessful in obtaining a refund from A Coast Tours LLC, parents and kids should not have to suffer a loss.

We trusted the school with planning our trip.  We trusted the school when they said our trip was insured.  We trusted the school to follow all of the rules and regulations in the State of NJ before entering in a contract with a business entity.

The fault is with the school and the school needs to refund the parents and take their own action to mitigate their losses separately.