By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

Greater Cincinnati schools continue to cancel or reschedule trips to Washington, D.C., as a sniper remains on the loose in the area surrounding the nation's capital.

At Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, 35 sophomores who were supposed to leave for Washington Oct. 26 will instead delay traveling there until spring.

"We have postponed our trip due to the dangerous situation in Washington," said Earl Edmonds, dean of students and interim head of schools at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. "It is a scary situation, and you don't want students there."

Earlier this week, Evendale Elementary School Principal Robin Wiley postponed the annual fall trip to Washington, switching it with the spring trip to Michigan.

Springboro postpones

Last week, parents at Springboro Junior High voted to delay their children's Washington trip. More than 300 students had been scheduled to board buses Tuesday for their tour of the capital.

In the past two weeks, nine people have been killed in random shootings at gas stations and parking lots in Maryland, Washington and Virginia.

Unless the sniper is captured in the next two weeks, eighth-graders at Delhi Middle School won't go to Washington on Nov. 9 as planned, said Principal Jeff Brandt.

"We're not going to send anybody anywhere with that kind of situation going on there,'' Mr. Brandt said Thursday.

If the trip is put off, Mr. Brandt said it would be rescheduled for spring.

Eighth-graders at Waynesville Middle School in Warren County should know soon if their annual spring trip to Washington is still on.

A meeting to gather parents' feelings is scheduled for later this month, said Waynesville Principal Mike Doyle.

"If the parents have a desire to change, we may change where we go,'' Mr. Doyle said. "A trip to Washington is the ideal, but our decision will be driven by the desires of our parents and of the board of education.''

At Summit Country Day School in Hyde Park, eighth-graders returned this week from a trip to Washington.

`Kids had a great time'

Before the trip, Principal David Lewis contacted Washington police, arranged to minimize the time students spent outside between sites and met with students to review security, said Summit spokeswoman Jennifer Pierson.

"Everybody felt really safe. The kids had a great time and got to experience something they'll never forget,'' she said.

Enquirer reporters Cindy Kranz and Erica Solvig contributed.