2 Wyandanch HS students stranded in Ghana after paperwork snafu snarls trip home
This story was reported by Denise M. Bonilla, Beth Whitehouse and Dandan Zou. It was written by Bonilla.
A problem with travel documents prevented two Wyandanch Memorial High School students who went on a school trip to Ghana from heading home with their peers Saturday, and local and federal officials are working to bring the teenagers home.
School Principal Paul Sibblies remains in the West African nation with the two students, who are 17 and 15 years old.
The boys were part of a group of 17 students and nine adults, including Sibblies, who left April 1 for the weeklong spring-break trip, according to school officials.
"Unfortunately two of my boys did not have their green cards with them to get back. For this reason, I have to stay back with them until we rectify this matter," Sibblies told Newsday in a WhatsApp message Saturday.
The principal said in a message Monday that he planned to confer with the U.S. Embassy in Ghana on Tuesday.
School board member Latesha Walker said the students are members of the school’s Kappa League, a youth service initiative of Kappa Alpha Psi, a predominantly Black fraternity.
Sibblies said this is the first time the group has embarked on educational and cultural travel, with the $90,000 trip subsidized by donations.
Wyandanch Memorial High School Principal Paul Sibblies at the school last year.
Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Walker called the trip “life-changing” for the students and added: “Despite this mishap, the impact will be felt for years to come."
While most of the students returned home Saturday, the two teenagers in question weren't allowed to board the same plane. Local and state officials told Newsday there is an issue with the students’ paperwork but wouldn't elaborate.
Superintendent Gina Talbert said in a statement the district is “unable to comment on the status of individual students due to confidentiality laws.”
Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said he learned of the paperwork snafu from Talbert on Saturday and put the district in contact with the office of U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
“It’s unfortunate that this issue has come up with these two students, but between the assistance from Schumer and the embassy there, I’m confident they’ll be able to resolve this and get the students back safely," Schaffer said.
Schumer spokesman Angelo Roefaro confirmed the senator’s involvement, saying Schumer's office was "in touch with the school and the consular officials and doing all we can to help the students come back."
Jean Petit-Frere, the father of the 15-year-old stuck in Ghana, told Newsday he spoke to Sibblies on Tuesday and his son had been cleared to reenter the United States.
However, there still is an issue with the 17-year-old’s documentation, so Sibblies is trying to resolve that so they all can come home at the same time, Petit-Frere said.
“If this is not going to take too long and they can come back together, it would be better,” the father said, “but not too long, because he has school.”
Petit-Frere said the students are staying in a hotel and doing well.
“He’s OK, so I’m not too worried,” the father added.
Marie Baptiste confirmed the 17-year-old is her son, said she had spoken to him and that "he’s fine," although she's still worried.
In Ghana, the students participated in a traditional naming ceremony and visited historic slave dungeons, along with African markets and a primary school.
The intent of the Ghana adventure, according to a GoFundMe page Wyandanch Memorial High alum and trip participant Daryl Matthews created to help raise money for the trip, was to “allow young Black men to garner the roots and culture of Africa.”
The online fundraiser collected more than $13,000, and an additional $46,000 in donations were made through the school district.
School Board President Jarod Morris said the board approved the trip at a March 8 meeting.
“I don’t regret approving it because from what I’m told, it was an eye-opening experience,” Morris said, adding that he wasn't speaking for the board or school district.
State Assemb. Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Wheatley Heights) said elected officials are keeping a close eye on the situation.
“They’re fine, they’re in good hands,” Jean-Pierre added of the students, "but it’s time to come home.”
