JEFFERSON TWP — South Butler School Board members voted Wednesday night to suspend a long-running cultural enrichment program for the 2016-17 school year, saying the program lacks a sponsor and district officials have safety concerns.

The program, the German-American Partnership Program, has been running for at least 10 years according to Superintendent David Zupsic. The program let interested students travel to Germany for several weeks during the summer months to explore the country and its culture and history.

But Zupsic on Wednesday said the program's sponsor, a community member with contacts in Germany, had discontinued his participation, and he expressed concerns over “the conditions in Europe” in general and Germany specifically, where he said recent shootings were a point of concern for him.

“Really the main issue is that, because of the timing without a coordinator, we feel like it's going to be very difficult,” Zupsic said. “But underlying, there are concerns about global terrorism and things that are occurring in Germany, specifically.”

Because the program provides for trips every other year, Zupsic said a sponsor would have to be identified in 2018 for a trip to be scheduled in 2019.

“We would open this up again next year and see if we could find a faculty member or even a community member who would be willing to sponsor, and then we would make a determination to see what is happening in Germany as a factor,” he said.

Zupsic also commented on sending students overseas in a foreign-exchange capacity in the current global climate.

“There are concerns with the current global climate with sending students overseas,” he said. “I think right now it's just a concern, and it's just a factor that we will have to consider when these opportunities develop.”