Joshua Academy Sends Students to Disney World
Eight sixth-grade students and two staff members will take an all-expenses-paid trip to Walt Disney World in January 2027 through a partnership with Cops Connecting with Kids.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Pre-Teens
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Joshua Academy Charter School will send eight sixth-grade students and two staff members to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, in January 2027. The trip is all-expenses-paid and marks the first partnership the school has entered with Cops Connecting with Kids in its more than 20-year history.
Why it matters
The trip is designed to build trust and positive relationships between students and police officers through shared experiences. It is part of the Cops Connecting with Kids program, which aims to strengthen ties between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Eight sixth-grade students and two school staff members will attend the trip, which is all-expenses-paid. The Joshua Academy partnership with Cops Connecting with Kids is the first of its kind in the school's more than 20-year history.
The players
Joshua Academy Charter School
A charter school in Evansville, Indiana, with more than 20 years of operation, organizing the trip for its sixth-grade students.
Cops Connecting with Kids
A program designed to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve, partnering with the school on the trip.
Evansville Police Department
The local police agency whose officers serve as chaperones on the trip, representing the city's law enforcement in the program.
The details
Cops Connecting with Kids representatives and Evansville Police Department chaperones joined a surprise reveal at Joshua Academy on Tuesday at 1 p.m., informing the eight selected students they would go to Disney World. Students' families were invited to attend the reveal, and the students did not know about the trip beforehand.
Timeline
Tuesday at 1 p.m.: Surprise student reveal of the Disney World trip.
January 2027: Students and staff travel to Walt Disney World.
Season Trajectory
Programs like Cops Connecting with Kids use shared experiences outside the classroom to build trust between young people and police. This Joshua Academy partnership applies that model to a school-funded travel experience in Evansville.
Families of sixth-grade students at Joshua Academy in Evansville have a new opportunity to see their children travel as part of a school-linked program. The trip gives students a structured, all-expenses-paid experience with local police chaperones in January 2027.
The takeaway
Programs that pair students with police in low-pressure settings can help young people form positive views of local officers. Families interested in similar youth-police programs can ask their schools whether they participate in Cops Connecting with Kids.
Further reading
Explore more family and youth stories in the Pre-Teens section for additional local context.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 14news.
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