Hoping to Save a Lost Field Trip Twenty-five seats in Section 214 were empty when the Nets took the court Monday night at Barclays Center. Twenty-five fans, most of them high school students from Long Island, had been grounded by Hurricane Sandy. It is a story of sadness, frustration and anger, but one that apparently will end happily enough. Brad Seidman, a teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, had planned to take his "culture of sports" class to the Nets-Timberwolves game. He had purchased tickets, at $25 each, for 22 students and 3 chaperones. But the hurricane knocked out power at the school last week and flooded many homes in the area. With the school still closed Monday and families still recovering, it was not the right time for a field trip. Seidman contacted the Nets last week, seeking to exchange the tickets for another night this season. He was turned away, and told by a sales representative that the group-rate seats were not available for any other games. "I have kids who don't even have homes right now" Seidman said Monday, adding, "Some have lost everything." Under the circumstances, the seemingly insensitive response left Seidman dumbfounded. By Monday evening, however, he was feeling a little more heartened. Barry Baum, the Nets' chief communications officer, spoke with Seidman and promised that the team would exchange the tickets for another game this season. In a telephone interview, Baum called the matter a misunderstanding. "It was saddening to initially see the lack of support from the organization," Seidman said in a follow-up e-mail. The semesterly trip to a professional sporting events holds great educational value to the students in the Sports in American Culture class. I am eager to resolve this situation with the Brooklyn Nets; the game will now serve as a welcomed respite for many of them, as well, as they attempt to rebuild their homes and community.