2340A - FIELD TRIP GUIDELINES

Field trips as defined in School Board policy must be related to a course of study and therefore are a required part of instruction. If the trip cannot be directly related to a course of study, it should be considered a co-curricular or extra-curricular activity. The following guidelines have been provided to help ensure the effectiveness of all field trips.

General Procedures

1. All requests shall be submitted to the Superintendent on the Field Trip Request Form (Form 2340 F1) in advance of the scheduled trip with the names of all staff members and chaperones who will accompany the students.

2. Upon approval of a trip, the principal shall forward a copy of the pretrip proposal to the sponsor.

3. Parental Consent Forms must be returned to the administration before the trip. A blanket authorization may be obtained for trips that will consist of a series of trips during the school year. If the student will be unsupervised during certain portions of the trip, Form 2340 F2a must be signed and returned prior to the trip. No student will be allowed to participate if the parental consent form is not received prior to the trip.

4. For trips that can be completed before the end of the school day, the following procedure is to be used. If it becomes necessary to take a student to a hospital for emergency treatment, contact the nearest hospital or local law enforcement agency. Call the school office, or if after hours, the school's emergency number and request the secretary or emergency person to fax the student's Emergency Medical Authorization Form to the hospital right away. Be sure to provide the name and location of the hospital, and if possible its telephone or fax number. The secretary or emergency person is responsible for obtaining the hospital's fax number, if not provided, and for ensuring that the EMA Form reaches the hospital immediately.

   The secretary or emergency person should then contact the parents, if possible, and inform them of the situation.

5. Field trips may be denied for any one of the following reasons:

   1. failure to comply satisfactorily with pretrip requirements

   2. excessive cost or limited financial resources

   3. the students involved have generally been involved in other field trips or school activities that have kept them out of class in the weeks preceding or following the scheduled trip

   4. excessive number of students taking trips on that particular day

   5. lack of availability of transportation

   6. inadequate provision for student safety and welfare

6. Each principal is to develop and publish a list of times during the school year when field trips will not be approved.

7. Problems with the field trip should be brought to the attention of the principal immediately upon return. The principal shall inform the Superintendent of any major problems.

8. For every field trip there must be a ratio of teachers and chaperones to students as determined by the principal.

9. At no time are students to be left ON THEIR OWN during the course of the field trip without parental approval.

10. At least one (1) staff member is to remain at the school after the return trip until all students have been picked up.

11. Any disciplinary problems are to be reported to the principal immediately upon returning to the school for appropriate action.

In the event of any emergency during a field trip, the bus driver should contact appropriate persons from his/her emergency list and the teacher in charge should contact the principal.