2320P: Field Trips
- 2000: Instructional
2320P: Field Trips
Adoption Date: Aug. 2014
Last Revised: July 2023
Outline
- Definitions
- School Sponsored and Non-School “Privately” Sponsored Trips
- Conflict of Interest
- Trip Approval Process
- Health Considerations
- Financial Considerations
- Fundraising for ASB Extracurricular Trips
- Cancellations
- Trip Management / Supervision
- Post Trip Review
- Yearly Reporting
- Exceptions
- Required Forms
I. Definitions
Chaperone: Adult supervisors who accompany students on a field trip.
- Each student who participates in a field trip must always be under the direct supervision of a staff member or adult supervisor.
- The staff member designated as the trip sponsor is responsible for securing adult supervision for the trip.
- The number of adult supervisors for each trip should be based upon the age of students, duration of the trip, safety considerations, student health considerations, and nature of the activities planned.
- The chaperone to student participant ratio will be approved by the principal.
- In accordance with Procedure 5630P: Volunteers, all volunteer chaperones/supervisors must complete the Athletics and Activities Adult Volunteer process (https://bsd405.org/getinvolved/volunteer/volunteer/) before working with students.
Curricular Trips: Trips associated with an approved course of study and/or students receive a grade.
Day Trip: Trips away from school premises, under the supervision of trip sponsor, that do not require students to be housed overnight away from their home.
Donation: found in Procedure 6114P: Donations and Grants.
Extra-Curricular Trip: Trips associated with a school’s athletic or activities (ASB) program, to afford student participants an experience not routinely provided by the athletic or activities (ASB) program.
Fees (Procedure 3520P: Student, Fees, Fines, Charges and Refunds): The estimated per student travel cost, including but not limited to any required transportation (airfare, bus, etc.), lodging (room and board), and registration costs for a trip.
High Risk Activities: Activities either: a) not covered by the District insurance, b) judged by the District to be too dangerous to risk the premium increase likely to follow a major claim against the District, or c) are activities that, because of their risks, the District deems inappropriate to include in school/District sponsored activities. Any trip sponsor must plan their activities accordingly and avoid all activities listed in district guidance included in 2320P Exhibit H: High Risk Activities.
Medication Authorization: All trip sponsors must take into consideration those students who require the
administration of medication. Student participants who require medication while on a trip must complete
3146P Exhibit A: Medication Authorization Form and return it to their School Nurse in accordance with the Student Health section of this Procedure.
Out of State/Overnight Trip: Trips away from school premises, under the supervision of trip sponsor, that require students to be housed overnight away from their home. All such field trips, whether the trip is curricular, co-curricular, or extra-curricular, are optional.
Trip Sponsor: Any staff member who wishes to accept the responsibility to plan student travel away from school premises. A trip sponsor may plan a curricular, co-curricular, or extra-curricular experience for
student participants.
II. School Sponsored and Non-School “Privately” Sponsored Trips
All school-sponsored field trips must be approved in writing by school administration, district administration, risk management and/or the Superintendent as required under these procedures. All school sponsored trips require pre-approval by the appropriate school/district administrative staff prior to
advertising, planning, or recruiting participants for the trip.
Types of Field Trips:
A field trip is school sponsored if school or ASB funds pay for the activity, it is part of the educational process (e.g., there is a relationship between participation and grades or credit for a class), or it is supervised or staffed by school employees during their contract year. School sponsored trips must be approved in advance, or any District staff associated with a trip without approval may be held personally liable.
For school-sponsored field trips, no qualified student who is member of the group making the trip shall be
prevented from participation due solely to a lack of funds. If families are being asked to contribute to the cost of the field trip, the school must ensure that fundraising opportunities or scholarships are made available to assist students whose families’ financial circumstances do not allow them to contribute the full amount. Such fees will be waived for qualified students as detailed in procedure 3520P: Student, Fees, Fines, Charges and Refunds. If students do not qualify for field trip participation based on behavioral or disciplinary actions or academic standing, alternative educational opportunities will be made available to them at the school during regular school days.
A field trip is privately sponsored if no school funds, equipment, or materials are used; the field trip does not occur during school hours; and the school or the district are not named in promotional materials. All such materials should include clear and prominent notice that the trip is not sponsored by the school or the District. Planning or organizational meetings for privately sponsored field trips should be held off-site or, if at a district site, according to Procedure 4260.1P Community Use of District Facilities. Enrollment at the school should not be a requirement for participation in privately sponsored field trips.
NOTE: Promotion of a privately sponsored field trip by a teacher in his or her classroom or elsewhere during class time is potentially a violation of Policy 5251: Conflicts of Interest.
If a trip is privately sponsored, the individual organizing the trip will assume all responsibility for the safety of participants and may be personally liable for any incidents or injuries that occur. Approval by the District is not required, and the District will assume no liability for these trips. None of the additional guidelines in this Administrative Procedure need to be applied to privately sponsored trips.
Non-School Sponsored Trips are not the responsibility of the District.
| School Sponsored Trip | Non-School "Privately" Sponsored Trip |
|---|---|
| Planned at a school or district-controlled building | Planned away from the school or district-controlled building |
| Planned by a staff member as part of their role with the district | Planned by an individual independent of a school, or district-controlled program |
| Staff member uses their position to recruit participants (students, team members, club members) | Individual does not use a school, teacher, or other district resource to recruit participants (e.g., does not talk about the trip during a class) |
| School/District resources are used to advertise the trip | Individual utilizes community resources to advertise and follows procedure 4060P: distribution of materials when advertising through a school |
| A group receives a grant that provides financial assistance towards the trip | In some instances, the use of a third party (such as Close Up or World Strides) that requires a contract to plan or organize an educational opportunity |
III. Conflict of Interest
In accordance with Policy 5251: Conflicts of Interest, no staff member shall personally benefit from the trip or from the exercise of their influence with students and/or parents, whether the trip occurs during or outside of the instructional day or year. Personal benefit shall exclude subsidization of actual expenses of
transportation, housing and food and other activities required of the employee acting as a chaperone of
students and shall be fully disclosed to parents.
Trips determined to constitute a conflict of interest will not be approved. Travel for post-season play for
interscholastic athletics or merit-based competition for approved school clubs do not constitute a conflict of interest.
Employees who participate in non-school sponsored trips that include District students must disclose these activities on a 5251P Exhibit A: Declaration of a Potential Conflict of Interest form.
IV. Trip Approval Process
The Executive Director responsible for Athletics and Activities will attend scheduled Board meetings to answer any questions the Board may have about applications for Optional/Overnight trips.
No trip will last more than 14 calendar days. There is no exception to this provision.
Any field trip scheduled to take place at a facility owned or operated by a faith-based organization will only be permitted if no secular facilities meet the criteria for selection (location, price, capacity etc.). If a facility owned and/or operated by a faith-based organization is selected, there will be a clear separation from the school-sponsored activities so that the school district does not support or appear to support the establishment of religion. Additionally, schools will endeavor to avoid patronizing facilities that otherwise are intended to serve only one gender. focused on universal core instruction and student-centered learning that is individualized for student needs, and the alignment of systems necessary for academic and social emotional success.
Focused on universal core instruction and student-centered learning that is individualized for student needs, and the alignment of systems necessary for academic and social emotional success.
Specific approval processes for all district trips can be found in the Field Trips, Excursions, and Outdoor
Education SharePoint Site.
V. Health Considerations
While planning, trip sponsors must account for those students who require the administration of medication and/or have health needs requiring additional care or accommodations for field trip attendance. Plans must follow board policies and procedures that govern student health, including:
Students who do not turn in required health forms, including 3416P: Exhibit A: Medication Authorization Form will be ineligible to attend a field trip.
Required medication may be administered using one (1) of the following three (3) methods for In State Field Trips:
- A parent/guardian can accompany their student on the field trip and can be responsible for administering their student’s medication, or
- A staff member who has been trained in field trip medication administration by the School Nurse and will accompany students on the field trip can administer the medication (The training of staff
members is detailed in 3416P: Medication at School), or - A student who has been authorized by their parent and prescribing healthcare provider to possess and self-administer medication can carry and administer medications. (The authorization process is
outlined in 3419P: Self-Administration of Asthma and Anaphylaxis Medications.)
School Nurses will be provided access to their school’s FinalForms platform, so they are able to review each roster of students who are invited to attend a trip using FinalForms. Nurses will then be able to provide the trip sponsor and administration a list of those students who do not complete all required medical paperwork within one week of a trip.
Trip sponsors are required to communicate with the building administration at that point to determine eligibility for travel for those students with missing medical paperwork. For any trip scheduled for the
summer break, this review must be completed prior to the end of the school year
Planning any Trip includes consideration of the following:
- For in state Trips – either Day Trips or Optional/Overnight Trips: School staff must notify the School Nurse at minimum four (4) school weeks prior to the field trip and provide a roster of attending students and any medical information they may have received at minimum two (2) school weeks prior to the trip date.
- For out of state Optional/Overnight and International Field Trips: School staff must notify the School Nurse at minimum eight (8) school weeks prior to the field trip and provide a roster of attending students and any medical information they may have received at minimum six (6) school weeks prior to the trip date.
NOTE: WA State Nurse License Laws do not allow nurses to practice outside of the state of Washington. This includes delegating authorization to provide medications and care to school staff for field trips outside of the state of Washington. To determine how to accommodate students for an interstate or international field trip, consult with the School Nurse.
VI. Financial Considerations
Student Participation: No student will be denied the opportunity to participate in curricular, co-curricular, or extracurricular field trips due to a student’s inability to pay.
Estimated travel costs may be collected from individuals as a deposit in advance of approval. Any fee
assigned to a student must follow Procedure 3520P: Student Fees, Fines, Charges, and Refunds. The school may hold these funds in a secure account during the planning process but until Board approval is received the secured funds may not be spent or dispersed.
VII. Fundraising for ASB Extracurricular Trips
Fundraising must follow applicable district procedure(s) and align with these best practices:
- ASB fundraising is intended to reduce the overall cost of the trip for all student participants.
Best practice for this type of travel means that groups seeking approval for travel should fundraise no less than 20% of the total cost of any trip where the cost per individual participant totals over $100. After fundraising, a group may assign the remaining cost to individual participants as a fee. - ASB fundraising is a group effort not intended to reduce the cost of a trip for any individual student participants. For example, one student should not get more credit because they raised more funds than others. Additionally, any School or District Support Organization that credits individual students for fundraising efforts may risk non-compliance with IRS rules for exempt organizations.
- Scholarship donations intended to help with the cost of a trip for an individual student participant
may be accepted by a school in accordance with Procedure 3510P – ASB. Schools should work with
Business Services to ensure these donations are properly received.
VIII. Cancellations
If a trip is cancelled, refunds will be considered in accordance with 3520P Exhibit A – Student Fees, Fines,
Charges, and Refunds, and 6114P, Donations and Grants.:
IX. Trip Management / Supervision
It is essential that all trip sponsors prepare to manage participants while on a trip. Below is a non-exhaustive list of considerations for trip sponsors as they finalize a student supervision plan.
All Trips
- The number of adult supervisors should be based upon the age of students, duration of the trip, safety considerations, and nature of the activities planned.
- At least two chaperones should accompany a single student and at least one male and one female
chaperone must accompany mixed groups. - The building principal approves the chaperone to student ratio as well as any exception to having
both male and female chaperones supervise a trip. - All chaperones must complete an orientation/training through the sponsoring school prior to the
planned trip. The orientation/training will include specific guidelines for chaperones, including but
not limited to line of site supervision, and Procedure 5281: Disciplinary Action and Discharge, which
discusses use of alcohol. - Who will support student medication administration (if needed) must be discussed with the School
Nurse.
Out of State/Overnight and International Trips
- Chaperones should have separate rooms while on any out-of-state/overnight or international trip.
Any exception (i.e., 10 students in a cabin) must be approved by the school principal. - The ratio for chaperones to students for out-of-state/overnight and international trips should be no
greater than 1:10. - Plans for how chaperones will communicate with students while traveling must be worked out in advance. (i.e., cell phone etc.) Should a trip sponsor or chaperone need assistance with communication, contact school administration or the Department of Athletics and Activities.
X. Post Trip Review
Any field trip is subject to a review. Therefore, it is essential that all trip sponsors and relevant school
personnel secure and retain all paperwork associated with a trip. The following is a list of required
documentation that must be saved for each trip. Additional information should be retained if relevant to the trip.
All Trips
- All completed paperwork (2320P exhibits) associated with the trip. For Middle School and High School students, these forms are completed in FinalForms.
- A final roster of students who attended the trip. For Middle School and High School trips, this can be a ‘Group’ created and stored in FinalForms.
- All invoices associated with the trip.
- All receipts associated with the trip.
- A list of all volunteers and chaperones who participated in the trip.
- A copy of any driver authorization forms for any chaperone who drove students during the trip.
- Any medication administration records associated with the trip.
XI. Yearly Reporting
Each school will complete a summary report of all student trips (day trips, out-of-state/overnight, and
international trips) to provide to the Department of Athletics and Activities each school year. The report will be used to inform the Department’s annual report to the school board. The report will be due to the
Department by June 30 each year. The report may be reported in a spreadsheet or in another easily accessible format and will include:
- The name of the group/club/team taking the trip
- The sponsor of the trip
- The objective/educational purpose of each trip
- The dates of the trip (leave/return date)
- A roster of participating students for each trip
- The final cost of each trip
- The student fees associated with each trip
XII. Exceptions
Exceptions to the requirements of this Procedure may be made by the Superintendent on a case-by-case basis where extraordinary circumstances exist.
All signed approval forms and trip records shall be kept on file at the school according to Policy 3231:
Student Records and Procedure 3231P: Student Records.
XIII. Required Forms
- 2320P Exhibit A – Parent Authorization and Acknowledgement of Risk for Field Trip
- 2320P Exhibit B – Overnight or Out of State Field Trip Application
- 2320P Exhibit C – Parent Authorization and Acknowledgement of Risk for Out of State or Overnight Field Trips
- 2320P Exhibit D – Notice and Waiver of Extended Field Trip Expenses
- 2320P Exhibit E – Out of State or Overnight Field Trip Emergency Health Form
- 2320P Exhibit G – Staff and Volunteer Driver and Private Vehicle Authorization Form
- 2320P Exhibit H - High Risk Activities
- 3416P Exhibit A - Medication Authorization Form