Field Trips

Field Trip Forms and Information Available Through Google Staff Folder

It is highly encouraged that your review this Google Slide Presentation (has hyperlinks to forms inside it) and use the summary outline below to guide your planning.

If you have school trips scheduled for the months of September and October , please send your request to Paige Elliott ASAP on the correct forms for our area superintendent's approval/signature. The area superintendent's office will return all documents unapproved if they do not meet the requirements. 

Please Note from Area Superintendent's Office:

1. All plans must be approved by the Field Trip committee signed/dated with the final approval signature from your principal. 

2. Field Trip requests for any grade level will not be approved 30 days before testing dates.  Please look at the testing calendar before approving school trips.  

3. To ensure access to educational experiences for all students, schools must provide their school nurse at least 30-days in advance copies of  the 1713a "Parental Consent and Student Medical Information for School Trips"  for students identified as having medical needs.  You do not need the nurse's signature if school trips do not deviate from policy (see below).  School Trips that deviate from policy requires the Area Superintendent's signature.  

4. Yearly forms must contain all departure and return dates for each trip (this identifies if trip is overnight).

   1. The following link, provides an informational document, "At a Glance for School Trips", with  step-by-step instructions.

   2. Click Here for detailed instructions provided by the area superintendent's office.  This presentation has hyperlinks to forms.  

5. The statement below must be added to all communications with parent/guardian(s): If your child's medication, need for medical assistance, or medical condition has changed since you completed the "Parental Consent and Student Medical Information for School Trips" form, please contact _________________(Teacher/Sponsor) and provide updated school trip health information.

6. Behavior policy agreements cannot be part of the conditions allowing or disallowing students to attend  

All Elementary/Middle school trips that deviate from policy - Area Superintendent's Signature Required:

~School trips involving an overnight stay.

~School trips exceeding 125 miles one way.

~School trips involving competitions or adjudications that are out of the system

~School trips involving amusement parks (elementary field trips to amusement parks are prohibited)

~School Trips involving Water Related Activities

~School Trips outside the continental US*

*requires a presentation to the board

*the area superintendent shall notify the Office of Risk Management

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PROCEDURES        

I.                   Draft a plan of the field trip (dates, location, purpose, transportation, etc.) with colleagues 

II.                Select a Date

A.    Check with the receptionist or lead secretary to ensure there are no conflicts 

B.     Be sure your selected date does not conflict with major testing (EOGs, iReady, etc.).  No trips may be taken during the 30 days prior to EOGs/EOCs/End-of-Year Exams. 

C.    Keep in mind the date is not guaranteed until approved by the principal when you submit your field trip request form (form 1713c) 

III.             Transportation: Tentative Planning

A.    Be sure that your form of selected transportation is available.  If using a yellow bus (bookkeeper) or activity bus (athletic director), complete a bus request form.  

 i.      FVMS school activity bus: FVMS Athletic Director

ii.      Charter bus: Must be from approved WCPSS list

 iii.      FVHS school activity bus: FVHS Athletic Director

 iv.      Yellow bus: school bookkeeper

B.     Remember that there are charges associated with most forms of transportation

C.    Remember, you will have to secure a driver for the large activity buses.  We do have the small/short activity bus that does not require a CDL.

D. Additional Transportation Notes:

If using more than one bus, provide the office a list of what classes will be riding which bus.

 Trip Team Leader will provide bus drivers with appropriate maps/directions to field trip location.  It is also their responsibility to have in their possession a Confirmation Letter and/or a check from the school in the amount agreed upon for admission.

 Chaperones are NOT permitted to ride on school buses.  They must provide their own transportation.  Carpooling is highly recommended.  Give chaperones directions/maps to the destination.  Confusion may result if chaperones follow the bus (only to find upon their arrival that they have followed the wrong bus to a completely different location).  Accidents can result in parents trying to keep up with buses through red lights, etc.

Any parent that would like to drive their student home from a field trip must sign the Parental Transportation Release form.

IV.             Forms/Documents   

A.    “Field Trip 1713c_school_trip_request” This is the first “official” step in field trip procedures.  Typically, an assistant principal collects these forms by a deadline set at the beginning of the year and shares the forms with the principal.  Unless your form involves water or is more than 125 miles from school, you can assume that if you do not hear back with concerns within 2 weeks of the deadline, then your trip is approved.  If you have field trip opportunities presented during the year, this form should be completed immediately and submitted for approval.

B.     “Field Trip Safety and Medical Plan” This portion is attached to the 1713c form and outlines what your plan is for supervision, emergency contacts, students with medical needs, etc. 

C.    “Detailed Itinerary” outlines times and locations (arrival, transition from one location to another, lunch, expected departures, etc.)  The Itinerary should have a list of chaperones and their duties.

D. "Yellow and Activity Bus Request Form" to be completed and approved 30 days prior to the trip.  

E.    Note: Any trips involving water or are more than 125 miles from school require area superintendent approval after being approved by school principal.  Be sure you put Post-It or other flag when submitting to FVMS administration to ensure that the paperwork is handled quickly and submitted to the area superintendent. 

V.    Next Steps: Once your trip is approved, be sure you complete the following steps.

A.    Secure your transportation.

B.     Money: Coordinate with the bookkeeper money collection and payments. Follow WCPSS Collection and Receipt procedures. Use the Field Trip Cost Calculator found in the staff Google folder.  

C.    Volunteers/Chaperones are approved through the WCPSS Volunteer System check with front office staff for an approved list. 

D.    Have students/parents complete the 1713a form “Field Trip Permission Slip Parental Consent and Medical Information” and have forms returned to you no later than 30 days prior to the trip. 

E.      Make copies of any 1713a forms that require medical attention.  Keep the original for your records and submit the copy to the school nurse no later than 30 days prior to the trip.  The 30 day notice is necessary to ensure that the appropriate medications and forms are secured through independent doctors and staff receive necessary training.  

F.      Cafeteria: If your trip will affect cafeteria services (10 or more students), then please inform the cafeteria of your plan at least 30 days in advance so that meals can be prepared accordingly and waste is minimal.  The cafeteria can prepare bag lunches, too. Discuss your options and plans with the cafeteria manager.  Below in the attachments is the "Field Trip Lunch Form" spreadsheet that you should share with the cafeteria manager in preparation for making bag lunches.  English Lunch Order Forms for Students/Parents and Spanish Lunch Order Forms for Students can be sent home with permission slips so that you can collect the necessary information to complete the Field Trip Lunch Form spreadsheet for the cafeteria.  Again, whether you are utilizing bag lunches or not, the cafeteria should be made aware of the event so that it can plan accordingly. 

G.    List: Compile a list of all students attending the trip and email to all staff explaining who will be out and the expectation for completing missing work. Supply a paper copy of the list to the receptionist at least 10 days prior to the trip so that she has time to cross-reference medications (just because a parent checks "no" on the permission slip does not always mean that there isn't medicine at the school for the child). 

H.    Attendance: If your trip affects official attendance records, make a plan with the data manager to ensure that present and absent students are recorded accurately.

I.       Red Bag: Ensure your Red Bag is supplied and has up-to-date rosters.  Take the bag with you on the trip.

VI.    Secure Substitutes - If you require a substitute, you should make those arrangements well in advance.  Check with the principal, bookkeeper, and lead secretary for who would need to pay for the substitute.         

VII.  Field Trip Checklist Be sure you complete the above checklist to ensure you have not missed a step, procedure, or protocol. 

GUIDELINES

·         Field trips are part of the school program. No student shall be excluded based on behavior or inability to pay. If you have behavior concerns, consult with an administrator. If you have monetary concerns, check with the administration for the availability of scholarships.

·         Students are expected to pay for field trip activities that occur during the day except for performing arts and other student activities that involve competition or students representing our school. Parents and/or students will fund activities for students that involve voluntary competition after school and on weekends. Teachers are to issue receipts to students for any monies collected.

·         Students are responsible for making up any/all work missed while away from school for field trips.

·         Teachers/teams are asked to identify the instructional group that will participate and to communicate the guidelines for participating in a field trip to all staff members, students and families that may be affected in a timely manner.

·         The performing arts department is asked to coordinate when planning performances and/or recruitment trips to minimize the amount of direct instructional time that is missed.

·         Teams/teachers are asked to carry a cell phone(s) with them on the trip in case of an emergency.  Teams/teachers should carry the parent consent forms with emergency contact information.  In the event of an emergency or unusual circumstance (like a delayed return), the school trip sponsor should call the school and speak directly with an administrator (principal and if not available then assistant principals) to inform him/her of the situation. If the trip is after school hours, contact an administrator directly using home or cell numbers.

·         Team/Teachers are asked to notify the front office of medical needs 30 days in advance in order to get the medicines and proper documentation prepared. 

·         The trip should be an extension or enhancement of the curriculum.  We ask that you do some coordination so each child has similar opportunities for trips.  You don’t have to duplicate, but we should not have one team not planning any trips and another planning lots of trips.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

I.                   TRANSPORTATION: When securing transportation, remember to consider the needs of any handicapped students who may be traveling on the trip.  Request buses with lifts if needed.

A.    Yellow Bus

i.      If you plan to use yellow WCPSS buses, coordinate with bookkeeper regarding costs.

ii.      Generally, yellow buses hold about 50 students.

iii.      They are only available from 9:30 am until 1:30 pm. 

iv.      Bookkeeper will need requests for yellow buses at least 45 days in advance.

B.     Activity Bus: If you wish to use our large, white activity bus or the short activity bus, see Athletic Director to reserve.  She can tell you about the costs related to fuel and the requirements of the driver whom you secure.  Large bus requires a CDL driver; small bus does not.

C.    Charter Bus: See list of WCPSS Approved Charter Bus Companies.  Arrange payment through bookkeeper.  Trips that are using charter buses REQUIRE that you submit a Certificate of Insurance that is provided by the charter bus company.  Yes, each approved company is required to have one on file with WCPSS, but our area superintendent requires that we submit it again, so you will need to ask for it from the charter bus company!   

II.                MULTIPLE TRIPS: Form 1713a that can be completed and submitted once from a teacher for multiple school trips that are planned for one specific group of students. For example, a band director can submit this form once for multiple marching band competition trips scheduled for the same group of students or an elementary classroom teacher can submit this form for all of their class field trips for the year.  Please view the attached new Form 1713a which allows a Teacher/Program Sponsor to list all trips the student is taking with them during that school year. The new Form 1713a has been posted in English and Spanish in the Online Staff Handbook and the WCPSS Intranet Forms page.

III.             VOLUNTEERS WILL NOT be able to chaperone field trips unless they are APPROVED. First-time approval process may take up to 2-3 weeks.  The approval process starts with a parent applying online at any WCPSS school, including our media center, as this is only available via Intranet.  

IV.              MISCELLANEOUS

A.    Give students a written reminder of what they may need to bring and review your expectations for the trip.

B.     Assign groups and chaperones ahead of time.  Plan where chaperones will report the day of the trip. 

C.     Secure coolers and other needed items ahead of time.  

D.    Space your adults throughout the bus so to provide needed supervision for travel as well as activity.

E.     Take at least one red bag per bus on the trip as well as your permission slips with contact numbers.  Have a communication plan.  Exchange cell phone numbers with each bus.  Leave numbers with front office.  If returning after school hours, call your administrator or principal to report you are back safely.  If you have a problem, contact the school as soon as possible.  Make sure you speak voice-to-voice with a support staff member or administrator.

F.      Plan ahead of time what you will do for students who are not picked up on time.  Decide who will wait.  It should be at least two adults.  Generally, custodians will be in the facility until 9 pm, so you can wait inside and use phones but custodians are not to be left with students. 

G.    Videos shown on trips must meet the same guidelines and procedures for videos shown at school.

H.    There is an option for a non-school sponsored trip.  This form is a 1713e form. Details about this option are on the actual form.

A school trip is defined as a student or group of students leaving a school campus under the sponsorship of the school and under supervision of school employee(s) to extend educational experiences consistent with the general goals and objectives of the total school program.  A school trip must be related to the curriculum of the school or to a co-curricular activity (e.g., clubs, student council.)  NOTE: A parent or guardian must complete and sign an authorization form prior to the student’s participation in the school-sponsored trip.

I. Secure substitutes, if necessary.  Do not wait until the trip to make arrangements.  Work with the lead secretary and bookkeeper to determine what funds will be used for substitutes. 

***It is highly recommended by administration that teams at each grade level take the same field trips. If we are committed to common assessments and following the SCOS, field trip ideas should apply to all students at a grade level. Plus, this insures that the community sees that all students at each grade level are receiving the same off-campus opportunities.

CANCELLING A TRIP

If the trip is cancelled, complete a Field Trip Cancellation/Change Form (3712) and submit immediately.  Failure to do this can result in our school being charged for your trip.  Notify administration of the change/cancellation.

Field trip planning and implementation, especially by team or grade level,

is not a one-person job. 

Work as a team and share the tasks.

Thank you for providing this opportunity to our students.

REMEMBER -- When you DOWNLOAD a file from below, you need to click on the DOWN ARROW to the right of the file.  If you choose to click the file itself, it will give you a "view" that is an awkward format to print.