Chaperone Guidelines For Study Trips

GUIDELINES FOR STUDY TRIPS

The following guidelines have been developed for chaperones accompanying study trips.

Chaperones should be briefed on these guidelines:

Thank you for volunteering and congratulations for having been selected to act as a chaperone for a student study trip. You're in for a great time with some excellent teachers and enthusiastic students. However, you have several responsibilities to make sure the students have a safe and educationally rewarding trip.

Study trips are conducted for legitimate educational reasons, and are, therefore, considered to be a part of the classroom. The standards of conduct for students are expected to be the same as if they were in school. You were asked to help chaperone because it is much more difficult to enforce suitable behavior in a study trip environment. Hence, it is your job to help the teacher meet his/her educational objective and to bring the students home safely.

Here are some tips to make your job easier.

1. Make sure you know the name of each student you are responsible for, along with an emergency phone number for each. Take attendance before leaving. Make sure the office has a copy of which students are on specific buses. This makes accountability much easier in the event of an accident. Take attendance each time you stop and get back on the bus. Leaving a student behind is not acceptable!
2. Stay with your group. You'll be better able to supervise their activities. Don't make the other adults or teachers supervise your group.
3. Keep the students in a manageable group. If you're assigned more than you think you can handle, say so before departure. The required ratio is no more than 1:6 elementary and 1:10 secondary. More chaperones may be needed for Pre-K or LIMS students.
4. Tell the students what you expect before the door on the bus closes. You'd be surprised how well students behave if you tell them straight-out what you expect. Review the rules of behavior. Remember, "Respect is a two-way street." If behavior problems arise, the teacher should deal with the issue so school rules are enforced.
5. Make sure you have a precise time and meeting point to regroup with the main group.
6. Be sure that you are aware of any special medical problems before the trip begins. Make sure that students with special problems have their medication, or whatever else they need for a safe trip.
7. Be sure each student knows who his/her "point of contact" is. It's easy to get confused about who's the boss in a large group.

Remember, this study trip is an educational experience, not a vacation. Your job is to help the teacher meet his/her educational objectives and get everyone home safely.

Updated: 12/16/2019