Some schools offer multiple U of M courses through CIS and we are aware students may be enrolled in other advanced courses as well.  This situation can make handling absences due to students attending other CIS student field days difficult. Here are some suggestions our CIS partners have used to minimize these kinds of problems. 

• • 1. Coordinate with other CIS instructors at your school. Meet at a strategic time of the school year to plan exam dates, paper due dates, and field day dates. This allows each instructor to adjust his or her class schedule to minimize the disruption caused by students attending other CIS student field days. 

    2. Schedule a reading day. Plan for days on which no lesson is taught and students use the time to work on U of M course assignments. The reading day can occur on different days from week to week, as needed. This schedule reflects the fact that in college, most courses do not meet five days a week. The inclusion of reading days in your regular U of M course schedule allows students to miss class for a field day or other activity—without missing instruction. 

Student Field Days and Professional Workshops Calendar

Substitute Teachers

Schools are responsible for paying additional expenses related to instructor participation in professional development workshops and student field days, including substitute teachers for days when CIS instructors bring CIS students to the University for a student field day.

Transportation

Schools are responsible for paying to transport students in CIS courses to the University to participate in student field day. This is not necessarily limited to school buses. Some CIS instructors have asked for voluntary contributions from their students to help pay for transportation; others have worked with teachers in adjoining school districts to share buses; some schools ask students to transport themselves. 

• • 1. Dates for upcoming CIS student field days are typically chosen at each cohort’s summer professional development workshop. Bring your school calendar to help select dates that will allow your students to participate. Be aware of Advanced Placement test dates, other testing dates, and “blackout” dates for your school or district.

    2. Add the field day dates to your syllabus, along with information about whether attendance is required for your CIS students and, if so, the consequences for students who don’t attend. 

    3. Inform your school administrators, other CIS instructors at your school, and your students about the date(s) your cohort chooses. 

    4. Work with your school administrators to arrange busing or other transportation. Some CIS instructors have asked for voluntary contributions from their students to help pay for transportation; others have worked with instructors in adjoining school districts to share buses; some schools ask students to transport themselves. 

    5. Information about where buses can drop students off, park, and pick students up again will be provided by your faculty coordinator prior to the field day. Please share directions and maps with your bus driver. 

    6. Arrange for documentation of any parental/guardian permissions that are required by your school. In a few cases, cohorts require photo permissions because photos will be taken during the field day. This form is found on Homebase under Resources. Students under 18 years of age must have this agreement co-signed by their parent or guardian. 

    7. PLEASE RESPOND TO THE RSVP REQUEST. When you receive a reminder email with relevant details about an upcoming field day, you will be asked how many students you plan to bring. We need to be confident that we are within the maximum occupancy number for the venue. 

    8. Set aside time to prepare your students to actively participate in the event; have them complete any readings or projects that were provided by your faculty coordinator. 

    9. Review the Student Conduct Code with your class. 

    10. Choose a time and place to meet your students at the conclusion of the field day and share this information with your bus driver.

    11. Debrief with your students after the field day. Provide your faculty coordinator with any feedback relevant to the experience so that future field days may be even better.

Letter to Instructors & Chaperones

 See the letter to instructors and field day chaperones for additional guidance when planning for Student Field Days.

Faculty coordinators currently require participation in the student field days for the Introduction to Animal Science (ANSC 1101) and Writing Studio (WRIT 1201) courses.

Schools are not generally required to support student and instructor participation at CIS on-campus student field days; however, CIS faculty coordinators may require participation at field days when field day activities support student learning in the course in ways that are not likely to be possible in individual high school classrooms. For information about courses requiring participation at student field days, please see the Quick Guide to Course Requirements and Related Policies. 

Instructors who bring students to the campus for field days may require students to complete assignments in preparation for attending and may also require attendance at the field day. Student requirements with regard to preparation for or participation at field days should be noted on the syllabus. 

Faculty coordinators require participation in the following: 

• • • ANSC 1101: Introduction to Animal Science field days provide students with an opportunity to complete lab activities that cannot be completed in the high school. 

    • WRIT 1201: Writing Studio field days provide access to University of Minnesota facilities, resources, and individuals that students would not normally be exposed to at their high school. Exposure to these resources is designed to provide students with a deeper understanding of the content knowledge required to be successful in the course. 

For other subjects, attendance is strongly encouraged but not required by CIS. Most cohorts offer a field day and have found that students value it for the first-hand experience of campus community. If an instructor and school choose to participate in field days, student attendance requirements are determined by the instructor. 

The University has historically provided a safe environment for minors (persons under the age of 18) and is committed to continued vigilance. During student field days, instructors and school chaperones remain responsible for the youth brought to campus, including behavior and group management. This means that instructors and chaperones are expected to actively supervise their students during the program and while moving between buildings or across campus. The document "Instructions for CIS Student Field Days" will be distributed to all instructors scheduled to attend a CIS student field day and should be shared with all chaperones.

Safety of Minors (Policy)

Excerpted from Administrative Policy: Safety of Minors; edited for application to CIS.

Policy Statement

The University has historically provided a safe environment for minors (persons under the age of 18) and is committed to continued vigilance.

Mandatory Reporting

All University employees, including student employees, and volunteers are required to report to the local police department (including the University Police Departments), county sheriff or local social services agency within 24 hours when they know or have reason to believe a minor is being physically or sexually abused or neglected, or has been within the past three years, including abuse and neglect by non-University persons. This includes all minors, students and non-students:

• participating in University-sponsored programs that are held on or off University property;

• enrolled in undergraduate and graduate academic programs at the University; or

• participating in programs operated by non-University organizations on University property.

While Minnesota law requires reporting by certain professionals at the University, such as educators (including faculty, instructors, researchers, coaches and deans), health care providers, social workers, and others, the University by policy extends this reporting obligation to all University faculty, staff (including student employees) and volunteers.

After reporting to authorities, individuals are encouraged to notify their supervisor, if appropriate.

Registration

[College in the Schools registers annually with the University of Minnesota to meet reporting requirements for student field day events.] The purpose of registration is for each program to confirm it has addressed safety of minors in its planning and complied with the requirements of this policy.

Health and Safety Requirements (Policy)

Excerpted from Administrative Policy Appendix: Health and Safety Requirements and Expectations for Programs Involving Minors.

Supervision of Minors

Minors Attend Program with Adult:

When University staff deliver a program off campus where minors are supervised by teachers or other adult chaperones, for example at a school or out-of-school program, the non-University program remains responsible for supervision and a teacher/group leader must remain with the minors.

Non-university schools/groups attending a University program, and adults bringing minors to a University program are responsible for their minors. The University program hosting the group may request a specific ratio to make it easier for University staff to ensure a higher quality learning experience.

Program Staff and Participant Interactions

Programs must establish and communicate expectations for program staff behavior when interacting with, supervising, chaperoning or otherwise overseeing minors in program activities, recreational activities and/or residential facilities. At minimum these standards must include:

• Program staff must avoid being alone with a minor. When one-on-one consultation is needed for discipline, mentoring or instructional purposes, the conversation should take place within view (not hearing distance) of others and another staff member should be aware that this private conversation is taking place.

• Program staff must not use physical punishment or withholding of necessities such as food, water and/or shelter to modify behavior. Physical hazing, and initiation rituals that lead to embarrassment or that require youth to do anything that makes them fearful or uncomfortable, are prohibited.

• Program staff must respect the privacy of minors when toilets are used, clothes changed, or showers taken. Program staff and participants are prohibited from the use of photography and recording devices in bathrooms or locker rooms.

• Program staff must stay with the participants, except when using bathroom or dressing room facilities. Program staff must understand procedures for conducting headcounts, making bathroom visits, and conducting room/bed checks, as applicable.

• Program staff must not engage in any behavior that is subject to mandatory reporting. Staff must maintain appropriate physical boundaries and take particular care when necessary to touch minors.

• Program staff must report any behavior that is subject to mandatory reporting to the appropriate authorities.

Physical Environment

Safe Movement of Minors

Programs must have plans in place for the safe movement of minors. Situations to consider when planning include:

• Check-in and check-out procedures for safe arrival and departure of minors.

• Practices for safe movement as pedestrians and/or on campus buses, such as using a buddy system, taking head counts before and/after, and having adults at the beginning and end to ensure groups stay together while moving.

While on campus, as in the classroom, students are subject to all policies covered by the University’s Student Conduct Code. The use of drugs and alcohol, the possession of weapons, and disorderly or disruptive conduct are strictly prohibited on the smoke- and tobacco-free University campus.

Related Polices:

• Student Conduct Code

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