Field Trips
SP 6.151
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Any teacher planning a field trip must receive the principal/designee’s prior approval. The principal is responsible for approving field trips only after the educational justification and plans for students not attending have been explicitly stated. ALL Out-of-State and overnight field trips must be approved by the Principal/Designee, Lead Principal and Associate Superintendent one (1) month prior to the proposed date. The principal will submit only the Out-of-State/County and Overnight Field Trip Request Form, Field Trip Criteria/Signature Page and Field Trip Worksheet to the appropriate Lead Principal.
Once approved, the school secretary will forward a copy of the signed/approved Field Trip Form to the Transportation Department two (2) weeks prior to the proposed field trip date in accordance with transportation request procedures. Only approved district school buses and activity buses with bus drivers certified by the Transportation Department may be used as field trip transportation. No parent or community drivers or personal vehicles will be allowed. If there are circumstances that require parent or community drivers or personal vehicles to transport students for field trips, approval must be obtained in advance and in writing from the appropriate associate superintendent. Parents may always transport their own children if they choose to do so.
Regular Activity/Extended Day Field Trips
Requests for approval of all field trips must be submitted to the school principal/designee on an MNPS Field Trip Request Form accompanied by a Field Trip Criteria Form.
Volunteer Chaperones
Volunteer Chaperones who attend a regular activity field trip are not required to submit to a background check, provided that a district employee is in attendance.
· Parent/Guardian Volunteer Chaperones
o Volunteer chaperones who are parents/guardians, wishing to attend overnight or out of state field trips must submit to a background check. The background check will be done through PENCIL (www.pencilfoundation.org). Chaperones must receive a favorable result prior to departure.
· Non-Parent/Guardian Volunteer Chaperones
o Volunteer chaperones who are not parents/guardians of students wishing to attend overnight or out of state field trips must submit to a criminal background check and fingerprinting. The fingerprinting and background check may be done at 2601 Bransford Ave or through another agency that administers fingerprinting. The chaperone or the school will pay the fingerprinting cost. Chaperones must receive a favorable result prior to departure.
Athletic Field Trips
Field Trip forms are required for all athletic events that are not mandated by TSSAA District or Regional assignments. Field Trip forms must be completed for all out of state athletic trips. Contact the MNPS Athletic Director for clarification or if there are questions.
Parent/Guardian Consent
Prior to a scheduled field trip, it will be the responsibility of the supervising teacher to have signed parent/guardian permission forms on file in the school office for all participating students along with the name of the certificated teacher supervising the trip. The departure time and return time must be clearly stated on the permission form and conveyed to students, parents and school administration.
Student Participation/Fee Waiver Requests/Special Accommodations
All students are eligible to participate in a regular school-day field trip and may not be excluded due to inability to pay his/her portion of the trip. Accommodations for students with disabilities shall be provided (e.g., special assistance, transportation, accessibility at site).
Supervision of Students
A certificated district employee must accompany students on any approved field trip. Any violations of school rules and/or district regulations shall be reported to the school principal immediately. Adult-to-student supervision ratios may vary but must be adequate for the field trip activity and the number and age of the students. Teachers who accompany students on field trips may request a substitute if (a) they will be away from school for a major portion of the day and/or (b) the majority of their students will remain at school. Whenever feasible, the principal will try to group the remaining students with other teachers of the same grade level or subject.
Non-certificated chaperones shall be 21 years of age or older. The certificated district employee will provide the chaperones with specific information regarding their responsibilities. Chaperones shall be responsible for the continuous monitoring of student activities. Certificated personnel and chaperones shall not consume alcoholic beverages, smoke or use illegal substances while accompanying and supervising students on field trips. Supervisors/chaperones will model the same behavior as expected on school property.
· Student roll call will be taken before leaving school and again before departing the visitation site. If any student is missing or injured, the student’s parent/guardian will be contacted from the visitation site. One (1) certificated district employee will remain until the absent student or his/her parent/guardian arrives at the site.
· When trips are scheduled to return after regular school hours, a certificated district employee must supervise students after returning to campus.
· In the event a student is not picked up within one (1) hour of the scheduled arrival time, the supervisor will do the following:
o Telephone the parent/guardian and stay with the student until the student’s transportation arrives.
o If the parent/guardian and emergency contacts cannot be reached, the police may be called to assist.
· In the event of unforeseen circumstances of a significant delay in return time, the supervising teacher must contact the appropriate administrator/designee immediately.
Exceptions:
· Four or fewer students will be allowed to ride with the sponsor in a private vehicle to District-approved events with written parent or guardian permission and proof of insurance.
· Parents may only drive their child to District-approved events when the sponsor will not be in attendance.
Food and Beverage Provisions/Mandated Lunch Program
All students eligible for a free or reduced price lunch must be provided with a lunch when on a field trip that occurs during regular lunch period. School cafeteria supervisors shall be notified in advance if a specific number of sack lunches are needed. Sack lunch purchases shall also be offered to all students participating on the field trip.
Loss of Instructional Time
Students shall not be penalized for loss of instructional time while on an approved field trip. Students will be counted present and be given opportunity to make up any schoolwork missed for full credit.
Transportation
All regular activity field trips using MNPS buses and drivers may depart no earlier than 9:30 a.m. and must return no later than 12:30 p.m. unless approval is granted by the Director of Schools or his designee. Activity field trips taken during the school day are billed to the school at the specified rate per three (3) hours. If the field trip extends beyond three hours, an overtime charge shall be applied. There will be a cancellation fee to cover the cost of the driver’s wages if a trip is not cancelled in sufficient time to notify the assigned driver. If the date and/or destination of an activity field trip request changes, the teacher/requester must notify the MNPS Transportation Department.
· Schools must attempt to schedule MNPS buses prior to contracting charter buses.
· Schools may elect to charter buses or rent vehicles through the District Contract Carrier or other transportation companies with the approval of the appropriate Associate Superintendent. Transportation companies other than District Contract Carrier must provide a Certificate of Insurance, naming the District as additional insured.
· If an activity bus is used for a field trip, the driver must be a full-time employee of the District who has completed the driver training program conducted by the Transportation Department, have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and meet all other requirements of the State of Tennessee. Costs associated with operation of the activity bus must be absorbed by the school.
The Transportation Department will be responsible for issuing all field trip dates at the start of each school year. The Transportation Office will immediately notify the school if their fieldtrip bus breaks down or runs late. There will be a minimum charge per bus for the first (3) three hours for all regular fieldtrips. Any time after the initial three hours will be considered overtime. Charges will include mileage for the school bus. A local charter/tour company will need to be used for all overnight trips. There will be a set charge for the first (5) five hours for all football and band night trips. All time after the initial (5) five hours will be calculated as overtime. Charges for tutoring programs are set charges for the first (3) three hours. Any time after the initial (3) three hours will be calculated as overtime. The Transportation Department or Purchasing Department will assist sponsors in providing a list of approved charter/tour companies.
The charge for summer programs requiring school buses will be calculated for the first (3) three hours. All time after the initial (3) three hours will be calculated as overtime. The Director of Transportation will be responsible for the approval of all summer program transportation.
Financial Accountability
The cost of a field trip will be a factor in the decision to approve the field trip. A statement of projected costs and fees to be charged for admission, transportation, etc. must be included in the field trip request.
Field trip expenses incurred by adult sponsors/chaperones should be included in determining the overall cost for the field trip; however, no profits shall be realized in excess of the cost of the trip.
Collection logs, payments and receipts must be maintained in accordance with internal school uniform accounting procedures.
Funds must be secured prior to the field trip.
Safety and First Aid
While conducting a field trip, the supervising teacher, employee or agent of the school must have access to a first aid kit. The supervising teacher must take a list of emergency contact numbers for all students in the event of an emergency.
Student(s) Requiring Nursing Procedures
Before submitting a field trip request for approval to the appropriate Lead Principal, the school nurse should be consulted to identify students receiving school nurse services and to determine their needs in regard to the planned field trip. If a student normally requires a nursing procedure and will be attending a regular activity field trip, a signed, approved field trip form must be faxed to the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) School Nurse Office (340-7792) a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the trip date. For overnight, in-state trips, the form must be faxed four (4) weeks prior to the trip date. For out-of-state trips, the form must be faxed to both the Coordinator of Student Health Service and the School Nurse Office eight weeks prior to the trip to ensure that nurses are licensed in the state(s) where travel occurs. Schools serviced through Vanderbilt School of Nursing should follow the same timelines and procedures but present the approved forms to the clinic nurse directly at the school rather than faxing the MPHD School Nurse Office.
If a nurse is required for a student(s) for a field trip that extends beyond regular school hours and/or regular school days, schools will be responsible for the additional nursing service cost including costs for an out-of state(s) temporary nurse license if required. In lieu of nursing services, a parent/guardian may choose to accompany their child on the trip but the parent/guardian cannot be required to attend the field trip.
If a nurse is required, the nurse will be available to provide required nursing services to identified students with a medical provider order, and to provide first aid and emergency services for all students, staff and official chaperones on the trip. Field trip expenses incurred by the nurse should be included in determining the overall cost for the field trip. In addition, the nurse will be paid for travel time, student activity time and for emergency services as may occur after students have retired for the evening. On a regular school day, schools are responsible for all hours beyond the regular nurse 7.25 hour paid work day. Schools are responsible for all nurse wages on non-school days. The overtime rate is at one and a half (11/2) of the regular hourly rate and is paid after 8 hours daily and beyond 40 hours a week.
Principals will need to contact the Coordinator of Student Health Services to receive a cost estimate for the additional nursing cost based on the field trip agenda, dates and destination. Some states provide nurse licensure through a Nurse Licensure Compact and some states require a temporary nurse license. The temporary license application process may require as long as eight weeks and schools are responsible for this cost. If a trip is canceled or if a nurse is no longer needed after the temporary license application has been made, the school will still be responsible for the application fee.
Non-District Sponsored Student Trips
Activities sponsored by non-MNPS organizations which recruit MNPS students and/or teachers to participate are neither approved nor endorsed by MNPS.
· Teachers and school officials are prohibited from using their influence or position to enlist students for such an activity. Teachers and school officials are prohibited from soliciting student participation or collecting payments during school hours.
· A teacher’s communication with students and/or parents regarding unofficial trips must be independent of the school and of the teacher’s employment. A teacher may not utilize the time, facilities, equipment or supplies of the District to communicate with students and/or parents regarding unofficial field trips, unless he or she follows building-use procedures.
· Field trips organized by individual teachers must be clearly identified as non-school sponsored activities in order to avoid District liability.
Independent Foreign Travel/Study Programs or Trips
Individual students who participate in a foreign travel study program do so as an enrichment activity. MNPS does not award credit for foreign travel nor study programs. Upon return from the trip, the student will resume his/her curricular studies.
Liability
The Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education does not endorse, support or assume liability in any way for any staff member who takes students on field trips not approved by the Board, the appropriate Associate Superintendent and/or the principal/designee.
References/Authority
MNPS Field Trip Request Form (see MNPS website)
Field Trip Criteria Form (see MNPS website)
Activity Field Trip Request Transportation Form (see MNPS website)
SP 6.109 Fee Waiver (MNPS Policy)
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Visit http://policy.mnps.org for a complete listing of MNPS Policies and Procedures.