Safety on the Road: How Has Your School Planned for Safe Events Off-Campus?

Whether it's a class trip, a sports competition, or a visit to another school, students are frequently on-the-road. Before the consent form must be signed, parents may want to check school policies as they relate to modes of transportation, medical emergencies, parental consent, and supervision.

[Download free checklist -- PDF format]

Some questions to ask include the following:

• How will the trip be supervised?
• What is the role of volunteers and how are they briefed on school policies?
• What are the travel arrangements and have safety considerations been addressed?
• For overnight trips, how can parents contact their children in the event of an emergency?

An excellent overview of policy issues related to school trips is provided by the British Department of Employment and Education. While the legal discussion will not reflect U.S. laws and regulations, other information is relevant and helpful: trip planning, supervision, use of volunteers, preparing students, communicating with parents, parent consent, medical consent, transportation, overseas travel, and emergency procedures.
www.funandgames.org/resources_safety.htm

Resources: For information on policies and procedures adopted by some school districts related to school trips, try the following resources and examples:

Irvine Unified School District. BOARD POLICY. Policy 6153: FIELD TRIPS, TOURS, AND EXCURSIONS. 
http://www.iusd.org/board_of_education/board_policy/policies/6153.htm

Madison Metropolitan School District. Board of Education Policies and Procedures. Field Trips.
www.madison.k12.wi.us./policies/3350.htm

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