Guidelines for Non-School Sponsored Trips

• A non-school sponsored trip is defined as a trip organized by a school employee acting as an independent agent, without the sponsorship of the school or school system.
  
  
• If an employee of the school system acts as an independent agent and plans a non-school sponsored trip involving school students, the employee must inform parents and students that the trip is not sponsored by the school system and that the school system and school officials assume no responsibility or liability for the trip.
  
  
• The employee must have the form, Non-School Sponsored Trip Notification Verification, completed and signed by the student and parent/guardian. The completed form must be submitted to the employee’s supervisor and the principal(s) of all students involved in the trip.
  
  
• The planning and administration of such trips shall not be performed by school employees during an employee’s workday, with the exception of promotional activities which have been approved by the non-school sponsored literature committee.
  
  
• School employees wishing to distribute information concerning non-school sponsored trips must request permission through the non-school sponsored literature committee.
  
  
• Promotional literature shall contain a statement indicating that the trip is not sponsored by the school or by the Surry County Board of Education. A copy of any promotional literature shall be filed in the principal’s office. It is the responsibility of the school employee who sponsors such a trip to notify, in writing, any students and parents who are considering participation in such a trip that the trip is not sponsored by the school of the Board of Education.
  
  
• Such trips should be scheduled over weekends, holidays, and summer vacations and generally should not be scheduled on days when school is to be in session.  Teachers who sponsor trips when school is in session shall use personal leave days for time missed from work during a non-school sponsored trip.
  
  
• The student(s) who may miss days from school while participating in a non-school sponsored trip are subject to requesting approval for absences from the principal prior to the non-school sponsored trip using the Request for Excused Absence for Educational Reasons form.