School Sponsored Field Trips
All requests for school trips shall be submitted in writing on the school trip request form. A detailed itinerary must be attached which includes:
The place or places to be visited
A daily schedule of all activities
The dates, times, and places of departure and return.
No requests shall be considered unless all information is provided on the trip request. Information must include:
Names of school system employees who are chaperoning
Method of transportation – public conveyance or by school vehicles driven by certified drivers
Driver name if school transportation is being used.
The teacher who has planned the trip or who has been assigned responsibility for the trip, or an administrative staff member must accompany each group along with an appropriate number of adult chaperones. (Recommendation 1 adult per 15-20 elementary/middle/high students)
Regularly scheduled athletic contests do not require trip approval. Some special athletic events do require trip approval, i.e., overnight trips for special events, 6th grade managers for athletics.
Overnight school sponsored trips are for students enrolled in the specified program and their adult chaperones only.
Chaperones responsible for the care of students must be parents, grandparents, or legal guardians of a student in the program or Surry County Schools employees approved by the principal.
Parents who volunteer to chaperone school sponsored trips are not allowed to ride on yellow school buses. Volunteers, approved by the school principal in accordance with Surry County Schools’ policies and procedures, may be allowed to ride activity buses or school system owned vehicles.
The School Improvement Team and/or principal shall review and consider for approval all school trip requests. The review shall ensure:
that all school trips are an integral part of the curriculum,
that student safety and supervision needs have been addressed,
that loss of school time is kept to a minimum, and
that provisions have been made for students unable to pay any assessments for the trip.
The School Improvement Team and/or principal shall consider input from all those on a staff who are affected by such trips. All staff shall be notified of the monthly field trip schedule. The School Improvement Team and/or principal shall also develop an annual plan for all school trips.
The School Improvement Team and/or principal may recommend approval or denial of any requests to the principal based on the criteria listed above and when applicable, any other unique circumstances which are relevant to specific requests. The School Improvement Team may establish procedures whereby requests which are denied can be re-submitted with recommended changes if the trip is determined to be educationally sound, but procedural details need to be refined.
The principal shall make the final decision regarding all school sponsored trips with the exception of trips requiring central office approval.
All trips, except overnight trips, must be approved by the principal prior to the beginning of the month in which the trip will occur. For special events, the principal may approve a trip submitted at least 5 days in advance.
Out-of-state trips utilizing Surry County Schools’ transportation require approval of the Director of Transportation.
Overnight trips within the state of North Carolina require the additional approval of the Board of Education.
Overnight trips outside of the state of North Carolina require the additional approval of the Board of Education.
Overnight trips including water activities (such as swimming) must include a detailed plan to address safety and supervision of students.
Requests for overnight trip approval must be received by the Superintendent/designee at least ten calendar days prior to the Board meeting atwhich approval will be requested.
Fundraising activities for school sponsored trips, which require approval from the Board of Education, may not begin prior to receiving approval for the trip.
Requests for trips, which require fundraising, may be presented to the Board of Education for approval prior to completion of the final itinerary.
The Assistant Superintendent or the Board of Education will not consider any requests that have not been first approved by the principal.
The following school trips must be submitted to the Board of Education after they have been reviewed and endorsed by the School Improvement Team and/or principal:
All Elementary school trips which deviate from the administrative rules
All Water related trips
All amusement park related trips; and
All overnight trips.
At the beginning of each month, the principal will provide the appropriate assistant superintendent with a list of all approved student trips for the upcoming month.
Amendments to the approved list may be submitted during the month as long as the amendments are received prior to the date of the additional school trips. Once approved, the teacher/sponsor may finalize plans for the trip and must send home with each student:
General Guidelines
All students participating in trips must turn in the Parental Consent and Emergency Information Form with appropriate signatures and information. This form shall remain in the teacher/sponsor’s possession during the trip in case of emergency.
Trips for rewards should be limited. Criteria for reward trips must be specifically delineated in writing to students and parents prior to the start of the school year or qualifying grading period.
Curriculum related field trips are available to all students unless the principal excludes a student from the trip. A student may be excluded if:
The teacher informed the student and his/her parents, in advance and in writing, of the behavior standards that must be met to participate on the trip;
The student exhibited unsatisfactory conduct in class as reflected in the conduct grades he/she received on quarterly report cards or has a record of misconduct and/or a record of failing to follow reasonable directions in class/school; and
The student is provided an appropriate alternative educational experience.
Trips must be planned at times that do not conflict with the preparation or administration of statewide tests.
Trips for Pre-K students are prohibited.
Elementary school trips shall not involve an overnight stay and shall not exceed one hundred twenty-five miles one way without approval from the Board of Education.
Elementary field trips to amusement parks require approval of the Board of Education.
Trips for grades K-5 should be confined to regular school hours. Exceptions may be granted with prior approval of the Board of Education.
Trips for grades 6-8 should be completed by 7:00 PM if the following day is a school day and by 9:00 PM on other days. Exceptions may be granted with prior approval of the Board of Education.
School sponsored trips to events or places with animals must meet the Guidelines for Reducing Risk of Disease Associated with Animals at Public Events as developed by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
Middle and high school trips to amusements parks require prior approval of the Board of Education. No middle and high school trip will be approved unless it provides a unique educational opportunity that directly relates to the curriculum or to a co-curricular activity. If the trip includes multiple locations, all components of the trip must meet these requirements and be included in the itinerary.
School trips that involve water activities such as swimming, diving, boating, sailing, cruise ship travel, etc. require prior approval of the Board of Education. No such trip will be approved unless it provides a unique educational opportunity that directly relates to the curriculum or to a co-curricular activity. In addition, a detailed plan to address supervision and safety needs of students must be submitted. Special requests for activities involving the use of small water crafts, such as canoes, kayaks, sail boats, jet skis, etc. require the approval of the Board of Education.
Overnight field trips that include male and female students shall have male and female chaperones. Any exception to this rule will require the superintendent’s approval.
Students are not to have any unsupervised time without chaperones while on any trip.
Students remain subject to all school and district policies and rules of conduct, including disciplinary consequences, during the school trip.
The parent/guardian should be notified of any significant change in plans prior to the school trip.
School trips may be cancelled when necessary by the principal, Superintendent, or the Board of Education. The school system cannot guarantee reimbursement when such cancellations occur.