The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for student trips and to identify the general process to be followed for review and approval of trip requests.
II. DEFINITIONS AND FORMS
A. Instructional Trips
Trips that take place during the school day, relate directly to a course of study, and require student participation shall fall in this category. These trips shall be subject to review and approval of the building principal and shall be financed by school district funds within the constraints of the school building budget. Fees may not be assessed against students to defray direct costs of instructional trips. (Minnesota Statutes section 123B.37, Prohibited Fees)
1. A Regular/Extended Day Field Trip Request Form (Administrative Procedure 610.1) shall be completed and approved by the building administrator and sent to the Transportation Office one week before the scheduled activity.
a) A building/transportation form stating the purpose, destination, costs, estimated time, and type of bus needed;
b) Authorization by the building administrator;
c) A roster of students going on the trip and written parent/guardian approval as needed;
d) A list of staff and chaperones on the trip;
e) The trip itinerary with estimated timelines and housing accommodation information if necessary;
f) An accommodation plan for students with an IEP or 504 plan;
h) Trip expenses and cost of the trip for individual students (if any).
B. Supplementary Trips
This category pertains to those trips in which students voluntarily participate and which usually take place outside the regular school day. Examples of trips in this category involve student activities, clubs, and other special interest groups. These trips are subject to review and approval of the activities director and/or the building principal. Financial contributions by students may be requested. (Minnesota Statutes section 123B.36, Authorized Fees)
1. Supplementary Field Trips are subject to review and approval by the Activities director and/or building administration. Building administrators and staff/advisors must keep a copy of the request.
a) Financial contributions for students for Supplementary Field Trips may be requested, contributed from PTACs, or from other outside sources.
b) Supplementary Field Day Field Trips use the form (Regular/Extended Day Field Trip Administrative Procedure 610.1) to be completed and approved by the building administrator and sent to the Transportation Office at least one week before the scheduled activity. (See Section III. A. 2 above for information that should be included.)
C. Major Magnitude Trips
Trips are any trips that involve travel in excess of 500 miles one way from Moorhead, including overnight lodging. They may not be requested by a school organization or department more often than once every other year (with exceptions granted only by the Superintendent and/or designee) and must be approved by the School Board.
Extended trips may be instructional or supplementary and must be requested well in advance of the planned activity. An extended trip request form must be completed and approved at each level: student, principal, superintendent, and school board. Exceptions to the approval policy may be granted or expedited to accommodate emergencies or contingencies (e.g., tournament competition). 610-2 2. The school board acknowledges and supports the efforts of booster clubs and similar organizations in providing extended trip opportunities for students.
1. Major Magnitude field trips are voluntary, and there should be no sanctions resulting from non-participation. These trips are normally planned for students in grades 7-12, with exceptions approved by the Superintendent and/or designee and School Board.
a) Pre-Approval requires any teacher/advisor/coach who is contemplating a major magnitude trip should first seek approval for tentative planning from the building administrator. Only after building administration approval can informal discussions be held with students regarding planning to take place. Building administration is expected to consider the frequency of trips by students, departments, activities, and the impact on the overall education of the students. They need to consider the financial impact of the trip in the total context of other approved field trips and community financial capacity.
(1) Band, choir, orchestra, theater, and one additional major magnitude field trip can be requested every other year for grades 9-12.
b) Approval is required from the School Board and Superintendent before formal publicity, public discussion, or fundraising activities can begin and should be at least 60 days prior to the proposed date of departure. It also must be after appropriate forms have been filed and required authorizations/approvals have been obtained.
a) The educational purpose of the trip (including how the trip is related to the activity, if the activity is curricular or co-curricular, and how the trip is related to the course content and academic standards);
b) The location to be visited and general trip itinerary;
c) Number of school days involved (attempts shall be made to consider non-school days whenever possible);
d) Transportation plans;
(1) Overnight travel by motor coach is not allowed.
(2) All motor coach travel vendors must have current DOT operators and review safety history.
e) Housing plans;
f) Approximate number of students involved;
g) Approximate individual and district costs;
h) Plans for funding for fundraising for the trip;
i) Tour company involved; and
j) An accommodation plan for any student with an IEP or 504 plan.
4. After preliminary approval from the administration, Superintendent or designee, and the school board, Administrative Procedure 610.2 Section II must be submitted by the teacher/advisor to the building administration and Superintendent or designee at least two weeks in advance of the date of the trip for final approval. Failure to have provided written assurances of compliance with Section II of Administrative Procedure 610.2 and a copy given to the building administrator, advisor, and Superintendent or designee before this timeline for final approval, will result in immediate cancellation of the trip. Administrative Procedure 610.2 Section II: (Final Approval Form) includes:
a) Copy of Major Magnitude Field Trip Request Form Section I with authorized signatures and school board approval;
b) Roster of students going on the trip with a signed student and parental approval form, including Student Conduct Rules in effect during the trip (See Section IV, D below);
c) List of staff and adult chaperones going on the trip. Adult chaperones outside the school district will have background checks through the Human Resources Department. (See Section IV, B & C below);
d) A detailed trip itinerary; transportation plans at the destination, hotel/motel accommodations, addresses, phone numbers, places, and timelines of activities/events planned.
e) An accommodation plan for students with an IEP or 504 plan;
f) Trip expenses, district costs, fundraising, and cost of the trip for individual students, chaperones, and parents;
g) Complete the travel-related expenses paid for by the travel company provided to the district.
h) List of emergency phone numbers where staff/chaperones can be reached in case of an emergency;
i) Transportation plans to and from the destination (company flights, times, costs, schedule, chaperoning, and district transportation requests.) It must include a filed Transportation Request Form (Field Trip Administrative Form 610.1) if needed.
5. Following the trip, a summary report will be presented to the building administrator, Superintendent, and at a School Board Meeting assessing the degree to which the goals of the trip were attained. Use form Administrative Procedure 610.2 Section III (Trip Report). In addition, an itemized expenditure report shall be submitted to the building Administrator and the Superintendent and/or designee.
D. Moorhead Area Public Schools will not sponsor or approve any International trips.
An “International Trip” is defined as one that includes travel outside the United States.
E. Nondistrict-Sponsored Trips
1. Employees entering into contracts or agreements with commercial agencies do so at their own risk. As such, any activity trip not approved by the district is considered a private venture. The district shall not be a cosponsor of any such trip.
2. The employee must get pre-approval from the building administrator to make no more than three email contacts with students targeted for the trip over a one-month period by accessing the students’ district email address, and the building level principal must pre-approve the email sent to students and families through the district email.
3. Such a non-district-sponsored trip email announcement must include the following information:
a) Overview of the trip, including dates, locations, estimated costs, and purpose;
b) Request for a private email address to receive additional information;
c) Notice that the trip is a non-district-sponsored trip;
d) Name of the commercial agency coordinating the trip.
4. Employees engaging in a private venture, cooperating with, receiving benefit from, or serving as agents for a commercial agency, will not use school work time, materials or other district resources to promote, plan, organize or recruit students for the non-district-sponsored trip.
5. If an employee cooperates with a commercial agency in organizing such a trip during a school vacation period, the employee will provide participating students and their parents/guardians with a disclaimer that states the trip is a non-district-sponsored event and not endorsed by the district.
7. Trip must occur outside instructional days.
8. Fundraising for a non-district trip cannot be affiliated with Moorhead Area Public Schools.
III. FIELD TRIP REGULATIONS:
A. Transportation:
1. Transportation must be furnished through a commercial carrier or school-owned vehicle. An employee may use a personal vehicle to transport staff or personal property for purposes of a field trip upon prior written approval from the administration.
2. An employee must not use a personal vehicle to transport one or more students for purposes of a field trip.
a. If immediate transportation of a student is required due to an emergency or unforeseen circumstance, such as the illness or injury of a child, and the transportation does not constitute regular or scheduled transportation, a personal vehicle may be used. To the extent a personal vehicle is used, the vehicle must be properly registered and insured.
b. An employee must obtain preapproval by the administration of student transportation by a personal vehicle, if practicable. If preapproval by the administration of the use of a personal vehicle cannot be obtained in a reasonable time given the circumstances, an employee shall report the relevant facts and circumstances justifying the need for use of a personal vehicle to the administration as soon as practicable. The relevant facts and circumstances for use of a personal vehicle shall be documented by the administration.
B. Finances:
1. Cost of travel by a spouse or family member of the traveling staff/advisor will be at personal expense.
2. All costs of the field trip will be itemized and provided to potential participants prior to the collection of any participant fees.
3. Fundraising will be used for student participation only.
C. Supervision:
1. All students will be under assigned adult supervision while on field trips. Staff/ advisors/coaches will be responsible for ensuring that the student/adult chaperone ratio is adequate and appropriate to the age level and needs of the students.
2. Chaperones will be selected by and under the supervision of the teacher/advisor/coach. Chaperones are considered volunteers and will be subject to background checks.
3. Arrangements for student supervision, in case of an emergency, will be determined prior to departure. No supervisor/chaperone will leave his/her group unsupervised unless an arrangement has been made to take care of an emergency.
4. An accurate roster of students and adults going on the field trip and relevant information will be provided to chaperones, parent/guardians, and building administrator/activity director prior to the field trip or the activity/athletic season and to the Superintendent and/or designee for Major Magnitude Field Trips.
5. While attending a school-sponsored field trip or activity/athletic competition trip, students will be released only at the written request of the parents/guardians.
D. Student Conduct:
1. Prior to travel, advisors and coaches will review expectations of conduct with Moorhead students and chaperones. These expectations are outlined in the building’s handbook, Moorhead School Board Policy 551: Student Discipline, Minnesota State High School League Activity Rules, and other school policies related to student activity and activity travel. They are in effect 24 hours a day for the duration of the trip. If a student misbehaves or fails to adhere to the rules, his /her parents/guardians will be contacted, and appropriate action will be taken.