C500 - SCHOOL TRIPS AND PRIVATELY SPONSORED ACTIVITIES INVOLVING SCHOOL CORPORATION EMPLOYEES AND STUDENTS
School-Sponsored Trips
School trips for instructional purposes only may be taken by classes when the appropriate arrangements are made by the classroom teacher with the school principal and prior approval from the principal is obtained. All trips that take more time than the defined instructional time for that class must have, in addition to the principal’s approval, prior approval from the Superintendent or his or her designee. Overnight or out-of-state trips require approval by the School Board prior to the scheduled trip. In situations in which arrangements could legitimately not be made in advance, the School Board authorizes the Superintendent to approve overnight or out-of-state trips prior to its next regularly scheduled meeting. When this occurs, the Superintendent shall and inform the School Board at its next regular meeting. Administration shall ensure liability insurance is obtained for all school-sponsored trips.
School trips shall have appropriate supervision while on the trip and may be evaluated to the satisfaction of the principal after the trip is completed. School trips shall not use private automobiles for transportation. Nothing in this policy shall prohibit a parent/guardian/student, with school approval, from transporting their own child/self to/from a school activity. Pursuant to State law, school buses may be used if the trip originates from a place within the geographical limits of the Corporation and does not involve more than 200 miles of travel out of State.
No student may participate in any trip without the prior written permission of a parent or guardian. Students may be charged a reasonable cost for trips. During the trip, all applicable Board policies apply; students shall be subject to applicable codes of student conduct, chaperones/volunteers shall be subject to applicable Corporation policies, and employees shall be subject to applicable codes of conduct. If the student must leave the trip early for any reason, including but not limited to a violation of Board policy or code of student conduct, the parent or guardian shall be required to assume financial responsibility for any additional costs. A staff member shall not change a planned itinerary while the trip is in progress, except where necessary for the health, safety, or welfare of the students in his or her charge.
Students, employees, and chaperones/volunteers on all Corporation-sponsored trips remain under the supervision of this Board and are subject to the Corporation's policies, administrative guidelines, and student code of conduct. All chaperones/volunteers who are not Corporation employees must pass a background check prior to attending a Corporation-sponsored trip. An expanded criminal history check will be required for any chaperones/volunteers on overnight field trips.
The Board does not endorse, support, or assume liability in any way for any staff member, volunteer, or parent of the Corporation who takes students on trips not approved by the principal, Superintendent, or Board.
Privately Sponsored Trips and Activities
Parents/guardians who agree to allow their child to participate in a trip or activity must be made aware, at the time of consent, if that activity is not sponsored, endorsed, or conducted by the Corporation.
A Corporation employee who promotes, organizes, or provides supervision for an activity involving any Corporation student that is not sponsored, endorsed, or conducted as a Corporation activity, shall not engage in any of the following activities:
This list is not exhaustive. A Corporation employee who promotes, organizes, or provides supervision for an activity involving any Corporation student that is not sponsored, endorsed, or conducted as a Corporation activity, shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the privately-sponsored trip or activity does not interfere with Corporation property or the instructional day.
A Corporation employee who promotes, organizes, or supervises an activity involving any Corporation student that is not sponsored, endorsed, or conducted as a Corporation activity, shall notify the student and student's parent/guardian in writing at the time that student participation is sought that:
-
Corporation disciplinary rules, policies, codes of conduct, and due process procedures are not applicable at any time during the trip or activity.
Corporation employees seeking student participation in an activity that is not Corporation-sponsored shall provide this information in writing directly to the parent/guardian of each student participant before the activity commences and before any payment is accepted, and obtain a signed and dated written acknowledgment of receipt from the parent/guardian of each student participant.
The acknowledgment of receipt shall be maintained by the employee for two years (2) years after the activity, and shall be provided to the Superintendent or a designee upon request.
Delaware Community School Corporation
Adopted: 3/07/2022
Revised: 6/20/2022