46. FIELD TRIP AND EXCURSION POLICY
The field trip policies listed below apply to class trips, school group trips (e.g. choir, academic decathlon) and trips for school sports teams.
The school regularly plans off-campus field trips for one or more days including overnight field trips. The school, at its option, may decide not to offer overnight field trips. All field trips, whether day or overnight, must comply with the following requirements:
- Receive prior permission of the principal.
- Signed and dated Student and Youth Activity Permission Forms and Emergency Medical Authorizations received from parents. All permission and authorization forms must be in the possession of a supervising adult during the trip.
- All participants must have appropriate identification and travel documents.
- Overnight field trip expenses in middle school will be charged to each grade-level family according to the planned overnight field trip for each grade. Overnight field trip fees will be non-refundable three months prior to the calendared date of the overnight field trip with no exceptions granted.
- All Archdiocesan policies on safe environment must be followed, including background checks for vendors providing the trips, as applicable.
- State law requires that a first aid kit be immediately available to the supervising adult on all excursions and field trips. First aid kits must be carried in all vehicles transporting students to school sponsored activities. Student emergency information must be immediately available to the supervising adult. At least one adult chaperone shall be in possession of a cell phone. A snakebite kit must be included in any area where there are poisonous snakes.
BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS FOR OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIPS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
As overnight field trip experiences are meant to provide students with immersive experiences in a field of study, the standard of student behavior increases as a result of the prolonged stay away from parents and the school. The school administration, thus, expects that all students who are in line for an overnight field trip in middle school demonstrate a reliable pattern of good judgment and behavior for at least two trimesters leading up to the overnight field trip. This reliable pattern of good judgement and behavior will be measured by the student's Behavior grade published on his/her report card in the preceding two trimester report cards. Behavior grades must be satisfactory or better. In addition, a student with a significant behavior incident in the preceding two trimesters prior to the overnight field trip may be excluded from attendance in the overnight trip. Overnight field trip fees will be non-refundable three months prior to the calendared date of the overnight field trip with no exceptions granted.
