Event and Field Trip Policy

Introduction

As GRACE has grown in size, the number of class field trips, PTF events, and non-academic events have increased. As a result, it has become necessary to delineate between these types of events and provide additional guidance as to their characterization and the GRACE requirements for each of them.

The purpose of this policy is to assist GRACE staff members, students and the GRACE community when planning an event or a field trip; to ensure a safe and positive off-site learning experience for students, and a positive experience for staff members and volunteers, that meets the educational and/or programmatic goals of the trip or event and that represents the school and Christ in a favorable manner.

Off-campus activities should promote and not compromise the integrity and purpose of GRACE’s educational programs. With field trips considered an extension of the school day, students, teachers and chaperones serve as representatives of GRACE Christian School and Jesus Christ.

Additionally, there are a number of other community-building, GRACE approved events both on-campus and off-campus hosted by PTF, Student Council or room parents that fall within this purview.

Students, teachers and chaperones are expected to conduct themselves according to standards of behavior that comply with school policies, contribute to individual and group safety, secure maximum educational benefits, and maintain positive public relations about GRACE Christian School.

Definitions

Academic Field Trips
These include all off-campus trips that are organized as part of the class/course curriculum, and occur during regular school day hours. Academic field trips must include pre- and post-instructional activities and/or assessments. Full class participation is expected, and a grade may be assigned for participation or related work. Provision for a comparable instructional experience during the school day may be made for students unable to attend the academic field trip.

Extracurricular Field Trips
These off-campus trips are organized by a school-sponsored club or group. Participation is optional and voluntary. Extracurricular field trips must offer an educational benefit consistent with the club or group’s focus and can occur during the regular school day with the approval of the campus principal or after regular school hours (preferable).

Interscholastic Field Trips
During these off-campus trips, students participate as representatives of GRACE Christian School, including but not limited to, athletics, the performing arts, and academic and enrichment activities, such as ACSI events. Interscholastic field trips can occur during the regular school day with the approval of the campus principal, or after regular school hours.

Mission Trips
As GRACE seeks to train the next generation of leaders to share the gospel message with a lost world, part of that vision includes providing mission trip opportunities domestically and internationally for students to share the love of Christ cross-culturally.

Day Field Trips
These are academic, extracurricular, or interscholastic field trips which do not require a student to stay overnight away from home.

Overnight Field Trips
These are academic, extracurricular, or interscholastic field trips which require a student to stay overnight away from home. The procedures for planning and approving overnight trips apply. Overnight trips may include travel within North Carolina, in other states, and internationally. Overnight field trips that are non-recurring require submission of GRACE Event Request and must receive approval from the Head of School prior to being communicated to students and parents.

Chaperone
A person age 18 or older, other than a teacher, instructional assistant, coach, or student who accompanies and supervises students on a field trip. Compliance with GRACE Christian School’s Background Check Policy is required for all chaperones.

Types of Trips/Events

School-Sponsored Trips and Curricular Events (In House Managed/Coordinated)
This category represents the majority of GRACE approved field trips and comprises any trip for which employees of GRACE Christian School manage all aspects of the trip. The managed aspects includes but is not limited to the itinerary, travel arrangements, lodging, tours, restaurants, ground transportation, etc. These are considered School-Sponsored Trips and Curricular Events. GRACE Event Request approval must be received by the appropriate campus principal before the trip is announced to the GRACE community.

School-Sponsored Trips and Curricular Events (Externally Managed/Coordinated)
This category represents longer trips that are typically overnight field trips such as domestic and international mission trips and student foreign travel. Field trips coordinated by outside, independent operators must follow the same procedures outlined in this policy and must be coordinated in partnership with a designated staff member overseeing that all proper procedures are followed and that appropriate documentation is completed. GRACE Event Request approval must be received by the appropriate campus principal before a vendor is contracted for this purpose and before the trip is announced to the GRACE community. These trips should include current GRACE students/parents/staff only.

Non-School Sponsored Trips
The unique professional status of GRACE Christian School faculty and staff members may at times make it difficult for students and families to distinguish school-sponsored off-campus activities from non-school privately sponsored off-campus activities. While working as GRACE employees and/or representing GRACE in any way, staff may not develop, plan, and/or supervise off-campus activities represented as “school, class, club, etc.” other than what has been approved under this policy. Should an employee develop, plan or supervise a trip or activity that is deemed by the administration as a non-school sponsored trip/activity, the following is required:

Disclaimer Requirements: Any information about travel programs must include the following disclaimer: “GRACE Christian School does not fund, sponsor, or endorse this travel program. As such, GRACE Christian School is not responsible for conducting or supervising this trip. GRACE Christian School employees who participate in travel programs are not acting in their capacity as GRACE employees and do so at their own risk. Students participating in travel programs do so at their own risk.”
Any information distributed about travel programs cannot contain the name or logo of GRACE Christian School with the exception of the disclaimer requirement above.
GRACE employees may not use GRACE email, social media, hardcopy distribution to students, or other methods of GRACE‐controlled distribution that are not open to the general public to communicate to students or families about private, non-school sponsored off-campus activities.
Meetings regarding a non-school sponsored trip may not be conducted on GRACE Christian School property or during school hours, and school resources may not be used in any way towards a non-school sponsored trip.

General Conditions for Field Trips and Curricular Events

In order for events or field trips to be scheduled on the GRACE master calendar, for buses to be secured when necessary, and for facilities to be reserved, a review process of each event is required. The Event Request form should be filled out to initiate this process. It may be found at: GRACE Event Request

Field Trip Planning
All field trips are under the direct supervision of teachers and must meet GRACE instructional objectives. Trips should be well organized and well managed to provide enrichment and safety for students. Teachers should set the guidelines for all trips and should manage chaperones and their responsibilities with students.

Teachers should submit a field trip request to the respective administrator at least four weeks in advance of the trip through the online GRACE Event Request Form including instructional objectives, biblical integration and a description that will be used on the calendar entry for parents to read. (GRACE Event Request).

Teachers should set the guidelines for all trips and should manage chaperones and their responsibilities with students.

Chaperones
Trips should be planned with the utmost consideration of student safety which includes an appropriate number of adult chaperones, all of whom have met the guidelines set forth in GRACE’s Background Check Policy. There should be minimal impact on other classes because of the number of teachers missing classes due to chaperoning. Chaperones are expected to pay for themselves with exception of faculty/staff who are attending and performing administrative/leadership functions. These chaperones with administrative or leadership duties should be decided on by the administration.

Parents are encouraged to participate in field trips as their schedules allow. To promote order and simplicity, however, the number of parents serving as chaperones may be limited. No adult should participate in a trip who does not have driving or chaperoning responsibilities. The following guidelines apply to all chaperones participating in any GRACE domestic or international school-sponsored trips:

A chaperone may not bring visitors, children, siblings or others in their care on the field trip. Exceptions may be made by the administration for end-of-year parties.
Chaperones must stay with their assigned group and, in order to be fully engaged for the duration of the field trip, must limit cell phone use to trip-related communication so that students are appropriately supervised.
The use of any tobacco product is prohibited.
The consumption of any alcoholic beverage is prohibited.
Participation in adult entertainment (including gambling), in any format, is prohibited.
Adults may not leave the group they are chaperoning, for any purpose, except emergencies.
The chaperone is under the direction of the teacher and should follow all field trip instructions and school policies.
Chaperones are expected to pay for themselves with exception of faculty/staff who are attending and performing administrative/leadership functions.
Head of School and/or Principals have the final responsibility for approval or denial of a chaperone on any school-sponsored trip.

Chaperones not properly following the expectations and directions will not be permitted on future trips.

No less than one week prior to the scheduled event, a list of any chaperones who will be driving students or participating in an overnight field trip should be turned in to the Administrative Assistant to ensure that all necessary background checks have been performed. In addition, an estimated cost of $20.00 per approved driver or $25.00 per overnight chaperone should be included in the budgeted cost of the field trip to cover the expense of the background check. Please see the Background Check Policy regarding the proper level of screening for all chaperones participating in Field Trips and share this link with all parents attending who may need a criminal background check performed prior to chaperoning.

The teacher or trip coordinator is responsible for assigning all carpool, room, and tour groups which cannot be altered by chaperones or students. The chaperone will be assigned a group of students for whom they are directly responsible during the field trip. Specific students may be assigned to a specific chaperone to ensure the students’ safety and a positive off-site learning experience. Whereas a chaperone’s responsibility is to ensure the safety and compliance of students, chaperones should be instructed in their responsibilities for behavior management and appropriate consequences. Chaperones shall receive the following and are expected to review the information before the field trip:

A detailed map of the route including stops, and a schedule of the day’s events
A list of student behavior expectations and consequences (all school policies should be enforced)
Transportation Procedures
Emergency Information packets

At the end of field trips, parent chaperones may check out their own child for the day with the teacher such that the student is not required to ride the bus back to campus, but they must fill out the Early Pick-Up Form.

Transportation

No students shall be allowed to drive other students to and/or from field trip destinations. The school’s buses may be available for field trips and should be requested as a part of the event request process. All GRACE transportation procedures and guidelines should be followed including the following:

At least one teacher shall be assigned to each vehicle and be responsible for roll call, announcements and student supervision.
The number of passengers on each vehicle shall not exceed the rated capacity of each vehicle used to transport students.
All students shall travel to and from the field trip site under the supervision of a teacher, using designated vehicles when transportation is provided.

Insurance coverage allows only the following people to ride school transportation for a field trip or event:

GRACE Christian School enrolled students with signed permission forms
Teachers and Instructional Assistants
School Staff
Chaperones with student supervisory duties
Coaches

Student Participation and Behavior

School-sponsored academic field trips are a part of the instructional program and attendance is expected. If parents choose for their child to opt-out of a class field trip, the student will be given assignments to meet the objectives of the trip. Students participating in an approved field trip or foreign travel study program shall not be recorded as absent from school and shall be given opportunities to make up any missed work in other classes. Students who are suspended or expelled from school at the time of a trip will be excluded from the field trip.

Teachers should explain expectations for student behavior to students and chaperones prior to the trip.
If a student violates GRACE Christian School student conduct policies, handbook rules, specific trip rules, or otherwise misbehaves while on a field trip, the student will, if the behavior warrants, be immediately suspended from the field trip and sent back to school or home, as appropriate, by the trip organizer at the parent’s/guardian’s expense. In addition to being sent home, the individual will be subject to the consequences for the action/infraction upon their return to school as defined by the Student Behavior Policy.

Communication and Permission

A signed parental consent form must be received no later than two days prior to the event or when designated by the teacher. If parental consent has not been received, the child must remain on school property. An up-to-date Emergency Information Form from Blackbaud and a Field Trip Permission Form must be on file before a child may participate in field trips. Parents should contact the teacher before trip departure if a student is going to be absent on a field trip day.

The field trip coordinator(s) are expected to address communication expectations during a field trip with participating students and chaperones prior to the field trip. Clear expectations should be outlined regarding the use of any electronic communication by and between students, chaperones and teachers before, during and following the field trip, including whether photographs or videos may be taken and/or shared during the field trip. As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, we ask that staff, parents and participants not share pictures or posts on social media from field trips until the students have returned to school.

Medical Guidelines
All trips will require the coordination of medications and first aid. Specifically, the designated staff trip coordinator and school nurse (lower campus)/ student information manager (upper campus) are responsible for the following tasks:
Designated Trip Coordinator

The list of attendees should be provided to the school nurse (lower campus)/ student information manager (upper campus) at least one week before the date of the trip so they can plan for scheduled and emergency medications to be sent on the trip along with any necessary staff training.
The morning of departure, obtain any needed medications from the school nurse (Lower Campus) / Student Information Manager (Upper Campus).
Take a copy of the Student Information Record for each student attending the field trip, so that parents/ guardians and health care providers may be reached in the event of an emergency.
All medications must be administered in accordance with GRACE’s Medication Administration policy.
If emergency medication is administered, immediately call 911 and have the student transported to the nearest emergency room for follow up care. Should an emergency situation occur, the designated trip coordinator is responsible for notifying the campus principal by telephone as soon as possible.
Take a blank Student Accident Report form on the trip to document injuries that may take place.
In some cases, a physician’s recommendation may be necessary to ensure that it is safe for a student with a special health care need to attend a trip. This is based on the distance or time from an emergency response, severity of health care need and risk to student’s safety. If you have any concerns regarding the appropriateness of a particular trip for a student, please consult with the school nurse and the campus principal.
Upon return from the trip, return the First Aid Kit, all medication, the completed medication log, and any completed Student Accident Report forms to the school nurse/ student information manager during the school year, or to the campus principal during summer/ school breaks.

School Nurse (Lower Campus) / Student Information Manager (Upper Campus):

If a student may participate safely only with a nurse in attendance, arrangements must be made before the trip is planned to be sure a nurse is available to attend.
There must be a staff member on the trip trained to administer scheduled and emergency medications if there is a student necessitating this. In this situation, the school nurse is responsible for ensuring that there is a trained staff member on the trip.

Provide the following to the Designated Trip Coordinator before the trip commences:

A list of student medical conditions/ allergies with any specific instructions
Copies of each applicable student’s Request for Medication Administration or Asthma/ Allergy Action Plan forms
Applicable scheduled and/or emergency medications as provided to the school by the parent/ guardian.
Log for medication administration
First aid kit

A parent/guardian of a student with a special medical need may volunteer to attend a field trip to provide the care that their child will need. This should be strongly supported because there is no guarantee that a nurse will be available. We are obliged to provide safe and equal access to all field trips for all students.

NO NUT OR PEANUT snacks may be eaten on the bus. It is best to restrict eating on the bus when possible (i.e. a bus trip that lasts less than 2-3 hours). Water should be the beverage of choice unless there is a specific health need.

A cell phone must accompany each trip.

Financial
Activity Fee (Lower Campus) – A one-time activity fee is assessed via your Blackbaud account in September for each lower campus student to cover the cost of single-day local field trips (both in-house and off-site) for the academic year. Overnight or full-day field trips are not included in this fee.
Mission trips, 8th grade DC trip, and any foreign trips are all optional and have a fee attached to them for students who participate. All costs and fees should be paid at the latest before the trip begins.

Insurance
For all mission and international trips, travel insurance that includes medical, lost bags, travel interruptions/delays, trip cancellation, evacuation, etc. must be made available. The trip broker/travel group should be able to provide this. In the event of a medical emergency incurred by the student, any costs not covered by the insurance purchased for the trip will be the responsibility of that individual’s parents/guardian(s).
When using an outside vendor to oversee a field trip, the trip organizer must ensure that the outside vendor is reputable by checking in with the NC Attorney General’s Office and must also obtain documentation of insurance compliance by the vendor.

Other
Classes and groups should always begin their field trip with prayer.
School dress code is most often appropriate.

Overnight Field Trips

All requests for overnight field trips must be submitted to the principal at least three (3) months in advance. Overnight trips should be planned in detail very carefully. All adults and students participating should attend a meeting where expectations are explained. All chaperones should receive detailed expectations in writing. Adults will share a room with their own same gender children and their students’ peers.

International Field trips including Mission Trips require a member of the Executive Leadership Team or Administrator to be present.

Domestic Overnight Field Trips

In addition to the requirements for a standard field trip, an overnight trip requires that the trip planner:

Assign carpool groups (no changes by chaperones or students).
Assign rooming groups (no changes by chaperones or students).
Provide a detailed map of the route, including stops, to be followed by all drivers.
Provide a list of student behavior expectations and consequences. School expectations are minimal expectations.
Assign a designee responsible for handling medicines and first aid.
Give the transportation procedures to all drivers at least one day in advance.
Give each driver the copies of permissions forms and teacher information cards prior to departure.
Report any chaperone, parent or student who does not follow procedures to the appropriate principal.
Assign a chaperone to each room.
Conduct devotions and prayer time each day of the field trip.
Obtain a school supply of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and an Epi-Pen from the school nurse (Lower Campus) or Student Information Manager (Upper Campus) to bring alongside student-specific and parent-provided scheduled and emergency medications.

Mission Trips

Mission trip payments that qualify as charitable contributions must be processed through the Finance Office. Checks should be made payable to GRACE Christian School and must not have individual names designated on the payable‐to line or memo line of the check. In addition, contributions may be made online via www.managedmissions.com or using a link provided by trip participants. All funds (contributions and fundraising) will be accounted for and administered as a missions project set up on the books of GRACE Christian School.

For IRS/tax purposes, students need to understand that they are not raising support for themselves but for the mission project/ministry of GRACE. When financial support has been raised in excess of the actual cost of a mission trip, the Director of Christian Life will recommend to the Finance Office the best use of the additional funds. The funds may be distributed in the following manner:

The missionary partner will be contacted to determine if there are additional projects or money needed at the current time
Excess dollars may be retained in the specific mission trip account for possible future trips.
Some monies may be transferred to a Mission Trip Scholarship Fund to be used to offset the cost of future short-term mission trips.
So as to not jeopardize the tax-deductibility of all donations given for school-sponsored mission trips, GRACE Christian School does not refund any gifts or donations related to a trip in which a student has raised support for the trip but is not able to participate.

International

In addition to all other field trip requirements, international trips necessitate additional steps for safety, security and liability protection.

For trips that have been approved in a prior year but that may have minor changes in itinerary, the trip coordinator should notify the Head of School via Recurring International Trip Request Form the first week of August of the year in which the trip is to take place. It should include the intent to renew, names of chaperones, proposed dates, and any substantive changes to the trip. The Head of School will review this information with guidance from the Executive Leadership Team for approval. Approval is required by the Head of School before the trip is announced or information is distributed to students or families.

For trips that are “new” in that they are to a country not visited in the last five years, the New International Trip Request Form should be completed in detail and submitted to the Head of School the first week of August for the school year in which the trip will take place. The following information should be considered and detailed when completing the form

The proposed trip itinerary is detailed by day.
What are the goals and learning outcomes (educational, cultural, service-related, etc) of the trip?
How would this program fit in with your high school’s existing travel programs? Will it be recurring and if so, what would be the frequency?
Who would be eligible for the trip?
What would the estimated cost of the trip be?
Would this program involve a third-party company? If so, what company and how did you arrive at this decision?
How long would the trip last? How many days of school would be missed?
When would students travel?
What types of activities will students engage in while abroad?
What will students’ housing arrangements be abroad?
Will there be any required student bus or car travel between the hours of 11pm and 6am? If so, why? (Note that bus or car travel during these hours is strongly discouraged).
How will students share their experiences with the broader GRACE community when they return? What would be the visible product of this experience? Note that learning products are a required component of all GRACE trips.
Who are the requested adult (age 21 or older) chaperones for the trip? Please note that a member of GRACE Administration must be one of these chaperones.
A copy of any contract, lease or agreement required for the trip and/or participation in the trip must be included with the New International Trip Request Form.

International trips must include a printout of the State Department Travel Advisory and Homeland Security Alert Status for all countries to be visited. For international field trips, the trip organizer will provide parents/guardians a copy of the State Department travel advisory and Homeland Security Alert Status for all countries to be visited.

An appropriate number of trip meetings should be held to provide trip information to prospective and confirmed attendees and chaperone/leaders. Trip information should cover everything on the International Trip Checklist below:

Destination, purpose, and learning objectives of the trip
Trip dates
Pre‐ and Post‐trip meeting schedules
Trip cost and payment deadlines and deadlines for refunds (if any refund is allowed).
Detailed Itinerary
Hold Harmless Agreement – to be discussed and signed by all attendees and parents/guardian
Each trip leader must produce a detailed trip itinerary attached to the GRACE hold harmless agreement obtainable from the CFO. This itinerary and hold harmless agreement must have a clear disclosure of potential risks to be distributed to all trip attendees, co‐leaders, participants, and chaperones for signature.
It is very important to have these distributed and signed as one document for each participant, so that what we have with parent signatures will constitute informed consent for their child’s participation.
As such the detailed itinerary should include any and all details and inherent risks about the planned activities, customs, culture, travel, lodging, etc. This includes differences in safety, student supervision, medical support, cultural habits that might catch Americans off-guard such as personal space issues, etc. Once signed, send all originals to the CFO.
Trip safety and risk management. Set aside meeting time to have participants talk through the itinerary, having them identify activities and circumstances that could present a risk to safety and security. Have participants create a plan for measures taken to avoid or mitigate that risk, which become additions to the trip rules and behavioral guidelines and are added to the detailed trip itinerary and Hold Harmless document to be signed by each participant.
Trip rules and behavioral guidelines
Travel insurance
U.S. State Department travel guidelines – Consult the State Department website to check your trip route before planning and again throughout the trip planning process. Continue to check this website during your trip to avoid hot spots and areas in which the State Department is flagging potentially heightened risk for travelers.
Lodging – Home‐stay trips must have more than one student per home, background checks of homestay host adults in the household, visited by the trip leader/chaperone to be assessed for safety (properly functioning locks and doors, fire exit/safety plan, GRACE appropriate environment, access to emergency care as needed) and privacy prior to participant lodging. If issues arise, adjust lodging plans as appropriate to provide lodging which meets trip standards.
Transportation
Medical needs management
Cultural awareness
Legal considerations (seat belt laws, drinking laws, etc.)
Assignments to demonstrate achievement of learning objectives
A contingency plan for maintaining communications with participants in the event of an emergency during the student foreign trip.
Trip coordinator must file accurate itineraries and appropriate telephone numbers with the vice principal including hotel numbers and mobile numbers of trip leaders no later than three weeks before departure date.

Cancellation of International Field/Mission Trips – By signing the permission, consent and release forms, the student (if appropriate) and parents/legal guardians affirm that all parties have approved the participation of their child in the school-sponsored academic or extracurricular field trip with full knowledge that:

The Head of School reserves the right to cancel a trip up to the departure date or to recall a trip in progress if national and/or international conditions so warrant or if security and safety concerns over which GRACE Christian School had no control render it appropriate to cancel the trip. The Head of School will take the following criteria into consideration when making its decision:
U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory;
Homeland Security Advisory (alert status); and/or
Declaration of War or armed conflict.
Additionally, the critical judgment of the Head of School, with input from the Upper Campus Principal, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and trip organizer, will be taken into consideration.

In such an event that a trip must be canceled, school officials will make a reasonable effort to obtain a refund of monies paid by students and parents. However, such refunds are not guaranteed. The student and parents understand that he/she/they may lose any and/or all of the funds he/she/they have expended for the voluntary trip. Trip insurance is required for all multiple day out-of-state trips and international travel.

The Head of School will alert the School Committee to final deadlines regarding the required commitment of funds if there are national/international events/conditions/situations which might make the Head of School cancel or recall a trip due to safety concerns or other reasons.

GRACE Christian School and any and all employees shall be forever held harmless for remuneration of any and/or all costs associated with a student voluntary international trip.

GRACE does not plan travel to/in areas that are rated Level 3 or higher by the U.S. Department of State. Consult the trip planner for Student Foreign Travel Trips or the Christian Life Director for International Mission Trips, and adjust trip and travel plans accordingly. Schedule appropriate parent and participant communications to discuss forfeiture of non‐refundable trip payments and any possible airline credits. You can “Learn about your destination” and get all information about that specific country. It advises about Emergency Assistance for US Travelers and you can check Alerts & Warnings for a current listing of countries the State Department recommends Americans avoid or consider the risks to that country. Additional information for students traveling abroad can be found here.

School Planned Events

Part of the school experience consists of recurring events that build community and traditions to pass on to future generations of students. These events are planned by school staff and can have instructional, spiritual, or community building outcomes. Examples of these events are: Field Days, Christmas Parades, Grandparents’ Day, Spiritual Explosion Week, Missions Trips, March Madness for Missions, Prom, Homecoming Parade/Coronation/Dance, Pep Rallies, Operation Christmas Child, etc.

PTF and Non-Academic Events

These are considered community building events and should not be planned to take place during instructional hours. These events should be planned across all grades and groups (elementary, middle school, high school). Non-Academic Events are subject to the same level of review as a field trip and an Event Request form should be submitted to the appropriate campus principal for approval.

PTF and Non-Academic Event organizers are welcome to use, as available, GRACE facilities and resources (tables, chairs, tent for outdoor events, etc.). Event organizers are responsible for pick-up, set-up, clean-up and return of any school items. Organizers should plan to have volunteers within their group help with setup and clean-up activities so that all GRACE facilities are restored to the condition they were in prior to the event.

GRACE Event Guidelines Summary Chart

Type	Purpose	Scheduling	Organizer	Use of PCard	Transportation
Field Trips and Curricular Events	Have clear Instructional Objectives, and Biblical Integration elements	May take place on an instructional day	Must be organized by a faculty member who has supervisory duties over involved students	Class or department level cards are to be used by faculty member involved in planning	May use GRACE buses for these events
School Planned Events	Can be instructional, spiritual, or community building	May take place on an instructional day	Typically organized by administration and/or school staff	Administrator or staff level cards are to be used	May use GRACE buses
PTF and Non-Academic Events	Community building events	May not take place during instructional time	May be organized by non-faculty members	PTF card may be used for PTF events only	May not use GRACE transportation for these events

Extended-Day Field Trips

For students in Grade 3 and below, the planned return to school should not be later than 6:00 p.m. when school is in session the next day.
For Grades 4 and higher, the planned return to school should not be later than 9:00 p.m. when school is in session the next day.
If the field trip schedule does not coordinate with the regular bus schedule, the sponsoring teacher must ensure that parents are notified in advance of special drop off/pick up requirements. The sponsoring teacher must ensure that supervision of students is maintained until all students have been picked up or until the previous arrangements for dismissal (e.g., dismissal to after-school care) have been accomplished.

Overnight Field Trip

The field trip includes an overnight stay away from home and shall involve no more than 3 student school days.
Overnight field trips are the exception and are typically limited to secondary students.

Last modified: 28 July 2024

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