Updated August 2022

All Field Trips are subject to Board of Education Policy 6:240 and adopted Administrative Procedures AP 6:240

1. This information is for general education trips only.  All special education trips need to be approved through the Special Education Department.

2. Begin the process by downloading and opening in Adobe, the appropriate "Transportation Request" form on the employee intranet at least 30 days prior to a trip occurring. Note that there are three different request forms (1) SD308 YELLOW BUS REQUEST, (2) SD308 WHITE ACTIVITY BUS REQUEST, or (3) CHARTER or RENTAL REQUEST found in the Transportation Intranet Forms & Documents. 

3. For help or assistance with this process, please email dispatch@sd308.org

4. Yellow Bus or White Activity Bus Request:

   1. Complete the appropriate request form noting which fields you enter data in and which fields have a drop down menu.

   2. Save the completed REQUEST FORM using a file name which includes: (1) School abbreviation, (2) activity description, and (3) trip date (MM.DD.YY).  Example: BE-Scholastic Bowl-12.02.22

   3. Collect the appropriate approval signatures (Building Principal, Level Director, etc.).

   4. Give the completed and signed REQUEST FORM to the building secretary to enter the trip details into TRIP TRACKER and upload the completed REQUEST FORM to the appropriate APPROVED FOR TRN TO SCHEDULE folder on the network shared folder.

   5. Transportation will schedule the trip and staff will be notified via an email from Trip Tracker with trip details.

   6. If there are questions about your trip, or vehicle unavailability, someone from the transportation department will follow-up with the teacher/requestor.

6. Charter or Rental Request:

   1. Complete the appropriate request form noting which fields you enter data in and which fields have drop down menus.

   2. Save the Request Form using a file name which includes: (1) School abbreviation, (2) activity description, and (3) trip date (MM.DD.YY).  Example: OE-Band-12.02.22

   3. Collect the appropriate approval signatures (Building Principal, Level Director, etc.).

   4. Secure quotes from the appropriate charter or rental company and enter the trip costs on the CHARTER or RENTAL form

   5. Upload the completed and signed REQUEST FORM and Charter/Rental Quote to the appropriate CHARTER-RENTAL Approvals folder on the network shared folder.

7. Elementary and Secondary Permission Slips:  Once approval has been granted, you will then need to send home a permission slip for each child.  DO NOT do this before approval has been granted.  Permission slips have also changed for this school year.  You will need to complete the top portion and send a copy home with each child for the child date/sign.  There is also a section for parents to fill out the required information.  You must receive this form back from each child for her/him to participate in the trip.

8. AP 6:240 Exhibit: Student Permission to Self Drive Form

9. AP 6:240.1 Exhibit: Athletics - Student Permission to Self Drive Form

Field Trips Outside of the Continental United States:

In order for the field trip to be considered, the staff member in-charge must complete a Field Trip Request Form via current paper form at least six (6) months prior to departure date. The Field Trip Request Form must be submitted to the building administrator for approval, then to the district director, and then to the Superintendent’s office via ucoan@sd308.org to obtain approval and in order to obtain Board of Education approval. At that time, a copy of the field trip form, with all required signatures, will be returned to the principal and/or administrator-in-charge. A minimum of one (1) month prior to the trip, a complete list of all chaperones/supervisors need to be submitted to the Associate Superintendent’s office for a criminal background check verification. No chaperone/supervisor is allowed to accompany any field trip without a verified, successful background check received by the Associate Superintendent. 

1. Students and staff traveling on trips outside the continental United States are not fully covered by standard District insurance policies. Proof of acceptable liability coverage through the contracted tour company or other insurance carrier must be provided prior to approval of the trip. Coverage must have a limit of liability in excess of $1,000,000, and the District must be named as an additional insured on the policy. 

Trip Limitations: 

9. Every effort should be made to schedule field trips between the hours of 9:00am (pick-up) and 2:00pm (return). 

10. Field trips during the school day when school is in session must be between the hours stated above unless prior approval is granted by the principal and final approval by the Director of Transportation is given. 

11. If a trip does not return to school at the stated time on the field trip request form, an added cost will be billed to the school by the Transportation Department separately. 

12. For elementary students, the time on the bus to the destination of the field trip is not to exceed one hour. 

13. Transportation will only allow “X” amount of trips per day to be scheduled. Once that number has been reached, they will close that day and not allow any more trips to be scheduled. 

Transportation: 

1. 1. Parents or legal guardians will be informed of the destination and the mode of transportation to be used on any field trip. Written permission must be obtained from each student’s parent or legal guardian before the student will be allowed to participate in the field trip. Transportation of any student(s) in a staff member’s personal vehicle is prohibited.

      1.  If a student(s) drives own self to location, “Permission to Drive Self” form must be submitted to DAC. “Permission to Drive Self” form is available on the employee intranet. 

      2. Permission to Drive Self forms must be submitted a minimum of five (5) days prior to the event. 

14. If a coach or sponsor chooses to transport students in any type of leased vehicle, prior approval must be obtained from the Director of Transportation. Per ISBE Division of Funding and Disbursement Services, School Vehicle Use (updated November 2012): 

    1. It is illegal for a school district of non-public school to purchase, lease or use a passenger/cargo van manufactured to carry 11-15 passengers to transport students for any reason. The vehicle can hold no more than 10 passengers, including the driver. 

    2. School districts or non-public schools could be held liable in a lawsuit for knowingly using the 11-15 passenger/cargo van that does not conform to the federal motor vehicle safety standards for vehicles used by or for a school district when used to transport pupils for any reason. 

    3. Insurance: All vehicles mentioned should have proof of adequate insurance on file with the school district finance office 

    4. Charter Bus Companies: The District Administration Center has an approved list of Charter Bus Companies to be used. It is the responsibility of the coach/sponsor to verify that the charter is an approved provider. 

15. Students are required to travel in district-owned/chartered vehicles when provided. A parent may request that their student travel with them on return trips if there are extenuating circumstances and a request is made in writing to the staff member in-charge. If the staff member in-charge does not agree that the circumstances require parent transportation, they are authorized to reject a parent request. Parents may appeal that decision to the appropriate building administrator. The building administrator’s decision will be final. 

16. A Field Trip Request is not necessary if students are out-of-class and participating in an event at their own building. 

Costs: 

17. The Field Trip Request will indicate the total costs and per-person charge. The accounting of all funding for the trip, both collected and expended, will be reported to the school office. ALL entrance fees, food, lodging (to include driver’s lodging if overnight trip), transportation, substitute teachers, and related costs shall be assumed by the students, staff and volunteers unless otherwise stipulated by the Board of Education, provided that no student shall be excluded from any field trip because of a lack of funds. On all field trips, a bus fee to be set by the authorized administrator will be charged. If a coach or sponsor chooses to transport students in any type of leased vehicle, prior approval must be obtained from the Director of Transportation. 

    1. If all costs are not submitted to the building principal’s designee a minimum of one (1) week prior to the field trip, the trip may be canceled. 

Exclusions: 

18. Trips will be financially self-supporting. Sponsors/chaperones will not profit from the trip nor realize any remuneration or gifts other than actual trip expenses (Policy 2:105 Ethics and Gift Ban; Policy 5:120 Ethics and Conduct) 

19. Students may be excluded from field trips for reasons including, but not limited to:

    1. Grades 

    2. Attendance 

    3. Discipline 

       1. Students with prior disciplinary infractions or disruptive behavior may be excluded from extra-curricular trips outside of Illinois or outside of the continental United States at the request of a staff member. The Building Administrator and the Executive Director of District Student Services will review such requests and make the final determination. 

    4. Bona fide safety concerns 

    5. Any decision to exclude a student from such a trip must be made jointly between the Building Administrator and Executive Director of District Student Services. 

Chaperones/Supervision: 

21. All field trips will be adequately supervised by staff members and other responsible adults. Providing additional supervision, when necessary, is the responsibility of the sponsoring teacher. Supervisors/Chaperones must be at least 21 years of age. 

    1. Chaperone Request/Fingerprint Form:  All chaperones for field trips must be fingerprinted.  The District Volunteer List is located on the O Drive. Please check with Kris Odum if you do not see a parent's name but they work/have worked here or state they have already been fingerprinted through SD308.  If needing to be fingerprinted, they will start the process by taking a SD308 Volunteer/Chaperone Fingerprint Request Form, signed by the Principal or his/her designee, into the district office.  Please keep in mind that this can take several weeks, so please be sure you leave enough time for parents to have this done before the field trip.

    2. A ratio of one adult for every ten students in grades kindergarten through 2, and 1:15 students in grades 3 through 12 is recommended for field trips out-of-the district. 

    3. If the field trip includes any overnight stays, there will be an appropriate ratio of male and female adult supervisors, provided that both male and female students are attending the field trip.

    4. Every adult supervisor/chaperone must pass a successful criminal background check prior to any field trip. ALL background checks MUST be completed through the Kendall County ROE. (Form may be picked up at the District Administration Center.) 

    5. Supervisor/chaperone may meet the bus at the destination of the field trip with written permission granted by the staff member-in-charge. The proper student-to-staff ratio must still be met on the bus. 

    6. One-on-one special education assistants/nurses will accompany students requiring such services as noted through an IEP. These assistants will not be used to supervise other students unless deemed appropriate or necessary. When configuring ratio or adults from prior paragraph(s), one-on-one assistants should not be included in determining ratios. 

    7. Nursing services will be provided when needed by the student and approved by the Director of Health Services or designee. A two-week notice prior to the trip is needed to ensure a nurse will be available. 

22. Only students and adult supervisors directly involved with the district designated or athletic supervision will accompany students on a school-sponsored field trip. Adults in non supervisory roles, or children not enrolled in the class or activity, (including children of the sponsors or siblings of the participants), will not be allowed to participate or accompany the members on the field trip. 

Other Guidelines: 

22. Non-Public School Students, including private, parochial, and home-schooled students, may attend field trips as outlined in Board Policy 7:40. 

23. Graduated Students 

    1. Students who graduate early cannot attend field trips after they have graduated. 

    2. Students cannot attend international trips in the summer following their graduation date. 

    3. Students cannot attend trips as part of an ensemble performance group (i.e., band, choir) after their graduation date. 

    4. Students CAN participate in Illinois SKILLS competition and National SKILLS competition through Career and Tech in the summer, assuming the student is eligible under rules of the competition. 

    5. Students on IHSA teams still competing beyond school’s graduation date and who are on the team roster CAN complete the season. 

    6. Students who graduate prior to the start of second semester and are involved in a competitive club and/or activity will be allowed to participate in those competitions during the second semester of that school year if they can provide their own transportation to and from the event/competition.

24. A list of names, addresses and contact telephone numbers of all participants will be prepared a minimum of five (5) days prior to the departure of the field trip and kept on file in the school office; another copy will be held by the sponsoring teacher accompanying the students in the event of an emergency, illness or accident. 

25. Trips for students going from one SD308 school location to another SD308 school location require a completed Field Trip Request containing supervisors/chaperones for the “trip”. The existing student-to-classroom teacher ratio can be used to meet supervisor/chaperone requirements. 

26. A Field Trip Request Form does not need to be submitted if students are out-of-class and participating in an event at their own building or participating in an “in-house” field trip.

27. All students, staff members, sponsors and volunteers are covered by the district’s insurance policies while traveling on the district sponsored trip within the continental United States. 

28. All injuries, illnesses or accidents that occur on a field trip must be reported to the school administration immediately. 

29. All field trips are considered extensions of the classroom and school. All school rules apply during sponsored field trips. It is the responsibility of the sponsoring staff member to enforce these rules. 

30. Staff members and adults accompanying students on a field trip will refrain from the use of alcohol, tobacco and inappropriate language or behavior for the duration of the trip. 

31. Student behavior on field trips in violation of school student discipline policies or guidelines will result in disciplinary action in accordance with school procedures and policies. Students may be removed from a trip if their behavior warrants such an action. All field trip costs paid by the student for participation will be forfeited. Any costs associated with removal of a student from a trip will be the responsibility of the student or his/her parent or guardian. 

32. Parents are not allowed to temporarily or permanently remove their children from a field trip unless that authorization has been given by the building administrator or sponsor prior to departure. 

33. Any teacher planning a field trip will arrange for supervision and appropriate learning experiences for non-participating students. 

34. Parents must be notified in writing that any trip, whether local, national or international may be canceled at any time by the Superintendent or designee or Board of Education if it is determined that cancellation is in the best interest of the students’ safety or well-being. The District will make every effort to minimize the financial loss in the event of cancellation, but will not be responsible for reimbursing students and parents for any non-refundable fees. 

35. Only members of a team’s active roster, including managers and coaches, can ride on buses to and from events. Once a lower level team’s regular season ends, they are no longer considered “roster” and cannot ride on buses with Varsity teams during playoffs and/or post-season events. This would also not allow children or family of coaches of active roster players to ride the bus with the team.