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Board Policies 6000 - Instruction
Board Policy 6153 - Field Trips

Board Policy 6153 - Field Trips

I. POLICY STATEMENT

  1. The Prince George’s County Board of Education (Board) recognizes student field trips as an integral part of the instructional program. Student field trips provide educational experiences, beyond the school environment, which support, enhance and extend classroom instruction and curriculum at all levels. In addition, student field trip experiences offer extended opportunities for students to practice self- discipline, consideration for other people, and apply information learned in an academic setting.
  2. The overall success of any student field trip is dependent upon cooperative planning, a coordinated effort, and clearly identified objectives.

II. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines to plan, approve, and conduct student field trips.

III. DEFINITIONS

  1. Chaperone - A teacher, other PGCPS staff, parent, or other volunteer who accompanies a student field trip to assist staff in providing supervision for students. Chaperones who are volunteers, including parents, are subject to requirements set forth in Administrative Regulation 4126.6. Chaperones may also be employees of a vendor, contractor, or other entity that provides services to PGCPS pursuant to a contract or other agreement, provided that such chaperones abide by the contract or agreement and Administrative Procedure 4215.
  2. Parent - Any one of the following individuals who are legally responsible for a student.
  3. Biological parent – A natural parent whose parental rights have not been terminated.
  4. Adoptive parent – A person who has legally adopted the student and whose parental rights have not been terminated.
  5. Custodian – A person or agency appointed by a court as the legal custodian of the student and granted parental rights and privileges.
  6. Guardian – A person who has been placed by a court in charge of the affairs of the student and granted parental rights and privileges.
  7. Caregiver – An adult resident of Prince George’s County who exercises care, custody or control over the student, but who is neither the biological parent nor legal guardian.
  8. Foster parent – An adult approved to care for a child who has been placed in their home by a State agency or a licensed child placement as provided by Section 5-507 of the Family Law Article.
  9. Sponsoring teacher/supervisor - A professional member of the school or central office who is directly responsible for the planning of a student field trip.

IV. STANDARDS

  1. Student Field Trips
    1. All student field trips require a sponsoring teacher/supervisor who must attend the trip.
    2. No student may be denied participation in any Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) student field trip due to their financial circumstances nor as a discipline consequence unless already suspended or expelled.
    3. No student may be denied participation on a student field trip due to a disability. Schools must provide accommodations and modifications to enable maximum participation by all interested and eligible students regardless of their academic or social-emotional disabilities.
    4. All students, regardless of their individual or perceived race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy/parenting status, disability, genetic information, age, immigration status, socioeconomic status, or other legally or constitutionally protected attributes or affiliations must be provided an opportunity to participate in student field trips when they take place and must receive necessary supports to make that possible.
    5. The Superintendent shall establish guidelines for approving, conducting, and cancelling PGCPS student field trips, including student field trips involving foreign travel. The administrative approval process shall address the necessary requirements that must be met for the safety of students, however, the process for implementation must be automated. Student trips must receive full approval through the administrative approval process specified in Administrative Procedure 6153.
    6. Board policies and administrative procedures related to the health, safety, and well-being of students, employees, and chaperones, as well as the Employee Code of Conduct and the Student Code of Conduct, apply to all student field trips.
    7. Transportation shall be provided by an authorized public carrier or in accordance with the PGCPS Department of Transportation’s student trip guidelines.
    8. In advance of a student field trip, written parental consent is required.
    9. The Board does not assume financial liability for student field trips including, but not limited to, refunds or cancellations for any reason. Further, PGCPS reserves the right to cancel a trip at any time to ensure the safety of students, employees, and chaperones. If such a cancellation occurs, the Board is not responsible for any financial loss incurred by the parent of students participating on the trip.
    10. Chaperones may not bring other children on a student field trip. Only students who are part of the designated class or group may participate in a student field trip. Parents of students participating in the student field trip, who are not chaperones, may not participate in the trip nor bring other children to participate in the trip.
  2. Student Field Trips Involving Foreign Travel
    1. In addition to the general requirements for student field trips, student field trips involving foreign travel must be approved in advance by the Principal, Area Associate Superintendent, Chief of Academics, and Superintendent. It is the Board’s expectation that PGCPS staff shall consider the safety and security of students and chaperones in planning and granting approval for foreign travel. PGCPS staff must consult the U.S. Department of State’s website (www.travel.state.gov) for any travel warnings associated with their destination(s). It is expected that this website will be used during the planning process and again in the immediate days prior to departure.
    2. Pre-travel orientation session(s) shall be scheduled to inform parents and chaperones about the travel plans, student behavior expectations, travel company’s trip cancellation policy, availability of travel insurance, the refund schedule, and other travel incidentals that are related to the trip.
    3. A contingency plan for maintaining communications with participants in the event of an emergency during the student field trip shall be developed and shared with students, parents, and chaperones.
  3. The objectives of the student field trip must be specifically related to the curriculum and instructional program or to a regularly scheduled school- sponsored extracurricular and co-curricular activity.
  4. Student field trips shall not significantly, adversely disrupt the overall learning environment of the school and the frequency of the trips shall not negatively impact student participation in the regularly scheduled instruction or educational program at the school.
  5. Appropriate educational experiences shall be provided for those students who do not participate in a student field trip.
  6. Students participating in an approved student field trip during school hours must be permitted and are expected to make up any schoolwork missed, and the student’s absence from class shall not be recorded as an absence from school.

V. IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. The Superintendent is authorized to develop administrative procedures for the implementation this policy.
  2. The Superintendent/designee will provide an annual report which will include summary data for all approved and denied student field trips, to include school, area/cluster, grade, special designations, i.e. community schools, Title 1, etc. and location of trip, and the reasons for the denials of field trips.

VI. REFERENCES

  1. Legal
    • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC 1232(g)
    • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.
    • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
    • MD. CODE ANN., EDUC. §7-308
  2. Other Board Policies
    • Board Policy 0101 – Educational Equity
    • Board Policy 0106 – Volunteer Services
    • Board Policy 0125 - Nondiscrimination
    • Board Policy 0126 – Student Safety and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
    • Board Policy 4400 – Inappropriate Relationships between Students and Employees, Volunteers, and Contractors
    • Board Policy 5120 – Search and Seizure
    • Superintendent’s Administrative Procedures:
      • Administrative Procedure 3541 – Student Transportation
      • Administrative Procedure 4215 - Criminal History Checks, Employee Self-Reporting of Arrests, Criminal Charges, CPS Investigations and Findings and Incarceration
      • Administrative Procedure 5124 – Student Intervention Team (SIT) and Student Support Team (SST)
      • Administrative Procedure 4216.6 – Volunteer Services
      • Administrative Procedure 6153 – Student Field Trips: Day, Overnight, or Virtual
      • Administrative Procedure 6153.1 – Student Field Trips Involving Foreign Travel
      • Administrative Procedure 10101 – Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook
  3. Other
    • Employee Code of Conduct

VII. HISTORY

  • Policy Adopted 2/26/76
  • Policy Amended 3/28/96
  • Policy Amended 5/11/00
  • Policy Reviewed-No Revisions Required 5/5/03
  • Policy Reviewed-No Revisions Required 11/9/04
  • Policy Amended 8/25/05
  • Policy Amended and combined with BP 6153.1 and BP 6153.2 4/20/06
  • Policy Amended 4/29/10
  • Policy Amended 02/07/2025

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