School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Policy 6-56
INSTRUCTION
Field/Class Trips
- Generally
Student trips of significant educational value shall be encouraged and shall be permitted under regulations established by the Superintendent. Student safety and proper care of school vehicles shall be primary considerations. The School Board delegates the approval of all school-sponsored field trips to the Superintendent or his/her designee. The Superintendent shall make an annual written report on such field trips to the School Board.
The School Board shall accept no responsibility for student travel that is not approved in writing in advance by the Superintendent or his/her designee in accordance with established regulations.
No student who is a member of a group shall be denied the opportunity to participate in a field trip activity of that group because of a lack of funds and no fund raising efforts for activities governed by this policy may commence until approval is received.
- Overnight Trips
Student trips out of state or requiring overnight accommodations must be approved at least thirty (30) calendar days in advance by the Superintendent or his/her designee. The thirty (30) calendar day requirement may be waived by the Superintendent or his/her designee only in exceptional circumstances.
- Privately Sponsored Trips
The School Board does not endorse or accept responsibility for any privately sponsored trips for students or any student trips not part of the instructional program. Employees are not permitted to solicit students for such trips.
Administrators shall emphasize to any interested students and/or parents that trips of this nature are strictly private enterprises.
- International Travel
The School Board does not endorse, sanction or approve any planned international travel. Such travel is strictly private and may not be made through the schools. For international travel by a student group or organization which occurs during the school year and for which a student requests excused absences, the Superintendent shall develop and implement procedures by which principals may recommend to the Superintendent or designee that student absences should be excused where the following conditions exist: (1) funding for the trip is entirely private; (2) any School Board employee chaperoning the trip has taken personal leave or leave without pay for work time missed; (3) the student and his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) have executed a written waiver approved by legal counsel releasing the School Board from liability and have signed a written agreement approved by legal counsel acknowledging that by permitting the principal to excuse such absences, the School Board is not endorsing, sanctioning or approving the trip; (4) the student and his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) have obtained and shown proof of adequate flight/travel and health insurance coverage for the trip; (5) the school division has purchased an International Commercial General Liability Policy for the School Board which provides coverage that is consistent with the Domestic Commercial General Liability Policy maintained by the Division to cover claims arising during international travel which might be brought against the School Board or members of the School Board, resulting from negligent actions or inactions of the Board, chaperones, or members of the student group or organization making such international travel and that the School Board has been reimbursed for the cost of such insurance; and (6) the trip has sufficient educational merit to justify the loss of instructional time. The Superintendent or designee shall determine whether the named conditions exist and make a final decision on the matter.
- Transportation
- School-Owned Vehicles/Buses
The School Board prefers the use of school-owned vehicles driven by school division employees for school-related activities, both curricular and extra curricular. In the event that school division employees are not available as drivers for such activities, the School Board prefers that School Board vehicles be used. In the e vent that School Board vehicles are not available for such activities and private vehicles are required, the Board prefers that such vehicles be driven by division employees.
The School Board sanctions the use of school-owned vehicles for school related activities, both curricular and extracurricular, under the following guidelines:
- Regular bus runs shall have priority over special trips.
- Athletic teams, cheerleaders, or similar student groups may use the school-owned buses for trips after satisfactory arrangements have been made through the transportation office.
- Commercial Carriers
Commercial carriers may be used when appropriate.
- Privately Owned Vehicles Driven by Non-division Employees
- General Requirements
(1) No student, parent, or volunteer who has been convicted of two or more traffic violations within the preceding 12 months, has two or more unresolved traffic violations within the preceding 12 months, or has one conviction and one or more unresolved traffic violation(s) within the preceding 12 months, shall drive students on a field trip or to a school-related event.
(2) No student, parent, or volunteer who has been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol within the preceding five (5) years or who has a driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol charge pending, shall drive students on a field trip or to a school-related event.
(3) The coach, activity sponsor, or building principal shall require any person driving students in a private vehicle to display a valid driver’s license, parent permission slip, and to sign a written statement, on a school administration-approved form, that such driver does not have convictions or any pending charge(s) which violate the provisions of subsection E.3.a. paragraphs 1 and/or 2, and further agreeing to provide a DMV abstract in response to a request by school administration, prior to such coach, sponsor, or building principal authorizing such driver to transport students. No driver who refuses to provide a DMV abstract upon the request of school administration shall be permitted to drive students on a field trip or to a school-related event.
- Field Trips and Other School Events
Parents, students, volunteers, or other non-division personnel, may drive students for field trips or other school events under the following circumstances:
(1) School bus transportation is not available or feasible because of distance to the event, the limited number of students participating, or in other circumstances designated by the principal.
(2) Students and parents are required to complete a field trip permission form, approved by the Office of School Administration, which clearly indicates the type of transportation, the type of driver (e.g. student, parent, volunteer), if not a member of the school staff, and other pertinent field trip information as required by the principal.
(3) Parents or non-division personnel approved for driving for field trips will be required to furnish copies of certificates of insurance showing minimum combined liability limits per person, per accident of $100,000 and a copy of a valid driver's license which shall be kept on file by the school. (Certificate of insurance coverage may be waived in the event that a rental vehicle is used and insurance with the foregoing limits is part of the rental agreement.) Non-division personnel must also sign the certification required by subsection E.3.a.
- School Athletic Events
Parents/legal guardians, students and other non-division personnel may transport student athletes/athletic teams/cheerleaders to school-related athletic events only if:
(1) Each student and his/her parent/legal guardian have completed an Athletic Field Trip Form at the beginning of the current athletic season; and
(2) The parents/legal guardians of each athlete have signed the Release, Waiver and Indemnification form and such form is on file with the athletic team coach; and
(3) No school bus or van transportation is available because of distance to the event, the limited number of students participating or in other circumstances designated by the principal.
No parent/legal guardian, student or other non-division personnel will be permitted to transport an athlete or athletic team unless a copy of a valid driver's license and proof of liability insurance showing minimum combined liability limits of $100,000 per person, per accident for such driver are on file with the athletic team coach and such driver has signed the certification required by subsection E.3.a.
- For school employees who transport students on special occasions see Regulation 4-25.1.
- Scope of School Board Liability Insurance
School Board policy will not protect drivers from liability claims of passengers or third parties, will not provide such drivers with medical pay insurance, and will not protect against uninsured motorists. Consequently, in emergency situations, such as the unavailability of a bus or insufficient seating in an employee’s vehicle, non-division personnel who transport students to school-related activities or events do so voluntarily and at their own risk. Such drivers shall comply with the minimum liability insurance requirements set forth in Subsection E.2.b.3. and E.2.c.
- Exceptions
Nothing in this policy shall be interpreted to preclude a parent from transporting his/her own children to and from a sporting event or a school-related event with the prior permission of the coach or sponsor.
Legal References:
Virginia Board of Education Regulations Governing Pupil Accounting Records, Approval of school-sponsored field trips and other activities, 8 VAC 20-110-50, as amended.
Code of Va., § 22.1-176. as amended, Transportation of pupils authorized; when fee may be charged; contributions; regulations of Board of Education.
Adopted by School Board: October 21, 1969
Amended by School Board: July 20, 1971
Amended by School Board: January 20, 1976
Amended by School Board: April 21, 1987
Amended by School Board: August 21, 1990
Amended by School Board: July 16, 1991
Amended by School Board: July 13, 1993 (Effective August 14, 1993)
Amended by School Board: January 18, 1994 (Effective December 21, 1993)
Amended by School Board: February 16, 1999 (Effective February 2, 1999)
Amended by School Board: May 4, 1999
Amended by School Board: August 15, 2000
Amended by School Board: June 6, 2006
