Overnight School Sponsored Student Travel Policy

A.  Trip Approval Process

    1. Advanced approval by the superintendent is required for any student trip involving overnight travel.
    2. Overnight trips should offer educational benefits to students that clearly justify the time and expense of the trip.
    3. Teachers and other school staff are prohibited from soliciting privately run trips through the school system.

B.  Transportation

    1. Private vans or automobiles will not be used for overnight student travel.
    2. Trips that include overnight student travel will include pre-trip checks of companies, drivers and vehicles.
    3. Selected transportation carriers must be licensed for passenger transportation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).  No carrier that has a FMCSA safety rating of “conditional” or “unsatisfactory” will be used to provide transportation.
    4. Selected transportation carriers are prohibited from subcontracting trips.

C.  Trip Scheduling

    1. Overnight accommodations should be made in advance concentrating on student safety and security.  No student travel is permitted between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. due to the increased risk of vehicular accidents during this time period.  No trip is permitted requiring more than one (1) driver per vehicle.  Under federal regulations, drivers are limited to ten (10) hours of driving time after eight (8) consecutive hours off duty.
    2. Whenever possible, overnight trips should be scheduled on weekends or during school vacations to minimize lost classroom time.
    3. Trip itineraries must leave enough time for drivers to rest in conformity with federal hour-of-service requirements and common sense.
    4. Trip scheduling should take into account the likelihood of delays due to weather, traffic, stragglers and other unanticipated factors.
    5. If substantially all members of a class are participating in a trip, appropriate substitute activities will be provided for any student not participating.

D.  Student Supervision

    1. Students will be accompanied by a sufficient number of chaperones, taking into account the trip scheduling and logistics.  All chaperones, including parents and volunteers, must have a CORI check in accordance with M.G.L. c.71 §38R.
    2. All participating students must submit a signed parent/guardian permission form.  Such form shall include appropriate authorization for emergency medical care and administration of medicine.