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Field Trips/Overnight/150 Mile Guidelines 

Policy Revision: 8/6/14, 10/11/17, 10/14/2020                                              

Philosophy— 

The South Sanpete Board of Education believes that field trips and extra-curricular activities are an integral part of the instructional program that can enrich and expand learning opportunities for students. The Board also recognizes these experiences are part of the total educational program and serve as an extension of the classroom in providing a variety of academic, civic, cultural, community, competitive, and business experiences. These out-of-classroom experiences are designed to complement the established curriculum and/or extra-curricular objectives while maintaining a balance between academics and activities. 

Definition— 

A contest is a game, meet, match, festival, or tourney, used to identify a competition associated with the various UHSAA sports and activities. For the purpose of this Policy, it may also apply to other school activities and trips where excessive travel is a consideration. 

Policy— 

All travel requests (field trips, 150-mile contests, overnight trips, etc.) need to be approved by the principal before submitting them to the District’s Transportation Director and/or the School Board. Before submitting such requests, a principal must ensure these trips meet the criteria and guidelines of this Policy and are in accordance with other District Policies, also. Whenever possible, student activities and trips shall be scheduled in close proximity to the school and the need for long-distance travel or overnight trips should be on an extremely limited basis. When making decisions concerning trips and travel, school administration and advisors shall consider the following: 

  1. Is there a comparable educational experience or activity at a closer location that results in less cost to students, parents, and the District? 
  2. What steps have been taken to protect instructional time? 
  3. What are the plans to properly supervise and safeguard the students? 
  4. Does this trip contribute to the overall educational program and extend learning experiences beyond the classroom? 
  5. Does every student have an equal opportunity to participate? 
  6. Have arrangements been made to accommodate the special needs of students? 
  7. Is there a plan in place to address student emergency situations that may arise?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     1

The principal has the responsibility of approving field trips and contests that are less than 150 miles one way from the school. The Board does not need to review or approve these trips. Once the principal has approved a field trip or contest, the principal, or designee, shall submit a Transportation Request Form to the District at least two weeks before the trip. These trips and contests are scheduled on a first-come basis and may be subject to availability of District transportation. 

In addition to the principal, the Board must also review and approve the following types of trips:

  1. Overnight trips 
  2. Field trips and contests that exceed 150 miles one way, except those trips associated with UHSAA Region and State activities, playoffs, or contests. 
  3. Student out-of-state trips 

The principal, or designee, shall use the UHSAA/SSSD 150-Mile/Overnight Request Form to submit these trip requests to the Board. It is recommended these requests be submitted to the Board two months before the date of the contest. Once the Board has approved a trip request, the principal may then submit a Transportation Request Form to the District. 

Field-Trip Guidelines— 

  1. A student shall be in good academic standing to be eligible for field trips and contests, e.g., passing classes, an acceptable GPA, good attendance, good behavior, etc. 
  2. Students shall not be denied participation due to a lack of funds if the trip takes place during a regular school day. Fee Waiver provisions shall also apply to field trips and contests. 
  3. Students riding a bus to a contest or a field trip will be required to return by the same means. Any exceptions to this must be done in writing and presented to the principal and advisor before the trip. 
  4. It is recommended that K-8 field trips not exceed 150 miles one way. 
  5. In addition to the bus driver, a minimum of one responsible advisor (21 years or older) must accompany all school buses transporting students to field trips or contests. The advisor, not the bus driver, is responsible for the supervision of the students on and off the bus and should also make sure the bus is clean after the trip. 
  6. It is recommended that schools use parent-permission slips for field trips. 
  7. Parents or legal guardians choosing to transport their children, with prior approval from the administration and/or advisor, will not be under the jurisdiction of the school or District. 
  8. If a bus driver exhibits poor judgment and/or inadequate driving skills while on a trip, the supervisor shall submit a written report to the Transportation Director of the incident. 
  9. High schools may be permitted to use one day per year to schedule a year-end senior activity trip in accordance with this Policy. 
  10. Schools will not be billed for field trips taken within Sanpete County. 
  11. At the end of each school year, the District will invoice each school for their field trip expenses based upon the District’s current bus rate/mile schedule. A yearly reimbursement of $1.50/student for K-6 students will be applied to field trip expenses for eligible schools. 

150-Mile Trip (one way) Guidelines— 

  1. It is recommended that principals and/or advisors be in attendance at Board meetings to answer questions regarding their trip requests. As a reminder, it is recommended these requests be submitted to the Board two months before the contest/activity. 
  2. Any fine or punishment associated with a “breach of contract” that may result from canceling an activity or contest that is not approved by the Board shall be the responsibility of the principal/supervisor. 
  3. The Board usually will not approve any 150-mile practice, non-league, invitational contest, or activity that is scheduled on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. This applies to whether a bus and/or Suburban’s are used for transportation. 
  4. An Endowment Game is considered a practice contest and usually will not be approved by the District/Board if it exceeds 150 miles regardless of the day it is scheduled. No school time may be missed as a result of an Endowment Game. This includes the travel time for all participants and support groups. Once a school is approved for an Endowment Game, it must also adhere to all of the UHSAA’s Endowment Game rules. Boys’ and girls’ basketball and football are the only sports eligible for an Endowment Game. Endowment Games are for only varsity competition. 
  5. With the exception of Region or State contests, coaches/advisors/principals/athletic directors are advised not to enter into a two-year agreement of home/home contests with schools that are more than 150 miles. If this does occur, these contests must be played on Friday or Saturday with minimal impact on instructional time. 

Overnight Trip Guidelines— 

  1. No overnight trips are allowed for K-8 students. 
  2. Overnight trips may become necessary when it becomes part of the educational program for high school students in conjunction with Region or State Utah High School Activities Association contests/activities or with other State or national organizations. 
  3. Parent Permission Waivers are recommended for overnight trips. These waivers should include student information, parent/guardian information, medical information, emergency information, discipline procedures, costs, any special rules or guidelines, mode of transportation, the trip’s information and schedule, lodging, etc. 
  4. Students are generally responsible for all of the costs associated with overnight trips; however, the school should make an extra effort not to add unnecessary expense to students and parents. 
  5. The advisor shall make arrangements for adequate supervision for both male and female students. The recommended chaperone ratio is ten students to one adult. Male chaperones should supervise male students and female chaperones should supervise female students. Chaperones must be 21 years of age or older. Advisors and/or bus drivers may not share rooms with students. 
  6. When checking into a hotel or place of lodging, it shall be the responsibility of the advisor to have the pay-per-view and/or other adult TV channels disconnected in the rooms if that capability exists. 
  7. Extra costs and/or fundraisers to assist in subsidizing the trip must be approved by the school administration and reviewed with parents. 

Out-of-State Trips and Post-Graduate Trip Guidelines— 

  1. The Board must approve all out-of-State student travel. No District vehicles may be used; therefore, licensed commercial carriers must provide transportation. No personal aircraft may be used. 
  2. The District/school shall not sponsor overnight trips and travel for postgraduate trips. 
  3. The financial expense of out-of-state travel shall be the responsibility of the participants, parents, and sponsors. 
  4. School personnel may not use their professional position, school time, facilities, or District resources to promote, advertise, solicit, or require student travel for privately sponsored tours or similar trips. 

The Board reserves the right to make an exception to this Policy for extenuating circumstances, especially when it is in the best interest of the school, program, students, and District. 

Accompanying Forms for this Policy: 

  • EAC-1 Transportation Request Form
  • EAC-2 UHSAA/SSSD 150-Mile/Overnight Trip Request Form

pdfEAC_150_Mile_Field_Trips_17.pdf