TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS FOR FIELD TRIPS:

Here are the steps you need to follow when planning a school-related field trip for your students:

1. Field Trip Request Form: Fill out a multi-part Field Trip Request Form (for paper submissions- original form stays in the District Office, yellow copy goes to School Office, pink copy goes to Cafeteria [for advanced preparation of sack lunches if needed], and the goldenrod copy goes to Teacher). The District Office will send the colored hard copies of the Field Trip Request Form to everyone (via Interoffice Mail and a scanned copy via email) after the trip has been approved.

Have your Principal approve/sign off on the Field Trip Request form BEFORE you submit it to the District Office for Governing Board and/or Superintendent’s approval.

2. Water-Related Field Trips: ALL water-related field trips must be approved by the Governing Board. Other trips are approved by the Superintendent. Please check the box at the bottom of the form if this is a water-related field trip.

IMPORTANT: If your field trip is water-related, you must submit your completed and approved (signed by your site principal) Field Trip Request Form with the appropriate backup to the District Office at least two weeks before the date of the Board meeting. All water-related field trips (and overnight field trips and high-risk field trips) MUST be Board approved.

3. Chaperones: There is a strict ratio of chaperones to students on school-sponsored trips:

The ratio of chaperones to students on school-sponsored trips is:

Grades K-2, one to five
Grades 3-6, one to seven
Grades 7-8, one to twelve

If the trip involves water activities, the ratios are:

Grades K-2, one to three
Grades 3-6, one to five
Grades 7-8, one to eight

Please make sure that you have secured the proper number of chaperones BEFORE you submit your Field Trip Request Form to the District Office for approval.

4. Transportation by Bus: If you are traveling by bus, we use West County TransportationAgency:

IMPORTANT: The deadline for submitting items for incorporation into the board packet is two weeks BEFORE the board meeting. If you miss the cut-off date to get your water-related Field Trip Request forms into the board packet, you may not go on the field trip without Board approval.

5. Transportation by Parent Volunteers: If you are traveling by private vehicle, make sure (well in advance of your field trip) that the parent drivers have an approved School Driver Certification Form on file at the District Office, along with a copy of the proper insurance forms, and a copy of their valid California Driver’s License with the District Office. The district office keeps the original School Driver Certification Forms in a binder, but hard copies are also sent to the school sites and the employees/parent drivers.

6. Method of Payment:

Under Item 7: What Method of payment? on the Field Trip Request form make sure to either write either

7. 24-hr. cancellation policy with West County Transportation Agency ($50.00 charge for not cancelling)

• YOU call West County Transportation Agency (707) 206-9988 to schedule a bus for your field trip
• West County Transportation Agency will send you back a faxed quote (faxed to your school office) call the “TRIP INFORMATION” sheet, with the details of the bus, trip and the estimated costs.
• Submit your completed, principal-approved Field Trip Request Form, West County Transportation Agency Quote, and Purchase Order Request form for the bus (filled out by your principal) to the District Office for the Superintendent's approval, or if it is water related, it will be submitted for Board approval at the next school board meeting
• After approval, the District Office will give the original Field Trip Request form and backup documents to the DO Accountant, to prepare a Purchase Order to pay for the West County Transportation bus.
• 1.“Purchase Order”  OR
• 2.“Donations to Parent Teacher Club”