REGULAR FIELD TRIPS

Field trips are those school-related events for which school staff arranges transportation and ensures an appropriate number of chaperones as stated within this policy. All trips shall be subject to prudent safety precautions and conducted according to the rules established by the District and the school. Every effort should be made to schedule field trips without interrupting other school functions.

APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

A. Day trips to sites listed on the School Board-approved field trip list must be approved by the principal at least two (2) weeks prior to the activity.

B. Trips to sites not listed on the above-mentioned list, or any trip lasting more than one (1) day even if on the list, require that the “Application For Field Trip Not On the approved List” form and a “Field Trip Information Sheet” with a detailed itinerary be approved by the principal and the Area Superintendent at least four (4) weeks before the trip. The approval for trips must be secured before the teacher makes plans with students or parents. Overnight trips should be scheduled on weekends or non-school days if possible.

C. Trips of more than one (1) day must be approved by the subject supervisor before submission to the Area Superintendent.

D. All necessary approvals must be secured before any trip-related fundraising occurs.

E. Florida High School Activities Association (FHSAA) and Florida School Music Association (FSMA) events are governed by the rules and regulations of those organizations. For FHSAA athletic competitions and FSMA evaluation festivals the field trip forms referred to above are not required.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR FIELD TRIPS

A. All field trips must be conducted under the supervision of a certificated Board employee.

B. A chaperone who is not a Board employee must be registered in the online Volunteer System as an approved volunteer before the field trip. As part of the volunteer registration process, a background check will be completed. The background check process requires a two (2) week prior notification. A student may not be a chaperone.

C. All students participating in school-sponsored field trips shall be counted as present (computer code 2) for attendance purposes.

D. No student may be excluded from a field trip because of an inability to pay the cost of admission or other related expense.

E. All monies collected in connection with a field trip must be processed by prescribed internal auditing procedures and Board policy.

F. If a special invitation is extended to a group, the letter of invitation should be attached to the required form(s) for field trip approval. Letters of invitation from travel agencies are not acceptable.

G. Chaperone ratio shall be one (1) for every ten (10) students unless the field trip is such that the principal or Area Superintendent require more chaperones.

H. Field trips should be made by bus whenever possible. If using a commercial carrier, only companies on the Authorized Carriers List published by risk management shall be used.

I. Amusement rides are not approved on a school day during school hours except as approved by the Superintendent or designee.

J. No student drivers are allowed for out-of-county trips except as authorized by the school administrator, and with parental consent and release of liability.

K. No drivers under eighteen (18) years of age are permitted when transportation is provided or arranged by the School District with the following exception: Students who have a valid Florida license and are at least seventeen (17) years of age may transport other students to school events on a case-by-case basis with the prior approval of the school administrator. The parents or guardians of students being transported in this manner must be notified that a student will be driving and must give written permission.

L. No recreational trips to beaches or other bodies of water are permitted.

M. Personnel attending field trips must log out at the school and submit Temporary Duty Elsewhere form if payment of substitute teachers is involved.

N. No children may attend a field trip unless they are part of the group for whom the trip was arranged unless approval is given in advance, in writing, by the principal. Any costs incurred will be paid by the parent/guardian. This inclusion is discouraged.

O. Refer to risk management’s “Field Trips, Sporting Trips, and School Activities Guide” which includes guidelines regarding use of private vehicles.

P. If an overnight trip includes boys and girls, there must be sufficient male and female chaperones.

Q. Students are responsible for making up any class work missed during a field trip.

R. A list of all participating students and chaperones shall be on file with the principal.

S. Detailed itinerary for trips of more than one (1) day must include time leaving, all stops for meals, all activities, returning time, lodging addresses and phone numbers. The principal, Area Superintendent, each parent, and each student is to receive a copy of the itinerary.

T. The District “Field Trip Permission” form signed by the parent or guardian must be on file before a student may participate in a field trip.

U. Insurance documentation for all drivers must be on file before the trip, as required by the risk management department. This includes name of driver, name of insurance company, and/or copy of driver’s current insurance card.

V. The school shall verify insurance coverage for students when required by Policy 2431.

W. Personnel designated by the principal to assist students in the administration of prescribed medications when on field trips shall be trained by the school nurse

BAND, ORCHESTRA AND VOCAL GROUPS

Band, orchestra, and vocal trips are subject to regular field trip guidelines as outlined in this policy. The field trip forms referred to above are not required for FSMA evaluation festivals.

TOURS AND INSTRUCTIONAL TRAVEL STUDY PROGRAMS

A. Authorized tours are those activities sponsored by the schools which have both educational and recreational value to the students. Student participation in tours must be during a time when school is not in regular session.

B. All school-sponsored tours shall be approved by the building principal and the Superintendent, or designee, at least two (2) months in advance of the tour. The request shall include objectives, itinerary, plans, budget, and method of financing.

C. A faculty sponsor shall accompany a school tour group and assume responsibility for the proper conduct of all students on tour. The appropriate number of adult supervisors shall be determined by the Superintendent or designee. Tours shall be conducted according to Board policies.

D. The faculty sponsor shall file a complete evaluation report with the building principal within one (1) week following a tour, and this report shall indicate how the educational objectives of the tour were accomplished as well as any unusual occurrences.

E. School-sponsored tours shall not be financed with school system funds. The method of soliciting funds for tours shall be approved by the principal, in accordance with Board policies and procedures.

F. Each student shall obtain a written consent form duly executed by the parent or guardian, which shall be submitted to the principal prior to participating in the tour.

G. Board employees shall not receive compensation from travel agencies or private organizations involved with the tour, with the exception that free passage and other related expenses may be granted for supervisory duties.

H. Travel study programs are those class and student organization activities planned cooperatively by students and faculty and shall be viewed as school-sponsored activities. Student participation shall be voluntary. Students who do not participate shall not be adversely affected in terms of their course requirements, grades, or eligibility to participate in other activities of the class or group.

I. Travel agencies or other private organizations promoting travel study trips shall not be permitted access to the school to promote or enroll students for privately sponsored travel study programs and trips.

ACTIVITIES (NON-ATHLETIC)

A. An activity is a school related event for which the school does not arrange transportation, e.g. award banquets, distributive education transportation to work sites, Student Rights and Responsibilities meetings. This statement does not apply to FHSAA competitive athletic events.

B. All school functions and related activities must be approved by the principal. The principal is responsible for insuring adequate supervision at the activity. School staff will be present, but the one (1) to ten (10) ratio of chaperones to students will not be provided.

C. For an activity, the field trip forms referred to above are not required.

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC PROVISIONS

A. Admission fees for all athletic activities shall be as prescribed by the athletic conference in which the school holds memberships.

B. At all interscholastic athletic events, faculty members of participating schools shall be provided free admission.

C. All interscholastic practice activities shall be conducted after school. Practice sessions shall not interfere with or take the place of the regular class schedule of the athletes.

D. Transportation will be provided for students as determined by the principal with approval of the Director of Pre K-12 Extra-Curricular Student Activities. If school officials arrange transportation, provisions stated above in this policy shall apply. If the school does not provide transportation it shall be the responsibility of the student athletes to provide their own transportation.

E. Athletic competitions are subject to regular field trip guidelines as outlined in this policy. The field trip forms referred to above are not required for FHSAA athletic competitions. In lieu of the “Field Trip Permission” form, the High School Activities Participation Form signed by the parent or guardian must be on file before a student may participate in FHSAA athletic competitions.

OUT-OF-STATE ATHLETIC TEAM/CHEERLEADING SQUAD TRAVEL

The following shall apply to athletic teams and cheerleading squads traveling out-of-state or to national competitions:

A. Students who are members of, or who are attached to, the team or squad shall not miss more than one (1) school day.

B. Neither the principal’s discretionary budget nor the centralized athletics’ budget may be used to fund the out-of-state travel.

C. Only varsity athletic teams and varsity cheerleading squads may travel out-of-state.

D. All cheerleading squads qualifying for national competition will be allowed to compete on a national level in competition approved by the Director of Pre K-12 Extra-Curricular Student Activities and will be exempt from item “A” above.

F.S. 1001.43

Athletic Activities Notification student eligibility standards and disciplinary actions

PINELLAS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD POLICY IN BRIEF

• Home Educated students must be assigned through the district office.
• Students administratively transferred to another regular school for disciplinary reasons shall be ineligible for athletic participation for a period of the remaining school year.
• Students returning to any regular school from a successful reassignment/expulsion shall be eligible upon return to the regular school provided the student meets all FHSAA eligibility requirements.
• Students ejected from an athletic contest for unsportsmanlike conduct are subject to a fine to be paid by the student/parent/guardian to their school. The fine may range from fifty ($50) to two hundred fifty ($250), determined by the FHSAA, for gross unsportsmanlike conduct. An athlete who is ejected or disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct will not participate in or represent the school in any future athletic contests until all fines assessed have been paid to the school.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Academic Eligibility:
  • An incoming 9th grade student must have been regularly promoted to be eligible during the first semester.
  • Eligibility is based on an unweighted cumulative GPA in all courses taken since first entering the 9th grade.
  • Eligibility status is determined at the end of each semester (18 weeks) to determine if a student is eligible or ineligible. This means a student who maintains a cumulative 2.0 grade point average is eligible for an entire semester (18 weeks). If a student does not maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point average, the student is ineligible for an entire semester (18 weeks). This applies to 11th and 12th grade students. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SCHOOL’S ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL FOR ACTIVITIES OR YOUR SCHOOL’S ATHLETIC COORDINATOR IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
• A student who reaches the age of 19 prior to September 1st shall become permanently ineligible for high school athletics. In addition, a middle school student who reaches the age of 15 prior to September 1st is permanently ineligible for middle school athletics.
• Students have four consecutive years of high school eligibility from the date they first enter the 9th grade. Beginning with students entering grade 9 in 2017-2018, and thereafter, a student who reaches 19 prior to September 1st, and who has not exceeded their four year limit of eligibility, may participate in interscholastic athletics during that school year.
• Physical Evaluation: The annual physical evaluation must be administered either by a licensed physician, a licensed osteopathic physician, a licensed chiropractic physician, a licensed physician assistant, or a certified advanced registered nurse practitioner. A physical evaluation is valid for one year (365 calendar days) from its date. For example, if a physical is on May 1 it is valid through the following April 30.

In addition, the following rules apply:

E. A student not currently suspended from interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activities, or suspended or expelled from school, pursuant to a district school board’s suspension or expulsion powers provided in law, including ss. 1006.07, 1006.08, and 1006.09, F.S., is eligible to participate in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.

F. A student may not participate in a sport if the student participated in that same sport at another school during that school year, unless the student meets the criteria in s. 1006.15(3)(h), F.S.; 9.3.2.1 FHSAA.

G. A student’s eligibility to participate in any interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activity may not be affected by any alleged recruiting violation until final disposition of the allegation pursuant to s. 1006.20(2)(b), F.S.