Policy 3541.6 - Transportation of Pupils for Other Than Home-to-School

Rule 3541.6

Approved: 09/05/2006

Last Revised: 02/07/2012

Transportation of Pupils Other Than Home-to-School

It is the policy of the school district to permit field trips as a teaching strategy to supplement and enrich the educational program and for recreational purposes. The district recognizes two types of field trips:

1. An educational field trip is an excursion taken in connection with courses of instructional or school-related social, educational, cultural, athletic, or school music activities. Such field trips shall introduce, reinforce, or enrich an instructional goal and objective included in the approval curriculum and / or course of study of school district and shall be further defined in the procedures which accompany this policy.
2. A recreational field trip is any excursion that does not meet the definition of an educational field trip, but does contribute to the social and emotional growth of the pupil.

Field Trips – Legal Requirements

1. No pupil shall be required to pay a fee for transportation on any educational or recreational field trip taken during the instructional day.
2. Pupils may be charged a fee for an educational or recreational field trip, however, no pupil shall be prevented from making a field trip due to a lack of funds and no group shall be authorized to take a field trip if a pupil-member will be excluded due to a lack of funds.
3. Emergency care information on each pupil shall be in the possession of the teacher/chaperon while on the field trip, with a copy given to the driver.
4. First Aid Kit, supplied by the school, shall be available, and whenever an educational or recreational field trip is conducted into an area which is commonly known to be infested by poisonous snakes, the teacher or district employee conducting the field trip shall have completed a course in first aid which emphasizes snake bite remedies.
5. All persons making a field trip or excursion shall be deemed to have waived all related injury claims against the district.
6. A certificated employee, or coach must be the supervisor on board the bus of a field trip taken during the instructional day.
7. The certificated employee, or coach, shall hold pupils accountable for their conduct during the field trip.

Approval Requirements

1. All pupils must have the approval of their parent/guardian to go on a field trip.
   1. All pupils must have turned in a signed permission/emergency form, which includes trip purpose for each field trip, an athletic season schedule or a semester/annual field trip schedule, prior to leaving (See attached Exhibit A).
      1. With the principal’s approval, verbal permission to go on a field trip may be accepted in lieu of a written note if two adults, designated by the principal, verify the parent/guardian’s verbal authorization. Emergency care information will need to be obtained at the same time.
      2. certificated employee or coach in charge of the trip must take roll and a list of pupils actually in attendance on filed trip during the instructional day must be in the school office prior to trip departure.
      3. A list of pupils actually in attendance of a field trip will remain with the chaperon on the bus.
   2. After the field trip, the permission form shall be filed in the school office for a one year from the date of the trip.
2. All field trips must be approved by the site administrator and/or his or her designee.
   1. Additional approval is required based upon the mileage and extent of the field trip.
      1. Trips that exceed a 50-mile radius for infant through 8th grade students will require prior notification to the assistant superintendent.
      2. Out-of-state trips require the approval of the appropriate assistant superintendent and superintendent.
      3. Camp and overnight trips for infant through 12th grade require the prior approval of the appropriate assistant superintendent and his/her designee.

Types of Field Trips

1. An educational field trip is an excursion taken in connection with course of instruction or school-related social, educational, cultural, athletic or school music activities. The field trip shall introduce, reinforce or enrich an instructional goal and objective included in the approved curriculum and/or course of study of the school district.
   1. A day field trip is defined as one taken by a group of pupils during a normal work day.
   2. A walking field trip is defined as one taken by a group of pupils who walk from school to destination and back to school again when the trip requires a major deviation from the regular school schedule. (Short excursions on foot in the immediate neighborhood of the school that take place within the regular school schedule are not regarded as field trips).
   3. An overnight field trip is defined as one taken by a group of pupils, usually within a few hours’ journey from the district, on which they spend the night(s) away from home.
   4. A camp field trip is defined as one taken by a group of pupils, usually a few hours.
2. A recreational field trip is any excursion or field trip that does not meet the definition of an educational field trip, but does contribute to the social and emotional growth of the pupil.
   1. All infant through 8th grade recreational field trips require approval of the appropriate assistant superintendent or his/her designee, and shall whenever possible be scheduled beyond the instructional day.
   2. A fee can be charged for recreational field trips, but cannot be more than the actual cost per pupil.
   3. Supervision by a district employee is required.

Types of Transportation

1. Use of District or Commercial Buses
   1. Transportation by bus should be considered as the primary means for transporting students and should be used whenever possible and available.
   2. Transportation by organized private vehicles as a parental responsibility may be used when bus transportation is not available or when these alternative means of transportation are appropriate.
2. Use of Organized Private Transportation (Volunteer)
   1. Authorized district employees may organize the use of vehicles other than district or commercial buses to transport students to athletic contests or on field trips under the following conditions:
      1. They must submit a signed Volunteer Vehicle Usage Statement for placement in the school’s office file each year, along with a copy of a current driver’s license and insurance card.
      2. Volunteer drivers, including school personnel, who transport pupils must be at least 21 years of age and have a good driving record.
      3. The use of open pickup trucks, open jeeps, motor homes and campertype vehicles which do not allow students to be seated in the passenger compartment shall not be permitted in transporting pupils.
      4. No more than ten (10) persons including the driver may be transported in a private vehicle. No vehicle designed for more than (10) passengers can be used.
      5. The volunteer must assume supervisory responsibilities for student control to and from activities
      6. The driver shall wear and insure that all other passengers wear the vehicle’s safety belt in accordance with VC 27315, 27360, and 27363 while operating the vehicle.
      7. The driver must complete and submit the Volunteer Vehicle Usage form.
      8. Students with a valid CA driver’s license may, with parent permission and District approval, transport themselves to district sponsored events. The student driver may not transport other students. In addition to completing the Volunteer Vehicle Usage form, the Student Voluntary Transportation Agreement, signed by both student and parent, must be submitted.
   2. Parents assume sole responsibility for their youngsters to activities when the school or District does not provide bus transportation or organized private vehicle transportation.
   3. Drivers of private vehicles that are organized to transport students for athletic events of field trips shall provide evidence of the following insurance:
      1. A Comprehensive Automobile Liability Policy, which provides:
         1. An endorsement stating that is the vehicle insurance conforms to the insurance coverage requirements of Section 35208 of the Educational Code of the State of California, and Part 6 (commencing with Section 989) of Division 3.6 of Title 1 of the Government Code.
         2. Automatic coverage for all owned licensed vehicles.
         3. Automatic coverage for leased or hired licensed vehicles.
         4. Coverage for vehicles that are owned by employees, volunteer workers and others and are used in the business of the school district.*
         5. Primary liability coverage for the individual car owner while he/she uses a personal car under authorization of school district.
         6. Coverage for lessors of vehicles to be covered as required by the terms of the lease. *Excess coverage provided by the District will be secondary to the individual driver’s primary coverage.

Use of School Transportation

1. A transportation request shall be submitted via the District’s internet “TripPlanner” program. The trip shall have the following approvals:
   1. Principal/Program Administrator
   2. Budget/Accounting Department
   3. Transportation Department
2. Before a trip will be scheduled, all required approvals are necessary; otherwise the trip will be rejected by the Transportation department.
3. A fee, established every year, will be charged for educational and recreational field trips.

Use of Commercial Transportation

1. The use of commercial transportation to transport students on field trips shall be contracted only with vendors from an approved vendor list established by the Director of Transportation.
2. The Director of Transportation shall establish criteria for the approved vendor list which will include the following requirements:
   1. Certificate of insurance showing the following minimum coverage:
      1. Type of Policy: Comprehensive Automobile and General Liability insurance, including Personal Injury Liability and Contractual Liability Policy must include and indemnification provision.
      2. Limits of Liability for Vehicles: $5,000,000 Combined Single Limit for Bodily Injury Liability and Property Damage Liability.
      3. Best’s Key Rating of Insurance Carrier: A: XIII or higher.
      4. Additional Insured: The school district shall be named as an Additional Insured on a primary basis with such insurance, not reduced by any other insurance, available to them.
         1. Vehicles supplied to the district shall be certified by the California Highway Patrol Motor Carrier, as a School Bus or School Pupil Activity Bus.
         2. Drivers supplied to the District shall be certified as School Bus Drivers or School Pupil Activity Bus Drivers.
         3. Vendor shall have maintained a satisfactory California Highway Patrol Motor Carrier inspection rating for the last 12 months, and that rating will be available to the district at any time.
3. The Director of Transportation or his /her designee shall make sure that only contractors from the approved vendors list are used, that budget and transportation are notified by submitting a transportation request, that the bus is certified and that the driver has a School Bus Certificate or a School Pupil Activity Bus Certificate.
4. The use of commercial buses will only be utilized when district school buses are not available. Students being transported across state lines will be exempt from this requirement.

Bus Driver Authority

A. Nothing in this policy statement shall relieve the bus driver of responsibility with respect to his/her operation of the bus or the exercise of his/her legal authority over all students on the bus.

Supervision

1. All students who are transported to activities must return to the point of departure by the same vehicle unless they are released at the activity site to their parent or guardian, principal or principal’s designee. Infant through Grade 12 students may be released to parents or guardians who present themselves to the district staff member in charge and personally sign a written release.
2. Adult supervision, per students, for trips outside the county shall be as follows:
   1. Infant – Pre-School, as the Education Code requires.
   2. K-3rd Grade, twelve (12) students for each adult supervisor.
   3. 4th – 8th grade, seventeen (17) students for each adult supervisor.
   4. 9th – 12th grade, thirty four (34) students for each adult supervisor.
3. One adult supervisor, while in transport, shall be located in the front of the bus.