Policy Details Page

Regulation 2320.2R

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Trips related to student-athletes in competition, pep squads, and bands participating in WIAA and Narrows League activities are subject to all procedures set out in this regulation as well as Sections I. and IV. of Regulation 2320.1R.

An Athletic Activities Eligibility Form and a High School Athletic Emergency Information Form are required for each student participating in athletic field trips. These forms secure parent or guardian consent for the entire academic year. The Athletic Activities Eligibility Form is to remain in the school office or designated area for a minimum of three years. If an accident or incident occurs during a trip, all forms for that trip should remain on file indefinitely.

The safety and well-being of the staff and students shall be the primary consideration of all field trips.

The building administrator/principal and athletic director have the responsibility to carry out or cause to carry out the provisions of this regulation.

I. Procedures for Requesting Authorization

• Athletic trips scheduled in the Narrows League Schedule Book are considered authorized by the district. Additional contests must be authorized by the building principal or building athletic director and written permission shall be forwarded to the District Athletic Office.
• The staff member or athletic coach employed by the district, proposing additional contests not in the Narrows League Schedule Book will meet with the building principal or athletic director sufficiently ahead of the event to accomplish the necessary planning. Approval must be obtained before any discussion is held with students or parents and prior to any public announcement.
• When reviewing the proposal with the building administrator/principal or athletic director, the staff member will do the following:
  • Discuss efforts to accommodate low-income students and show that the cost will not cause undue pressure or hardship on the individual students, parents, community, or on other school activities.
  • Plan necessary financial arrangements. Fund-raising activities must be conducted in accordance with district regulations (Policy 3530, 3520 and accompanying regulations).
  • Gain assurance that the building administrator/principal and athletic director understand that if the cost of a non-league contest is greater than $125.00 per event, the additional expense will be the responsibility of the school.
  • Review the safety hazards at the location.
  • Plan for adequate transportation.
  • Plan for insurance coverage.
  • Plan for competent/responsible supervision of the activity.
  • Plan procedures for responding to emergencies.
• When all plans are completed the district staff member, or coach employed by the district, shall meet with the building administrator/principal or athletic director. The building administrator/principal or athletic director shall determine if all requirements have been met and approve or disapprove the proposal. If the trip is out-of-state or out-of-the-country, the extended Instructional Field Trip Request Form shall be submitted to the assistant superintendent for high schools for monitoring purposes and then to the board of directors for final approval. The appropriate forms for all out-of-state field trips requiring board approval must be submitted to the assistant superintendent for high schools prior to the trip. All out-of-the country trips must be approved during the school year prior to the trip.
• Upon approval by the appropriate administrator (or board of directors), the employee in charge of the trip will do the following:
  • Complete and submit district form, Request for Released Time for Regular Staff, if appropriate.
  • Obtain clear directions to and from the contest site.
  • Take along on all trips the High School Athletic Emergency Information form.
  • Ensure that a first aid kit is readily available at all times.
• The board of directors, superintendent, building administrator/principal, district athletic director or the staff member in consultation with an administrator, may cancel a field trip at any time.

II. Supervision of Participants

• All students participating in athletic field trips shall be under the direction of a staff member or athletic coach employed by the district during the entire event.
• The staff member in charge shall be immediately available to participants at all times while away from school.
• Names of adults selected to participate as supervisors shall be submitted in advance to the building administrator/principal for review.
• Prior to departure, the staff member in charge shall provide the building administrator with a roster of all participating students.
• Prior to departure, the staff member in charge will confirm that adequate supervision is present as prescribed during the planning stages and as otherwise prescribed in this regulation.
• The staff member in charge shall be responsible for training and assigning specific duties and responsibilities to adult supervisors prior to the trip.
• If secondary students will be permitted to go in small groups, unchaperoned, the parents or legal guardians must know of the practice and its implications prior to giving permission.
• A written report from the staff member in charge will be submitted to the principal as requested or whenever any unique situation occurs such as an accident, injury, major incident, etc.

III. Extended Field Trips

Extended field trips are those which include an overnight stay or which take students beyond a 50-mile driving distance from the city. Out-of-state trips and trips to foreign countries are considered extended field trips.

General Considerations

• Every effort should be made to minimize absences from the normal school program.
• Travel in foreign countries will be by public transportation or charter service rather than by privately operated vehicles unless the transportation is provided by host families. Students from the Tacoma School District shall not drive any vehicle.
• Fund-raising activities must be conducted in accordance with district regulations (Policy 3520, 3530 and the accompanying regulations).
• The code of conduct is to be made known to parents and students prior to travel. The chaperone shall strictly enforce the code of conduct.
• Foreign exchange students traveling to other countries must have proper clearance before leaving Tacoma.
• For foreign travel, at least one chaperone must hold a current First Aid/CPR card.
• Medical needs of students must be planned for and evidence of accident and medical insurance coverage for the student is required for all trips out of the country.
• If international travel and exchange programs are utilized, the staff member in charge must verify the program’s authority and ratings.
• The Extended Instructional Field Trip Evaluation Form shall be submitted to the principal within ten (10) calendar days after returning from the trip.
• The building administrator/principal will determine the number of adult supervisors required to accompany groups on field trips. Adequate supervision for both boys and girls must be provided as needed.

IV. Safety and Emergency Procedures

• The following requirements shall apply in an area that is considered to have hazards, to be remote, or, in particular, where there are water hazards:
  • One supervisor to assist with supervision of all students, keep order, and help keep the crowd away from the victim.
  • One supervisor trained in First Aid/CPR to respond as necessary to the victim’s aid.
  • One supervisor to leave the location and seek emergency help if needed, and then help direct emergency vehicle staff to the victim.
  • In water-related areas, the fourth supervisor will continue to prohibit students from entering the water.
• In case of an emergency, call 911 or the local emergency number. State the exact location and nature of the accident.
• The first-aid trained supervisor should administer first aid, if needed, until a medically trained person arrives and takes over.
• The injured person should be transported in a private vehicle only when other alternatives are unavailable.
• As soon as the fire department or police have arrived, the building principal/administrator should be notified. The staff member in charge should work with the administrator to locate the student’s parents or nearest relative to explain the incident and to describe where the injured student has been taken.
• Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any witnesses should be secured.
• Upon return to the school, or as soon as possible, it shall be the responsibility of the staff member in charge to complete an accident report. The permission slip and the medical consent form of the injured student will be filed with the accident report.

V. Authorized Transportation of Athletic Teams

• Events Eligible for Transportation
  • Transportation of athletic teams, at the expense of the Athletic Department for Tacoma School District, is authorized for the following:
    • All varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen Narrows League contests.
    • Varsity contests involving state playoffs that are not financed through the West Central District III reimbursement program.
    • Pre-season (non-league) contests for varsity and JV programs.
    • Other contests as approved by the District Athletic Office.
  • Transportation, at the expense of the District Athletic Office, is not authorized for the following:
    • Practice, unless special authorization is obtained in advance from the District Athletic Office.
    • Band or pep squads, unless special authorization is obtained in advance from the District Athletic Office.
    • Pre-season (non-league) contests for freshmen.
    • Transportation to jamborees unless pre-approved by the district’s director of athletics.
       
• Procedures for District Ordered Buses
  • The building athletic director will be responsible for sending out a transportation schedule.
  • The building athletic director should double-check buses for pick up and return times. The schedule should be distributed to each coach. If a change is necessary, the coach should notify the building athletic director immediately, but no later than Wednesday of the week preceding the event. If in agreement, the building athletic director must notify the District’s Athletic Office no later than the Thursday morning in the week prior to the event.
  • Coaches and building athletic directors must review schedules for other schools prior to requesting a change.
  • It is the responsibility of the building athletic director to notify the District Athletic Office immediately following any event in which scheduling problems were present.
  • The number of buses allocated will be determined according to the following criteria:
    • The maximum load for buses will be established by the District Transportation Office.
    • In most cases, each school will be authorized one bus per event. Additional buses may be granted for emergency purposes or when the team number exceeds the established maximum load.
    • Schools may be asked to share transportation and shuttle together.
    • The District Athletic Office may consider using taxi cabs or vans when transporting smaller groups of students.
       
• Contacting the District Transportation Office
  • It is the responsibility of the building athletic director to contact the District Transportation Office whenever:
    • a bus needs to be canceled,
    • an error in pick up or return times needs correcting, or
    • a bus is late or does not show for the assigned time.
  • It is the responsibility of the building athletic director when canceling a part of a shuttle, to inform all other affected schools.
     
• Other Transportation Requests
  • When practice facilities are not available at the home school, limited transportation will be provided to and from practice sites.
  • Individual building requests for transportation not funded or authorized by the District Athletic Office should be handled by school personnel. A Field Trip Authorization Form should be competed and sent directly to the Transportation Office.
  • When a taxi cab is authorized, the coach is responsible for scheduling the pick-up and return times directly with the cab company.
  • Taxi cabs may be used only to transport students and staff to and from athletic contests.
  • Vans may be used to transport athletes to away contests. No more than 10 individuals, including the coach, may be transported in one van. It is the responsibility of the building athletic director to arrange scheduling of vans with the District Athletic Office.
  • Transportation of students on school-sponsored trips should, whenever possible, be by school bus or licensed commercial carrier. Use of private vehicles is discouraged. If it is necessary to use private transportation, the building administrator/principal shall be responsible for determining that competent drivers, sufficiently insured, are selected, and that each driver has on file in the school office or designated area a completed Authorization for the Use of Private Vehicle form. Each rider must be able to be buckled into a seat belt when private vehicles are used. Private automobile insurance may not cover students being transported for school purposes.
  • Coaches are discouraged from transporting athletes in private cars. Coaches transporting athletes in private cars will be reimbursed at the current district level only when prior authorization from the District Athletic Department has been given.
  • Note: Students are discouraged from driving private vehicles for school-sponsored athletic events inside the city. If students will be driving private vehicles for a school-sponsored trip, special authorization and written parent permission are required. Forms must be obtained from and approved by the assistant superintendent for high schools.
  • Student manifest for sports or field trips during after school hours and weekends: In order to identify students and know which students are on a school bus after hours, all bus drivers will be required to obtain a list of the students’ names from the coach, teacher, etc. prior to the bus leaving. Teachers and coaches must provide a list to the driver and have a copy of the list on file at the school. The bus drivers are instructed not to depart until they have a complete list.

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Approved 11/21/01