PLANNING A FIELD TRIP CHECKLIST

Things to do that are school/district specific:

Introduce yourself to your onsite field trip coordinator, and request:

  • Permission forms/policies for getting out of state trips approved (board approval, etc.)
  • Out of state field trip packet: professional leave request, field trip itinerary/outline guidelines, requisitions, etc.
  • In state field trip packet: typically same as out of state only with transportation request
  • Ask for flow chart of what paperwork goes to whom and what the ideal timeframe is for submission and approval.
  • Ask about grade checks for students and what the school/district policy is on failing grades for field trips when money has been paid.
  • Ask about transportation request process and costs and how those are covered, i.e. busses, short busses (training needed), vans, etc.
  • Ask about who can be chaperones and what documentation is needed, i.e. district employee, parents, finger print cards required, etc.
  • Ask about student insurance coverage and how your school handles students that do not have medical insurance.
  • Ask about your school’s policy on students driving themselves to conferences/competitions.

Introduce yourself to your bookstore manager/business office manager and request instruction on:

  • How to collect monies.
  • How to fill out a requisition for a purchase order and the expected turn-around for being issued a purchase order for payment.
  • Ask about payment policies with invoices.
  • Credit card usage and training, if available.
  • Accounts and how they are set-up and monitored.
  • How different accounts can be used, i.e. auxiliary vs student accounts.
  • Ask about fundraising guidelines, sponsorships, tax credits, etc.

Helpful forms for organizing your trip (templates/examples attached):

Information sheet with trip purpose, costs, payment deadlines, and financial agreement to be signed and returned (example attached)

Specific signature forms for specific conferences

  • Conference Code of Conduct (example attached) – see registration packets for conferences for specific forms that need to be filled out

School / program required signature forms (example attached)

Parent meeting agenda (out of state trip) (example attached)

Student meeting agenda (all trips) – all paperwork collected at this meeting (example attached)

Trip itinerary (example attached)

Parent letter with insurance information (example attached)

Emergency contact card for students (example attached) Phones do get lost! These come in handy!

Roster / spreadsheet for tracking paperwork and bodies; 3 tabs/sheets (template included)

Other Suggestions:

Numbering system (when you have more than 15 students)
Assign students numbers from 1 to ? based on alpha last name so that you can quickly have them count off and know that they are present and accounted for. I used this in NYC when getting students on and off the subway, as well as checking in for tours, etc.

Remind.com (educators app for sending group texts quickly)

Binder system /suggested tab labels (size of binder will depend on # of students traveling)

Set of 5 divider tabs

  • Tab 1 – Rosters (paperwork and hotel bed check)
  • Tab 2 – Travel Information (bus, airline, ground transport, hotel, etc.)
  • Tab 3 – District Paperwork Approved (including copies of all PO’s and invoices paid)
  • Tab 4 – Conference Paperwork and all meeting agendas
  • Tab 5 – Signed Student Forms