Every teacher wants to create a fun school trip, but there are some not-so-fun elements that you can’t avoid. Thus, the Field Trip Rules. Whether you teach elementary school, middle school, or high school, these rules should be presented in advance of the trip and focus on safety and having fun while touring. In this blog, we’ll look at the importance of setting trip rules that protect everyone involved while still allowing students to make great memories.
Safety Rules
When students set out on an extended class trip or an overnight trip, safety is the top concern for most teachers, parents, and administrators. You need to have some safety rules and field trip guidelines in place to ensure students don’t end up in potentially harmful situations. In many cases, your trip rules will be a close mirror of your school rules, with a few additions to cover situations you don’t normally see in school. It helps to make it clear to the students that many of the rules are the same ones they’re expected to obey every day in school. Some other rules might include:
Staying with your group – Ensure your students know they aren’t allowed to leave their group without telling the chaperone where they’re going and receiving permission. This may not be an issue when given free time to explore, but otherwise, somebody in authority needs to know where they are at all times.
Following the schedule – Make sure your students are aware of the importance of being on time. Anytime the entire group will be splitting up into smaller groups, make sure the students know when and where they’re expected to meet back up.
Respect posted rules – Your trip will most likely take you to museums, historical sites, or fragile natural areas. Remind the students they need to follow the rules of whatever attraction they’re at. Whatever the posted signs say, they need to obey. Most times those signs have been put up after someone failed to use common sense and either caused damage or injuries. The key word here is respect. This includes walking on the streets in New York City (NYC) or any destination the group may be touring. They need to respect the site, and the people working there.
Listen to your group leader – Whatever the chaperone says, goes. Students should respect their chaperones, bus driver, staff members, and parents/guardians on tour by listening to any instructions given to them.
No roughhousing – Roughhousing is dangerous and can lead to injury or property damage, even when everyone is in good spirits. Be sure it’s clear that this is not allowed under any circumstances.
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Practical Rules
While we’ve already covered some safety rules, there are some other practical guidelines you should lay out so that students get the most out of their trip and don’t get in trouble. For example:
Respecting nature – This is an important rule, especially if you’re in a National Park. Students need to respect nature and the environment they’re in. This means no littering, no damaging plants or trails, and no interaction with wildlife. It can help to explain to them that even if one in a thousand visitors to a park takes a certain action, the consequences will be huge simply due to the number of people that pass through. A good rule of thumb is the old hiking rule “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.”
Listen to speakers – Students should be prepared to give guest speakers and tour guides their full attention. When someone has the mic on your tour bus or school bus, give them and your fellow classmates the respect to be heard and listen. Aside from helping them learn more about a particular attraction, it shows that your school is respectful to others. A subheader of listening is a cell phone policy. When phones are allowed and how they are to be used.
Eat and drink in designated areas only – Many historical sites and parks have strict rules about where and when people can eat on their property. This is to preserve the attraction and artifacts within it. Ensure your kids know the rules and stress how important it is to follow them. This may also apply to the motorcoach. Many coach drivers have their own rules about food and drink allowed on the bus.
Follow all school rules – Remind students that all school policies still apply on the trip. In most cases, school staff will be leading the tour so that these policies will be known by trip leadership. They’ll be held to the same standards and be subject to the same consequences as if they were back at school.
Communicating Rules
What good are the rules if no one knows what they are? Perhaps the most important aspect of creating rules is clearly communicating them to your students. Create a handout that you can give the students (and their parents) before the trip, and again right before you leave on the trip. That way, everyone will know what the rules are, and no one can plead ignorance. Imagine trip rules list similar to a permission form or permission slip. At the top of the printable handout, include the goal of the trip: what will the students learn, why are you going, what will the kids get out of it, etc. Then list the rules of the trip and make sure it’s clear how those rules tie in with the overall goal. Most students, they’re more likely to obey a rule throughout the trip if they know why a rule is in place. It might be a good idea to have students (and their parents) sign off on a rules sheet or code of conduct before leaving for the trip to ensure students have acknowledged the rules and agreed to follow them.
Consequences of Breaking the Rules
It’s never fun to be the enforcer, but when students break the rules on the trip, there must be consequences. It’s especially important during the trip because leniency can encourage others to disobey the rules as well and take away from the educational purpose of the trip, which can have unintended consequences for the entire group.
So, what to do if a student violates the rules? It’s important to take the severity of the student’s actions into account. Late returning to a meet-up? Maybe they must be 15 minutes early to the next one. Repeated roughhousing or disrespectful behavior? It might be time for them to have to spend the rest of the day by your side, without their friends. (We know, it seems like punishment for you too, but it works!) Making a phone call to their parents with the student present can also be an effective way to tamp down on misbehavior.
Sometimes, things get too far out of hand and serious actions must be taken. Every once in a great while, it becomes necessary to send a student home early as a result of their misbehavior. There are two things to keep in mind when it comes to such a serious step.
First, was it clear where the line was? For many groups, possession of drugs or alcohol, harassment, or sexual activity can be the line in the sand. Be very clear with both students and parents about exactly what actions will result in a student being sent home early.
Second, how will the student be sent home? It’s not feasible for a single motorcoach to be used to get the student home, so often the student must fly home. What you need to have planned out before the trip is how will you facilitate this. Will a chaperone go with them as an escort? Will you wait for a parent to arrive and take charge of their own child? And how will the cost of sending a student home be handled? Many schools now have the parents sign a waiver indicating that they will accept financial responsibility to cover the costs of sending their child home early. However you intend to do it, have these important details figured out beforehand, even if you hope it will never come to that.
Enjoy Your Trip!
With these practical, safety-conscious rules in place, you’re all set to have a fun and safe school trip!
At GL Travel, student safety is our top priority. Contact us today to learn more about what we do to keep you and your group safe during your school trip.
