CHSD 128 proposes new rules for educational tours to improve affordability and reduce staff burden

CHSD 128 administrators presented recommended changes to the districteducational-tour process to the Program and Personnel Committee, proposing new categories, affordability measures and approvals intended to increase access and reduce logistical burdens for staff and the board.

Tom (staff member) and committee co-leads Ben Rodriguez and Larry Varn said the district will separate ed tours into two categories: Category 1 for domestic travel and Category 2 for international travel. They recommended that routine trips connected to IHSA competitions and normal club fine-arts or athletic travel no longer be routed through the ed-tour approval process; instead, the district would treat those as implicitly approved by the board as an IHSA member.

On affordability, the committee outlined a range of options: extending payment windows (planning trips two to four years in advance so families can spread payments), reducing add-on costs (for example, reevaluating optional add-ons and the structure of chaperone charges), district-covered chaperones with the agencys complimentary spot redistributed among paying students, targeted "D128 daring trip" choices intended to be affordable and accessible to many students, an Ed Tour Scholarship Fund, and allowing individual student fundraising. Ben Rodriguez and Larry Varn said one concrete change already implemented was arranging healthy snacks during summer school for low-income students, funded by district funds.

Insurance and travel agents were the central items for alignment with the board. The district recommended maintaining mandatory cancel‑for‑any‑reason (CFAR) insurance for international trips and for domestic trips that exceed $1,000 in cost, but making CFAR optional for lower-cost domestic trips if the board prefers greater affordability. Staff estimated CFAR typically costs about 7% of a triptotal (administrative ballpark), which for a $4,000 European trip equals roughly $200–$250. Board members noted that families least able to afford insurance are the most at risk if a trip is canceled, and asked staff to make communication about risk clear if CFAR is made optional.

Administrators recommended retaining the use of travel agents for all international trips and for domestic trips involving air travel. They said travel agents provide critical operational support — rebooking groups after flight disruptions or arranging local services — and that in many cases the extra cost offsets staff time and risk. The committee proposed a default requirement for travel agents, with the option for a staff member to request an exception approved by department and building administrators when the trip is simple and involves ground travel only.

For equity, the committee proposed a district-supported D128 trip that could be structured as a domestic or lower-cost international experience and would be organized to maximize accessibility (for example, lower cost and multi-year payment plans). The committee also discussed leveraging the District 128 Foundation for Learning to support scholarships and suggested some districts subsidize trips where students pay a modest fee (for example, $500) but receive district or foundation support to make trips feasible for families in need.

No formal board votes were taken; staff sought guidance and said they will return with refined recommendations, budget impacts and recommended language for the ed-tour approval forms.