School committee presses for stronger field-trip safety protocols and equity safeguards

School Committee members asked district administrators to strengthen field-trip approval procedures, especially for overnight and international travel, and requested a copy of the district global-travel handbook and a review of chaperone and safety protocols.

Several committee members said they want field trips removed from the consent agenda so sponsors can present details and answer committee questions about safety, supervision, curriculum ties, and student eligibility. One member asked that any future overnight or international trip include a detailed safety plan, nightly supervision protocol and explicit criteria for student eligibility that go beyond payment ability, citing equity concerns.

Administrators said the district maintains a global-travel handbook and a separate set of procedures for school-sanctioned overnight trips; they agreed to circulate the handbook and to revisit sections to clarify supervision expectations for international travel, including recommended chaperone-to-student ratios, nightly supervision and aligned curriculum/service components. The superintendent said she had approached the Partridge Fund about scholarships to broaden access for students who could not otherwise afford travel.

Committee members also asked staff to clarify disciplinary expectations and eligibility standards for school-sponsored trips so that students understand the privilege-and-responsibility nature of travel programs and families can make informed decisions.

No policy change was adopted at the meeting; staff said they will update the committee with the global-travel handbook and proposed clarifications in a future packet and will consider whether to make field-trip approvals an agenda item rather than a consent item going forward.