Smith County School Board approves student travel to agricultural program after discussion on safety and waivers

The Smith County School Board approved a teacher-led student travel program that includes agricultural demonstrations where students may observe or work with cattle, following a discussion about safety, parental waivers and insurance.

Board members voted 5–1 with one member absent to approve the trip. The vote included yes votes from Mr. Lewis, Miss Tessa, Christina, Mr. Taylor and Mr. McDonald; Mr. McCaleb voted no and Mr. Manning was absent. The motion passed after the roll call.

The trip organizer and Smith County agriculture teacher Mitch Smith said the program could be structured so students who are uncomfortable would not have to physically handle cattle. “You could do it with they could go on a trip and not touch cattle. There's different ways… you could probably still do it if you didn't feel comfortable,” Smith said. He also said parental consent is part of the packet the board received and that travel insurance and liability coverage are included in the trip package.

Why it matters: Board members questioned the district’s role in approving what the teacher described as a non-school trip held outside school hours, and sought clarity about parental permission, liability and participant selection. Several members urged a process to document which students may interact with livestock and to require signed parental permission for that portion of the itinerary.

During discussion, board members recommended a parent opt-in or waiver specific to interaction with cattle so students who should not participate physically can be kept back from hands-on activities. One board member suggested staff member Miss Moore draft a form documenting whether parents consent to livestock interaction.

Mitch Smith told the board the trip is not during the school year and that the travel provider includes travel insurance for each student and a liability policy the speaker described as a $50,000,000 policy. Smith said the company also provides 24/7 on-the-ground support for groups and that, if a student required medical care, instructors or chaperones would accompany the student to treatment.

On eligibility and group size, Smith said he expects about 10–15 students for a first-time trip but that formal enrollment caps were not established because the travel is organized outside regular school programming. He said he conducts classroom screening for participation when he runs trips affiliated with his class activities but that this particular travel was not operated as an official school-day event.

Board members who spoke during the discussion reiterated their support for the organizer’s professionalism while noting the board’s interest in consistent treatment compared with other district travel approvals. Mr. Lewis praised the organizer’s coordination and packet of information provided to the board.

The board directed no additional immediate conditions beyond the request that staff draft parent permission language for the portion of the trip involving livestock. The motion that the board voted on was to approve the trip as presented; the mover and seconder were not specified in the meeting transcript.

Ending: The board approved the trip and the organizer was thanked for appearing before the board. Members noted the district will follow up with the suggested parental permission language before similar future requests.