Rye High students ask District 70 to allow optional four-per-room waiver for overnight CTSO trips

Rye High student representatives told the Pueblo County School District 70 board on Nov. 11 that the district’s rule limiting two students per hotel room for school-sponsored overnight events creates a financial barrier for families and reduces student participation.

The students, introduced to the board by a faculty sponsor, proposed an optional waiver that individual schools or programs could use to allow four same-gender students per room for CTSO trips, provided parents sign the waiver and chaperones follow clear guidelines. "Our proposed solution is actually a waiver," one student presenter said, explaining the waiver would be optional per school and program and would require parental and student consent.

Why it matters: Presenters said doubling occupancy on two-queen rooms would cut lodging costs roughly in half on major trips, freeing funds for competitions and equipment and broadening access for students from lower-income families. In a written statement read aloud, Pamela Snyder, a Rye High parent, said allowing four students per room "would make these trips far more cost effective, opening up opportunities for more students to attend."

Details and safety concerns: Presenters supplied an example showing a National Western Stock Show trip could fall from about 22 rooms to 11 rooms under a four-per-room plan, lowering hotel cost estimates from roughly $3,300 to $1,650 before chaperones. They proposed limiting roommates to same gender, using rooms with two queen beds, and offering alternatives such as air mattresses or extra rooms at parental expense for families who prefer fewer occupants.

Board members pressed presenters on logistics and safety. One board member asked whether rooms would be two queen beds or include mattresses; students said the district could book rooms with two queen beds and that the waiver would allow parents to opt out. Speakers also emphasized that having three or four students in a room can provide witness accounts that help chaperones investigate incidents.

Staff perspective and caution: Rye High advisor and FFA staffer (identified in the meeting as Mister Beeman) praised the students’ presentation but warned against mandated double-occupancy, recounting a past incident he said illustrated risks when rooming policies are not carefully managed. “I am very, very completely against putting 2 kids in a room,” he said, while supporting an optional waiver as a compromise to preserve student opportunities and add protections.

What’s next: The board heard the presentation and asked questions; no policy change or vote on the waiver was recorded at the Nov. 11 meeting. Presenters asked the district to consider drafting an optional waiver for school or program use and to include clear chaperone guidelines and parental consent provisions.