Board clarifies overnight‑trip approvals: principals, superintendent handle routine trips under 250 miles
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Summary
Superintendent and staff told the board that principals may approve routine athletic events, tournaments/playoffs or trips within a 250‑mile radius; overnight trips beyond that radius will require board approval. The district will place overnight trips on board reports going forward.
Board members heard a policy clarification on student overnight trips during the meeting. District staff said the board’s existing policy allows principals to approve regular athletic events, tournaments/playoffs and trips within a 250‑mile radius, while overnight trips are subject to superintendent approval. The board must approve any overnight trip that falls outside those policy guidelines.
Miss Burd explained the district’s intention to follow the written policy more closely and to present overnight trips in the meeting’s report section for board review rather than requiring board action on routine trips. "According to our policy, any student trip that is a regular athletic event, a tournament, or playoff event, or a trip within 250 miles can be approved by the principal," Miss Burd said. She added that the district may revisit how the 250‑mile calculation is applied because it is “trickier than we initially thought.”
Dr. Lawson supported the approach and asked that the district align practice with policy to avoid requiring board approval for routine, short‑distance overnight travel. The change primarily shifts routine approvals to school‑level administrators and reserves board action for longer or out‑of‑policy trips.