Chaperone Guidelines
 

Chaperone Guidelines for Educational Trips 
When you volunteer to serve as a chaperone on your child’s field trip, you are helping to extend the regular curriculum beyond the classroom and the school.  Your role as a chaperone is an important one and requires that you accept certain responsibilities.  The purpose of the following Chaperone Guidelines is to provide you with an overview of Spring-Ford School District’s expectations for chaperones and students.  Should you require any additional information, or have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or the building principal. 

    Parents/Chaperones should arrive 15 minutes prior to departure for a field trip.

 Chaperones will be assigned to a small group of students.  Please be sure that you know the names of all the children in your group.  Name tags or a list of students’ names will be supplied by the teacher.  

    It is the responsibility of the chaperone to keep track of their group for the entire duration of the field trip. At no time should students be left unsupervised. Keep children within your sight at all times.    

    Watch children carefully; always think of the children’s safety first. Be alert to potential dangers.  

    Adults, both chaperones and school staff members, should address the needs of all students, not just those in your assigned group.  If you see that a child needs help or is not following the rules, please do what you can to remedy the situation. 

    Inform the teacher immediately if a child refuses to follow your directions.  

     While riding on the bus, chaperones are responsible for their group.  Please sit with your assigned group, both to and from the trip destination.  If driving your own vehicle, you should know how to get to the trip destination or must be able to follow the bus.   

    Chaperones must remember that the purpose of the trip is to supplement the curriculum.  Students should be kept on task at all times. 

    Pay careful attention to your group’s schedule.  Look for any specific activity times and arrive promptly in order to participate in the lesson.  Groups must not leave the designated trip location. 

    Chaperones should pace their group carefully during the trip experience.  Be sure to spend time at each exhibit or station, making an attempt to learn as much information as possible.  The children may be excited or overly anxious at times.  Try to keep them focused on everything there is to see and do. 

    Chaperones are not permitted to purchase extra snacks or souvenirs for any children.

    Chaperones should devote all of their attention to the students assigned to them.  Therefore, other family members, especially young children are prohibited from participating in the trip. 

    Medications, including cough drops, may be administered by school district personnel only.

District policy prohibits smoking at any time during school trips.
 

    Chaperones are responsible for their own lunch and beverage on trips. 

    Report all disciplinary concerns or accidents directly to classroom teachers.  Be prepared to state what happened.

    Do not release students to anyone other than their teacher or designated school personnel. 

General Behavior Guidelines 

    While on a field trip, Spring-Ford School District students are expected to:    

            Practice good manners at all times.

                Keep their hand and feet to themselves.

                Respect others.

                Use self control at all times.

                Remain with the group leader at all times.

                Stop and Think before speaking or acting.

Field Trip Bus Safety

                Please enforce the following bus rules:

            No food or drink is permitted on the bus.

           Children must use quiet voices on the bus

             If the windows are open, children must keep their hands, arms and all objects inside the bus.