Tips for ALL Activities

• If you assume responsibility as a group leader or head chaperone, set clear and specific rules of conduct.  Inform students of a zero-tolerance policy for misbehavior such as horseplay, practical jokes, harassment, taunting, teasing, rough play, fighting, unwanted sexual advances, inappropriate touching of others, vandalism, name-calling, hate behavior, or profanity.  Also warn them against foolish bravado, showmanship, and risk-taking.  Ask a few trustworthy students to be your eyes and ears, and immediately report problems to you.

• When teachers/parents furnish private vehicle transportation, they must fill out Form T-30 which attests they have the following insurance limits:  $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury, $50,000 property, and $5,000 medical payments.  "Medical" coverage pays the ambulance and medical costs of injured passengers.  Assure that traffic rules are observed and that passengers wear seatbelts (it is mandatory that each student in the vehicles has their own seatbelt).

• If traveling by van, do not exceed nine (9) passengers plus the driver in any one vehicle (10 people total).  If you need advice on the selection of private carriers or vehicle types, the PUSD Transportation Department (Extension 8801 2636) will gladly answer questions.

• For field trips lasting several hours or more, participants should consider bringing food and drinking water along, and a first aid kit is also desirable.  If a cellular phone is available, it can be used to summon help in an emergency.  Never use a cell phone while driving.

• Document all accidents and unusual incidents in writing.  Obtain witness statements and photograph the accident scene.  If a police report is written, be sure to obtain the police officer's name, badge number, and case number.

• A tip on supervising rather than participating in student games:  It is District policy that you stand back and supervise, rather than participate in higher-risk games.  The District's risk management policy on this is subject summarized in Employee Injury Prevention-Participating in Student Activities.

• What activities should be included on the Board of Education agenda for out-of-county field trips?  Answer:  School-sponsored trips only.  Seeking Board approval for personal activities that happen to involve students will create needless legal confusion and conflict-of-interest situations.

• If you plan to use an educational travel service, you should know about Senate Bill 772, signed by the Governor on October 11, 1995.  This added language to the Business & Professions Code starting with Section 17552 requiring sellers of "educational travel"  packages for K-12 students to provide information about the owner, its insurance, a breakdown of services, their experience, and any judgments entered against them.  It is a good leverage tool to obtain pertinent facts from educational travel promoters and organizations.  If they fail to disclose the information required under this legislation, or don't carry adequate insurance, we recommend not using their services.