Seattle Public Schools

2320 Field Trips and Excursions

The Board recognizes that field trips, when used as a device for teaching and learning integral to the curriculum, are an educationally sound and important ingredient in the instructional program of the schools. Such trips can supplement and enrich classroom procedures by providing learning experiences in an environment beyond the classroom.  

Field trips which take students out of the state or are planned to keep students out of the district overnight must be approved in advance by the Superintendent or his/her designee. The Superintendent or his or her designee has the authority to approve or deny all other field trips.  

The Superintendent or his/her designee is granted the authority to develop administrative guidelines for the operation of field trips which shall ensure that the safety of the student shall be protected and that parent permission is obtained before the student leaves the school. Each field trip must be integrated with the curriculum and coordinated with classroom activities which enhance its usefulness. Private vehicles may be used to transport students if approval is obtained in advance from the principal.  

No staff member may solicit students for any privately arranged field trip or excursion without the principal’s permission.