Basic Field Trip Safety Tips

• Business Services, Travel

Getting kids onto a shuttle bus is one of those things that sounds really easy to do until you’re the teacher in charge of making it happen. Corralling all of those children requires some important safety foresight. Creating a plan of action, and executing, will help you remain sane and keep your kids safe on the day of a school field trip.

Obtain Consent

Be sure that you receive written consent from every parent with a child who will be attending the field trip for that day. Provide detailed information about the trip, including where you’re going, how long you’ll be gone, whether you’ll travel by charter bus or expect parents to meet at the location, and anything else that is relevant to keep everyone informed.

Designate a Safety Plan

In addition to managing a headcount while boarding the airport shuttle, make sure someone on staff knows CPR and that you have at least one well-stocked medical kit in case something happens. Research the venue ahead of time, make sure that anyone who gets lost (whether during an incident or otherwise) knows the group meetup location.

Food and Hygiene

Occasionally, trips will take students outdoors and frequently there won’t be adequate refrigeration for long periods of time. Plan around this by scheduling your lunch periods accordingly, or by making sure there will be food available at the site. Also, be sure that all students are washing their hands and following rules and guidelines for being at the site. One good example is keeping kids on nature trails instead of veering off, where they may become lost.

Pacific Coachways provides charter and airport bus service for school functions, including sports teams.