Field Trips

Appropriate resources existing in the community will be utilized by schools in planning and conducting the instructional program. Certain resources can be brought into the classroom to enrich the curriculum while others are best visited on field trips.

An instructional field trip is a planned visit outside the school taken by students, under the supervision of a teacher or other school official, to enrich and extend the classroom instructional program. Field trips should provide a link between the school and the community and assist the school staff in relating the ideas and theories of the classroom to practical applications. Field trips for instructional purposes are encouraged by the Arlington Public Schools with due consideration for budget limitations.

An extracurricular field trip is a planned visit outside the school taken by students, under the supervision of a teacher or other school official, in support of academic/athletic teams, performing groups, or other extracurricular activities.

An exceptional field trip is an instructional or extracurricular field trip which involves unusual circumstances.

The Director of Administrative Services is responsible for providing appropriate field trip opportunities and guidelines. The principal or supervisor is responsible for giving administrative direction to staff members who plan and supervise field trips and other uses of community resources.

Reference: ASD 20-4.01