Field Trips
Discuss any field trips with the principal before talking about them with students. Remember that field trips must directly support the curriculum. Classrooms should plan at least two field trips per year. Preparing for a field trip is a five-step process:
1. Fill out a Field Trip Request form and give it to the office.
2. Complete a Transportation form if requesting a D11 school bus. Please do this as early in the year as possible to be sure that your transportation needs are met.
3. Notify the lunchroom if your class will be gone during the lunch period.
4. Send a permission slip home with your students.
5. Provide the bus driver with a complete list of all passengers – students, parents and staff. You must include each student’s name, parent’s name and home phone. Emergency numbers must be provided for all adults. If you take the completed field trip permission slips on the trip, you should have all of this information.
Field Trip Requests, Student Field Trip Permission Slips, Transportation Requests and Lunchroom Notification forms are available from the office.
Transportation Requests
D-11 Transportation Office: 520-2940
All group transportation requests are to be made on the Transportation Request forms and should be received by Transportation at least five school days prior to the trip date. (Much longer notice is required for end-of-the-year field trips due to the high demand for buses.) Be sure the form is filled out completely, with the correct account numbers. Send the first three copies to the Transportation Office and retain the pink copy for your files. You will receive a confirmation copy after your trip has been scheduled.
Schools are charged a driver hourly rate and fuel/insurance costs per mile. Both driver hour costs and mileage costs begin and end at the Transportation facility located at 5240 Geiger Blvd. If your field trip is delayed, service to others may be adversely affected. If you cause a delay to the scheduled return time and a substitute driver is required, the cost of the substitute driver will be added to your field trip cost. Inspection of the bus before and after the trip is required to insure that general cleanliness is maintained. Any damage to the bus will be identified and charged to the student(s) involved if responsibility can be determined. If students deny responsibility, the cost of repairs is added to the amount of the field trip. If cleaning is required following a trip, the cost will also be added.
The maximum passenger load for local trips is three passengers per seat or 65 total passengers. The maximum passenger load for out-of-region trips is two passengers per seat or 44 total passengers.
Cancellations may be phoned directly to the Transportation Office. If the cancellation is received in the Transportation Office one workday ahead of the scheduled trip time, there will be no charge. If the bus has been dispatched prior to cancellation, a minimum charge of one hour of driver expense will be assessed for weekday trips. No charge will be made if the trip is cancelled due to weather or poor driving conditions.
Area Limits: North - Air Force Academy and Black Forest
East - Calhan
South - Fort Carson and May Museum
West - Manitou Springs
Only two buses are available district-wide for out-of-region field trips on school days. Make your transportation requests early in the year! These trips are also limited to a total of 15 hours driver duty time per day, including a maximum of 10 hours of driving time, calculated from the time the driver first comes on duty. All out-of-town trip destinations involving mountainous terrain or remote locations must be within acceptable driving risks. Trips into mountainous areas may require special equipment and drivers with special training. Due to the cost of training and equipment, field trips into the mountains are limited. Please make your request as early as possible in order to reserve the limited resources.
Hours of Availability
Buses are available on school days during the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and after 4:30 p.m. Weekend hours are flexible.
Bus Behavior Expectations
Student conduct on the bus is important to safety and to the successful completion of the field trip. Please brief students prior to the trip on safe riding practices and the standard of conduct expected.
1. General atmosphere can be casual but not rowdy. Noise level should be kept to a minimum to insure that traffic sounds and emergency conditions are recognizable. If student conduct on the bus becomes a distraction to the driver (too loud or rowdy), the driver will promptly stop the bus and request that you correct the situation. All passengers should cooperate fully and be aware that adverse weather conditions, heavy traffic, and unsafe driving circumstances have a direct bearing on the concentration required of the driver.
2. The entrance door, aisle and emergency door must remain unobstructed. All baggage must be placed in or under the seats and must be secured. No items may be placed on the seat backs.
3. Passengers must remain seated when the bus is in motion.
4. Eating on the bus is not permitted without driver approval.
5. If there are two or more teachers/sponsors, one should be seated in the rear of the bus to monitor student passengers. A teacher or adult sponsor is required to be on board each bus operating for field trip use.
6. The bus driver is responsible for the safe operation of the bus. You are responsible for student behavior and their adherence to safe riding practices. Don’t expect the driver to "baby sit" students who have misbehaved.
Should a problem develop in the course of the field trip that is not handled properly or adequately, the problem should be reported to the school Principal and/or the Director of Transportation. Complaints should be confirmed in writing.