field trip nightmare

[minnesotakent]

Minnesota

This situation occured last year.

We took a group of 125 students on a three day field trip to a camp. The camp location is about 100 miles north of our school. I am a teacher, but I was also the administrator for the trip.

Every parent was required to sign a form stating that if their child misbehaved the parent would make the trip to the camp to pick up their child. We have been taking students on this field trip for 12 years and had never had a student misbehave bad enough to call a parent to come get their child.

The field trip was scheduled to last from Monday morning until Wednesday night.

On Tuesday morning we discovered that one of the boys had punched a hole in a wall in his room. After punching the hole, the student ripped out a section of the wall that was about 1 foot by 3 feet.

I called the parent at his work about 9:00 Tuesday morning and explained what had happened and I told the parent that he would need to come to the camp to pick up his child.

The parent said that his work location was about 160 miles from the camp. He refused to come get his child. He stated that since the field trip was ending the next day that we should just bring the student back with us.

We are going on this field trip again in a couple of weeks.

What are your suggestions about how situations like this should be handled? What are our legal options when a parent refuses to comply with a request to pick up their child?

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Originally posted by minnesotakent
Minnesota

This situation occurred last year.

We took a group of 125 students on a three day field trip to a camp. The camp location is about 100 miles north of our school. I am a teacher, but I was also the administrator for the trip.

Every parent was required to sign a form stating that if their child misbehaved the parent would make the trip to the camp to pick up their child. We have been taking students on this field trip for 12 years and had never had a student misbehave bad enough to call a parent to come get their child.

The field trip was scheduled to last from Monday morning until Wednesday night.

On Tuesday morning we discovered that one of the boys had punched a hole in a wall in his room. After punching the hole, the student ripped out a section of the wall that was about 1 foot by 3 feet.

I called the parent at his work about 9:00 Tuesday morning and explained what had happened and I told the parent that he would need to come to the camp to pick up his child.

The parent said that his work location was about 160 miles from the camp. He refused to come get his child. He stated that since the field trip was ending the next day that we should just bring the student back with us.

We are going on this field trip again in a couple of weeks.

What are your suggestions about how situations like this should be handled? What are our legal options when a parent refuses to comply with a request to pick up their child?

My response:

There's nothing you can do, except end the field trip early for the one child, and drive him or her home. Otherwise, put up with it for the duration. In every contract, there should be a remedy for "breach". For example, refusal to pick up a child will result in a $200.00 fine - - or something along those lines. But, without some sort of remedy, where's the impetus for the parent to actually abide by their signature on the dotted line? That's my point, there is none.

When you take children somewhere, you are "In Loco Parentes" - - standing in the shoes of the parent. So, your agreement means nothing, and it's up to you as the "parent" to decide whether to continue the field trip, or to take the kid back home.

IAAL

I wonder what the parent would have done if you had called the police and filed a property damage report and had this punk hauled off to jail????

Food for thought huh?

[minnesotakent]

Thank you for your responses.

What if we rephrase the form the parents sign to read:

"If your child misbehaves you agree to come get your child. If you refuse to pick up your child, you agree to pay the costs associated with returning your child to their home."


This way we could hire someone from the bus company we use to drive to the camp to bring the student home. The cost would probably be close to $200.
We could give the parent an option, either they can pick up their child or they can pay the cost.

Would this be legally binding?

[stealth2]

I'd suggest you make sure you have the school district's attorney go over the wording. I'd personally make the penalty much harsher - if a kid misbehaves to the point of needing to be returned home, the entire field trip, for ALL kids, is over and the offending kid's parents are responsible for all associated expenses. However many nights lodging missed, any penalties for leaving early, for getting the bus company to come out again, etc. And include that the child is to be excluded from any other field trips during his/her HS career unless accompanied and supervised by a parent.

But run it all by the school's attorney.

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Originally posted by minnesotakent
Thank you for your responses.

What if we rephrase the form the parents sign to read:

"If your child misbehaves you agree to come get your child. If you refuse to pick up your child, you agree to pay the costs associated with returning your child to their home."


This way we could hire someone from the bus company we use to drive to the camp to bring the student home. The cost would probably be close to $200.
We could give the parent an option, either they can pick up their child or they can pay the cost.

Would this be legally binding?

My response:

You know what?

I just thought of something that would make this a whole lot simpler, easier and less stressful on you and the kids . . .

Just blindfold the little as*hole, put him/her up against a tree, and shoot. That'll teach the friggin' bast*rd, and all the rest of the kids that you don't screw around with "minnesotakent".

And then, when the parent says to you, "Where's Billy?", you say, "Billy who?"

IAAL

[Jeter]

...then hide the body in the 1 foot by 3 foot hole that he ripped out, patch it up and say the kid must have run away.

Set an example, will you? For the sake of the kids.