Student to Chaperone Ratio on School Field Trips May Tighten

In light of the during a field trip at Stulsaft Park in March, residents have been concerned about on field trips.

The district had required a 10:1 student to chaperone ratio for every school field trip, but this practice was not written in any policy.

“We want our policy to mirror our practice,” Superintendent Jan Christensen said.

Trustee Hilary Paulson also recommended revising the ratio for field trips in the wilderness or isolated areas, similar to policy that revises the ratio for overnight trips or trips with water activities.

Stulsaft Park, where the incident occurred, consists of rolling hills and sprawling fields, where children can easily wander off in remote areas.

The district’s field trip policy sub-committee met with school principals Tuesday to present drafts of the field trip forms. Most were satisfied but suggested minor changes that would be tweaked.

Additionally, some board members were uncomfortable with the district’s policy of allowing 21-year-old drivers to transport children on school field trips.

Trustee Dennis McBride noted that younger drivers are much more likely to get into accidents. The legal age to rent a car is 25 because of statistics that support this argument.

Trustee Shelly Masur initially disagreed, stating that some relatives could be 21 and perfectly capable of driving children. However, mid-way into the meeting, she was able to find evidence online supporting McBride’s claims that the number of accidents per driver sharply decreases when drivers get older.