This executive order is issued pursuant to the Standing Orders of the Board of Trustees,
Section II (a) and (c). Through adoption of the following statement of policy, the California
State University recognizes the beneficial educational purpose of field trips and the necessity for policy and procedures designed to maximize the educational experience, mitigate risk to participants and minimize the university’s liability exposure.
I. Purpose
This policy establishes minimum standards for a campus field trip policy and procedures and delegates responsibility for implementation to the campus president.
II. Campus President
The president is delegated the responsibility for the maintenance and oversight of the campus field trip policy, ensure there is a means for future review of the policy, and ensure that it is updated and communicated to faculty and staff at appropriate intervals.
III. Field Trip Defined
A field trip is a university course-related, off-campus activity led by a faculty or staff member and designed to serve educational purposes. A field trip would include the gathering of data for research (such as at a geological or archaeological site), museum visit, participation in a conference or competition, or visits to an event or place of interest. The duration of a field trip may be a class period or longer, and could extend over multiple days. This definition does not apply to activities or placements in the context of a teacher preparation program, intercollegiate sports, or service-learning placements, all of which are governed under separate policy.
IV. Field Trip Policy – Minimum Requirements
The campus field trip policy must include the following minimum requirements:
- Include a means to identify all courses that involve off-campus field trips.
- Require the use of the approved liability waiver. See Executive Order 1051.
- Ensure student emergency contact information is obtained prior to the field trip. The campus must have emergency contact information readily available.
- Provide students with an instructional agenda, health and safety information, emergency procedures, and the student code of conduct, prior to the field trip.
- Require a pre-trip evaluation. This should include a site visit and the written evaluation should be retained by the qualifying department and available for review. The pre-trip location visit can be bypassed if the campus can demonstrate and document sufficient knowledge of the field trip site. This could be accomplished by review online, published materials, or contacting the site to discuss the visit.
- Include a plan to accommodate students with special needs.
- Provide training for any equipment that may be used on the activity.
- Provide for an alternate assignment for students unwilling to accept the risk of participation.
- Comply with the California State University Use of University and Private Vehicles Policy Guidelines and the California State University student travel policy, where applicable. See Executive Order 1041.
- Administer regular reviews to monitor and document compliance with the field trip policy and update requirements as necessary at regular intervals.
The campus has the discretion to amend its field trip policy to include components not addressed above.
V. Document Retention
The campus is expected to retain documents related to the field trip consistent with systemwide and campus document retention guidelines. See Executive Order 1031.
It is recommended that the instructional agenda and executed liability waiver be retained together and for a period of one year after the conclusion of the semester/quarter during which the field trip took place. For minors, the documents are to be retained for one year after the minor reaches the age of majority. Electronic copies of the documents are permissible. See technical letter RM 2011-01 and the accompanying Release of Liability Handbook. |
