School Field Trips

As the school year draws to a close, field trips are common. Many involve outdoor activities.

Proper safety procedures are of utmost importance.

Last year, activities outside the school led to several fatalities. In Ontario, two children drowned on a school field trip when their boat sank in bad weather, and two high school students were killed in an incident at a workplace they were visiting as part of a school program. Two Calgary students and a parent chaperone drowned when they were swept into the ocean while on a beach hike in California.

These incidents demonstrate the need for school boards to have a formal risk assessment process for field trips and outdoor education. Boards should study the location thoroughly, have someone who knows the area on every trip, and be prepared for a worst-case scenario.

Parents have a right to assurance that all necessary precautions have been taken.