Field Trips

[Krystal Taylor]

Hi all!
I know for an IEP you can have it written that a parent must attend all field trips... Is this a reasonable accommodation for a 504 due to extreme anxiety and self-harm behavior around that anxiety?

The parent asked for this and was denied. The school said:

Thank you for your patience as I gathered more information from our district 504 coordinator.

"Unfortunately, allowing you to attend all field trips with Student is not an accommodation that can be a part of her 504 plan. What we can offer Student is to have her be in a group with a preferred peer, allow her to bring her journal/sketchbook (in like a little bookbag) as a calming strategy, have her chaperone be Teacher or a preferred adult, and provide her with a visual schedule of the field trip activities. We have to consider the fact that all parents are allowed an opportunity to attend field trips with their child(ren) which is why we try to choose different parents as chaperones on each field trip. Also, if a parent's presence was listed as an accommodation on a field trip and they were for whatever reason unable to attend, we would be out of compliance with her 504 plan. 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns. I am always happy to help"

 

I feel like this is inaccurate...

Any help would be appreciated!
Krystal

[Lisa Lightner]

So reasonable....is subjective, of course. You knew that. 

I think this request is reasonable. Obvs this school does not.

Their argument, however, is invalid. "All students" doesn't apply here, because we're not talking about all students. We're talking about one with a life altering disability.

That's the strategy and argument I would use. "All students" don't need a trusted adult there so that they can function normally. This one does.

 

 

[Krystal Taylor]

Thank you! That is what I thought, but I was thrown when they came back with a definitive no. Second guessing and questioning...

Thank you for sharing your brain!

[JSD24]

To me, it seems that the school does not see a need for this.  What data do you have to backup your request?  If the last 2 field trips resulted in your child coming back & in need of a doctor or ER visit, then you have data that the child comes back harmed and needs additional supervision on field trips.  Also, it might make sense for the school to provide a 1:1 or 1:2 so your child is more closely supervised on field trips.  (Special needs students might need more than what a chaperone would typically provide.  This isn't fair to other students in the chaparone's group.)  Requesting your child be in a group where the chaperone has only a small group to supervise as well as additional training on how to recognise and prevent self-harm in your child might be another thing to request.  (You can request another 504 meeting if you feel the one in place needs to be tweaked.)

What did you provide to the school to support this request?  You can ask for the school to pay for any follow-up care should your child end up harmed due to a lack of supervision on field trips.  It might help them understand this is something that needs more than what they said they would do.  Not sure if requesting you attend field trips as your child's 1:1 aide to prevent self-harm (not as a chaperone) might be something they are more willing to do.

[Margo]

I have a 9 yr old grandson who has adhd takes meds for it. I recently paid for a class trip 140.00. He has a 504 plan at school.  The permission slip stated if children get into any trouble or write up 30 days prior they are not  able to attend. We'll he was thrown off 2 class trips in that time period?  Because he has a disability is it legal to not let him go on the trip on or off school property? I was just informed they are not allowed to do this. I feel in my opinion they set him up for failure. He was punished for taking something off the teachers desk that didn't belong to him. Why both trips?  Any advise would help. Thank you 

[Lisa Lightner]

Thank you for sharing this—and I can feel how upsetting and unfair this feels, because it is. You’re absolutely right to question it.

Here’s the thing: Students with disabilities are still protected by Section 504 on field trips, just like they are in the classroom. That protection doesn’t stop just because the trip is off school property. Denying access to a trip because of behavior related to his disability could be considered disability discrimination if the behavior was part of his ADHD and the school didn’t consider how to support him before punishing him.

Schools can set behavior expectations, but they are also required to make reasonable accommodations so that students with disabilities have equal access to school activities, including trips. That means looking at whether his behavior was a result of his disability, and whether other supports or interventions could have helped him succeed instead of just excluding him.

You might want to ask the school for a 504 team meeting to review how they’re supporting his behavior before they make exclusion decisions. You can also ask to see their written policy on field trips and discipline, and how they ensure it applies fairly to students with 504 plans.

You’re right to speak up. He deserves support, not set-ups.

 

[JSD24]

On 5/19/2025 at 5:55 PM, Margo said:

I have a 9 yr old grandson who has adhd takes meds for it. I recently paid for a class trip 140.00. He has a 504 plan at school.  The permission slip stated if children get into any trouble or write up 30 days prior they are not  able to attend. We'll he was thrown off 2 class trips in that time period?  Because he has a disability is it legal to not let him go on the trip on or off school property? I was just informed they are not allowed to do this. I feel in my opinion they set him up for failure. He was punished for taking something off the teachers desk that didn't belong to him. Why both trips?  Any advise would help. Thank you 

It seems like the support your grandchild is getting from the school isn't FAPE.  If the support was appropriate, there would not have been an issue that came up where he lost the privilege of going on field trips that are scheduled in the subsequent 30 days.  It seems that what happened was a manifestation of his disability as ADHD & impulsivity go together.  The fact that there are 2 scheduled is "bad luck" or more likely, bad timing, since field trips tend to be scheduled later in the school year when students are antsy with anticipating summer break and state testing is over.

I think the solution is to request a manifestation hearing although these are generally done when a student is being suspended from school.  It might apply since he's being suspended from a school activity, namely field trips.