The School District of Osceola County, Florida

FIELD TRIPS

It is recommended that each school should have 3 staff members as designated Field Trip Requestors. Ideally, this would be the Bookkeeper, the Principals Secretary, and the Athletic Director. The Field Trip Requestors are the point of contact between the School and the Field Trip Department in Transportation. The Field Trip Requestors are also responsible for getting the paperwork (FIELD TRIP Packet) approved by the School’s Principal and then the Assistant Superintendent for your school’s grade level.

• Adult Education (OTECH)- Timothy Burdette
• High School- Dr. Chundra Evens
• Middle School and K- 8 Schools- Michelle Henninger
• Elementary School- Dr. Belinda Reyes
  •  Note: Athletic Trips do NOT need approval

Once the Field Trip Packet has been approved by the Principal and the Assistant Superintendent, the approved Field Trip Requestor will then enter the information from the Field Trip Request form into www.fieldtriprequest.com if a school bus is being used for the trip or to order the transportation for the trip as per the request. The Assistant Superintendent’s office does not submit the paperwork for the School.

All the approved documentation can stay in the Field Trip Requestors possession.

Approved Field Trip Requests must be submitted to www.fieldtriprequest.com at least 10 school days prior to the field trip taking place. This will ensure that a bus can be guaranteed for the trip. Anything less than 10 days will be subject to approval on a case-by-case basis.

Athletics trips (Night) do not need to complete the Field Trip Packet.

ABOUT OUR BUSES

Each school bus can transport a set number of passengers (students and adults). Typically, the capacity is as follows:

• Adult Education/ High School Students- 48 passengers per bus
• Middle School- 48 passengers per bus
• Elementary School- 48 passengers per bus
  
  • Note: All Pre-K students riding the bus for a field trip require the use of a specialized seat (a 5 point harness secured to the bus seat, similar to a 5 point harness car seat)
• ONLY 2 PASSENGERS ALLOWED PER SEAT

Please calculate the number of buses accordingly (Note: the number of buses and drivers will always be the same). The Field Trip Department will not schedule buses in a manner that will cause overcrowding.

If you have a student who uses a wheelchair and needs a bus with a wheelchair lift, please be sure to document this information on your Field Trip Request Form. The capacity of the buses with wheelchair lifts are approximately 27 passengers and have space for a maximum of 3 wheelchairs. Please keep in mind the following safety features that the wheelchair is required to have to go on the wheelchair lift: ❖ Must meet or exceed all State and Federal Transportation Requirements (not a folding wheelchair)❖ Wheelchair must have a safety belt attached to secure the person to the wheelchair

If a student needs a safety vest or specialized seat (please check the students IEP or 811), indicate this item on the Field Trip Request.

Any field trip that has special equipment (wheelchair, safety vest, or specialized seat) will have an attendant on the bus. This is required. A teacher cannot act as an Attendant per the Teamster Union Contract (please see cost of bus for the additional cost for a Bus Attendant).

Our bus drivers do not load equipment onto the bus. If you have a cooler, instruments or any other type of equipment that needs to go on the trip, the Chaperones are responsible to load the items onto the bus. The driver will ensure that the equipment is secured on the bus. All items must be out of the aisle. If the equipment does not fit into a seat area, we cannot transport it.

All buses will be sent to the bus loop of your school. Unless otherwise stated on the Field Trip Request Form.

BUS AVAILABILITY

School Buses used for Field Trips are also used for the daily bus routes. Therefore all requests, must adhere to the following availability times (NO EXCEPTIONS):

• Day Trips (trips that take place during the school day)- 9:30 AM- 1:30 PM (12:30 PM on Wednesday Early Days)
• Night (after the school day has completed)- 5:00 PM (4:30 PM on Wednesday Early Days)
• If the bus is picking up passengers from a destination in the evening, the earliest we can arrive for pick-up is 6:45 PM (in the Central Florida Area, Example- Disney, Universal, or Sea World)

Bus pick-up/ drop-offs are available on Holidays, Non-School Days, and Weekends (Exception- multiple day trips)

COST OF THE BUS

Each driver and attendant have an hourly rate of $35.00 per hour. Each bus will have an extra 30-minute $16 charge added for the driver for a pre-trip and post-trip of the bus, as well as travel time. When completing your cost estimate, please be sure to keep this information in mind.

If your trip needs an attendant, the charge for the attendant is $35.00 per hour.

The charge per mile is $2.50. The mileage typically starts from school and then back to the school. If the driver uses a route which requires a toll road, transportation will cover that cost. 

Invoice will be sent witihn 7-10 days after trip takes place, unless a budget strip is posted and made available to use. Also, please provide name of person handling invoices on your request. Payment is expected immediately after invoice is sent.

CANCELLATIONS

If a field trip needs to be cancelled, please send an email to fieldtrips@osceolaschools.net. If a field trip is cancelled within 48 hours or more, there is NO charge. Any notification of cancellation received within 48 hours prior to the trip will have a charge of 2 hours or 50% of the estimated field trip time. If a field trip is cancelled when the school bus arrives on site, the full estimated trip will be charged in full.

CHAPERONES

Chaperones oversee the students while on the bus. Therefore, chaperones will ensure that all students remain seated during the bus ride. All bus safety rules must be followed while on the school bus.

• No food and drinks (exception- water)
• Remain Seated
• Keep body inside the windows
• Keep bus aisles clear
• Chaperones, coaches or other school staff cannot bring their own children on the school buses unless the child is part of the Osceola County Public Schools and is scheduled to attend the trip with the class.

The Chaperone will inspect the bus with the driver at the end of the trip to ensure that no trash, sleeping passengers or bus damage is left behind.