Overnight school field trip vent

[ilisao]

Count me as part of the no news is good news group. When I was in HS our senior class trip was to Disney (from NJ). I don't remember ever calling my parents once while we were gone. I certainly wouldn't expect the school to call me.

If my child was traveling by bus, I wouldn't expect them to be there at exactly the hour they said, I'd expect there would be traffic and such and would consider an on time arrival a bonus.

Of course, if you were so concerned, you could have called the hotel to see if they checked in.

 

[cabanafrau]

As a parent, I can understand your anxiety & totally understand how that feels. As a parent of 2 daughters who have done a tremendous variety of travel adventures w/ school, scouts, church youth, etc., I would have been able to handle the hour a bit more in stride because I've been used to no contact for a week before.

What I can't understand is the no cell phones on the bus policy? I don't think a gentle question as to the purpose of this policy would be at all out of line. I have no idea, you may find there is some very good reasoning behind it, but I just can't really come up w/ anything very solid -- angry parents getting hit w/ massive roaming charges, running batteries out fooling around on the bus trip to the destination? I'll have to find out about this because DD13 is headed for DC for a week w/ school next month. Then of course I'll have to really deal w/ no contact except hopefully e-mail in the fall when she takes off for 2 weeks in Beijing! (Somebody just drag my prone, fetal positioned body over to a quiet corner where I can mumble & rock for 2 weeks, okay?)

 

[Patch'sD]

I don't see why the kids were not allowed to use the phones on the bus though. Were IPODS, Hand Held Games, and others electronic devices banned also. The only time they should be shut off is during the educational part of the field trip. They should not have banned the use on the bus. Kids could have called to say they were being late.

 

[mmcguire]

I guess I should have clarified -- the school was supposed to call when they arrived, as they have done on all overnight trips.

 

[mickeyboat]

I guess I should have clarified -- the school was supposed to call when they arrived, as they have done on all overnight trips.

I think that stinks, then. I would definitely say something. I don't think most parents would mind getting a late phone call under those circumstances.

 

[piglet too]

I guess I should have clarified -- the school was supposed to call when they arrived, as they have done on all overnight trips.

I think that stinks, then. I would definitely say something. I don't think most parents would mind getting a late phone call under those circumstances.

I agree with the PP, that they should have called that night, no matter what. A suggestion for future trips. Ask if the chaperones can give out their number for the parents to contact. Or that they keep the phones on them during the bus trip, allowing the kids to call if needed. (or even let the kids use their - the chaperones- phones)

 

[Camicar]

I guess I should have clarified -- the school was supposed to call when they arrived, as they have done on all overnight trips.

Then you are not being unreasonable -- they didn't do what they said they would do. And if you were told to expect a call upon arrival and then didnt' hear for more than 9 hours past that time, I bet there were quite a few parents who were freaking out.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

The 5th graders go to a camp for 4 nights where you call the school and there is just a daily recording on what they are doing.

If that's the agreed on method of communication, then I wouldn't expect a phone call; I'd check the recording.

My DS was 14 last year when he went to England with a sports team. They didn't do a phone chain, so I didn't expect a phone call. My DDs were older when they went away with the school, and they did a phone chain...I expected a phone call. When DS was in England (at the same time one DD was in Spain), DH and I went to WDW. We put DH's cell phone number on the phone chain for the Spain trip. We checked emails (Blackberry) for news about the England trip. We didn't insist to either organization that they keep us informed in some other manner than what they established; we did, however, expect to hear from them the way they said they'd contact us.

 

[Keli]

I wouldn't expect the school to call at all but a call in the morning letting me know all was well would be appreciated. Of course I wouldn't have minded getting one at 11:30 pm either.
I guess I do think you shouldn't be upset and I do think the school would have had complaints no matter what they chose to do in that situation.

Edited to add: I didn't see your update! That completely changes things, IMHO.
If the school had a standing procedure of calling parents when they arrive then they certainly should have done so at whatever time.
Parents would have been expecting a call (therefore eliminating the worries about calling late at night) and some would have worried needlessly.

 

[mommasita]

I guess I should have clarified -- the school was supposed to call when they arrived, as they have done on all overnight trips.

Ok, NO, you are not being unreasonable. I think that policy is horrid. Someone should have called, no matter the time.

 

[LanaJayne]

Our school has a no phones on the bus policy due to kids taking cell phone photos of classmates. Cell phones aren't allowed during school activities. When they've gone on school trips, they are allowed to call home only at certain times as to not disrupt the school group experience.

In this case, I do think that a call upon arrival should have been made.

 

[rie'smom]

My son is currently on a band trip to Disney World. The school didn't call to let us know when they arrived and I didn't expect them to. I only expected them to call if something went wrong. An hour is really not that much of a difference. I'm surpised they called you at all actually.

My opinion is yes you are being unreasonable. However, did they say they would call on arrival?

I agree with Allison.
If your child were traveling with a bunch of other kids and 1 of them was the driver, I'd want to know when they arrived However, a 14 year old on a school sponsored trip-my attitude would be no news is good news.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I agree with Allison.
If your child were traveling with a bunch of other kids and 1 of them was the driver, I'd want to know when they arrived However, a 14 year old on a school sponsored trip-my attitude would be no news is good news.

But the school SAID they were going to call and didn't. I don't get what people don't get about that. The OP didn't just assume they'd call when they got there. The SCHOOL said they'd call; people were expecting a call from the school; the school didn't call. Where's the argument against the OP for expecting the school to call as they said they would?

 

[momrek06]

We survived several day trips without cells or a parent msg. I don't see it as a big deal.

As the parent of a 25&22yo now, my boys went on more overnight field trips (school and scouts) than I can count from WDW to New Mexico and back....nope we did not have cell phones when they were in school. The boys would call when they could and from pay phones along the way. (They had calling cards.) I would just hope I was home and if not they left messages on the machine and with a time they thought they would call again and DH or I would make sure we would be home to speak to them.

No big deal.

 

[MELSMICE]

But the school SAID they were going to call and didn't. I don't get what people don't get about that. The OP didn't just assume they'd call when they got there. The SCHOOL said they'd call; people were expecting a call from the school; the school didn't call. Where's the argument against the OP for expecting the school to call as they said they would?

The school did call.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I would not have expect the school to call, no news is good news. I've never heard of this policy in the past.

I'm not sure why the kids were not allowed to have their cell phones on them but I'm sure there was a reason, perhaps there has been a history of kids getting out of hand or trouble with cell phones and they didn't want to have an issues on the long bus ride.

Being only an hour late getting to DC isn't bad .. traffic is nuts around there.

I think you are over reacting IMHO - schools have been taking kids on over night trips for years and I'm sure they know how to handle anything that may arise, let your kid just go and have a good time

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

The school did call.

They said they'd call when they got there, per the OP. They called the next day.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I would not have expect the school to call,

Even if they said they would...Wow.

 

[rgf207]

Our DS14 left at 3:30 PM yesterday for a field trip to DC. According to their agenda, they were supposed to arrive around 10:30 PM last night.

Before the trip, we bought DS a prepaid phone. The school's said they could bring cell phones to use at the hotel, but they couldn't bring them on the bus or they would be confiscated.

DS called me from his hotel after 11:30 PM last night (an hour later than scheduled), saying they'd just arrived. The school, however, didn't bother to call until 8:00 AM this morning. There was a recording informing us they had arrived safetly in DC at 11:30 last night, but they felt it was too late to call us then. During that hour of wondering where they were, we couldn't call DS because his phone was packed in his suitcase under the bus per the school's instructions.

I'm sorry, but waiting until the next day (and after most people have left for work, no less!) to let parents know their kids are safe is unacceptable, esp. when they took away the kids' only means of communication AND arrived an hour late!

Am I being unreasonable?

boy, no matter what, they're damned if they do an damned if they don't. If they called at 11:30, there would be parents complaining that they called too late, now since they were trying to be courteous ,they still get ragged on.

It's not a big deal IMHO

 

[CathrynRose]

I'd of been psycho mad. Then again.... Ive been called a Helicopter Mom.(You know who you are! )

A freaking phone call is expected. Im sorry - it is.

Im glad your son called you on his own.