School trip cancelled??

[mickeyluvr004]

Hi all just a quick question for all you disers my DD is in 4th grade and had a trip to Sturbridge Village, in this town when I was in the 4th grade we went on this trip, in fact they were supposed to dress like they did in the olden days well this trip was cancelled due to not enough school bus drivers to cover the afternoon routes so the bus company will not allow any busses to go This is an educational trip not just for fun and I am soo upset that this has happened. Has anyone ever experienced this in their district? what did you do? I plan on calling the principal on Monday and making a major complaint. Why can't they get another bus company in and do the job? TIA

 

[cigarboo]

Could it be the school does not have the money for transportation? Our normal field trips were cancelled this year because it was too expensive. So instead of taking kids to places, they've arranged for other activities such as traveling museums that come to the school, 4H, etc. Everyone's on a tight budget. Our district is paying way more for fuel to run their fleet of busses. There just isn't enough money left to do the extras.

 

[amandaraye]

Wow, I've never had this happen. It's such a shame because, like you said, Sturbridge Village is a great place! Lots of educational value, unlike many field trips kids go on these days. If your DD is disappointed, maybe you can make a trip there yourself as a family some weekend? Hopefully the bus company gets their act together!!!

 

[DisneyKT]

I know bus companies are charging so much more. We gave more (PTO) to each grade for field trips because the price went up by $150. Sorry about your trip that's a great place to go. I am planning on taking my DD next year.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I don't know if they've canceled any field trips, but I know the public schools here have not replaced bus drivers who have left/retired/whatever and are combining routes to save on costs. Some of the schools changed their start/end times so the elementary kids can ride the same bus as the high school, etc.

 

[marcyinPA]

In our district, if the field trip coincides with bus route times (as in, the trip starts before school and ends after the school day ends), they need to hire a bus company. The buses are VERY expensive. Our fourth graders go to Harrisburg every spring, and our fifth graders go to Philadelphia, and I think the bus was around $900, not including the driver tip.

If the trip is a short trip, which occurs during the school day, then school buses are used.

 

[MM27]

Getting a bus is expensive, even more so now that gas prices are so high. I just booked a couple of trips for this school year and the prices are much higher than in past years.

 

[richmond282]

Our school system does have stipulations about field trips. All students must be returned to their schools before 2 p.m. (the middle and high school dismiss @ 2:30; elem. @ 3:10) so buses can run their regular routes. If we need buses for times past 2 p.m., we must use a different bus company that is more expensive.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

The prices for school buses in our district have pretty much DOUBLED from last year. I am planning a trip for our Chorus and Drama Club about 2 hours away, and we are getting a charter bus...it's only $200 more than a school bus! Also, chances are one wouldn't be available, because generally the school buses are only available from 9:30 am- 1:00 pm. Maybe that's part of the problem?

If buses are not available, can parents drive? I know it's generally not preferred, but in our district it's an option as long as they have proof of insurance from all of the drivers...

 

[I_Know_You2!]

Life happens. Harassing the principal will get you what? An apology? You could probably get the same by addressing the situation in a calm manner. I suspect they weren't happy to cancel, either.

 

[JESW]

Not sure where you live, but Old Sturbridge Village is a great place to go with your family. We went last year as a family and then dd went with her 3rd grade class - both trips were very different. With the school (I was a chaperone) we had to do what the group wanted to do. With our family we could do what we wanted to do.

Our family went in the Fall on a gorgeous New England Day. A friend and her family went closer to Christmas and loved all the special things they had out for the holiday.

Sorry that you are disappointed - all the schools are having troubles these days - transportation is very expensive.

Jill

 

[The Disney Bunch]

Life happens. Harassing the principal will get you what? An apology? You could probably get the same by addressing the situation in a calm manner. I suspect they weren't happy to cancel, either.

SHe didn't say she was going to harass the principal, just lodge a complaint, which as a parent she is entitled to do.
Probably it is due to rising costs that the trip was canceled but I would ask the principal for the exact reason & what would be needed for the trip to take place - our school was going to have a trip cancelled because of a rise in the bus company fee & when the parents found out, they all chipped in to cost the extra cost. Is there possibly an educational foundation in your town/county that you could apply to to cover the cost? good luck!

 

[I_Know_You2!]

SHe didn't say she was going to harass the principal, just lodge a complaint, which as a parent she is entitled to do.

snipped

This is an educational trip not just for fun and I am soo upset that this has happened. Has anyone ever experienced this in their district? what did you do? I plan on calling the principal on Monday and making a major complaint.

my point.

 

[imthatgirl]

instead of calling to complain, which would most likely be pointless. why not try talking to the other parents about raising some money to hire a transportation service.
odds are they wont let parents drive, too much liability, but what about motor coach type drivers. you may even find one that would do it for cost because it is for a school. tell them youll give them publicity by letting the local paper know of the good deed they did when the school wasnt able to come through. that would make a great story.
its always best to be pro-active

 

[okeydokey]

All school field trips in my district are canceled this year unless a donation is made to cover the cost.

 

[Schmeck]

How much did they charge each student to go to Sturbridge Village? Did you get a refund?

An alternative would be to have "Colonial Day' at school. Our middle school does a Colonial day, a Greek/olympics day, and a couple more that I can't remember at the moment. Anyways, the kids dress up in quasi-costumes (pants rolled up for knickers, girls wear long skirts, etc) and they have a Colonial meal, set up a few classrooms to be like old one room schoolhouses, play games in the gym, and put on skits.

 

[holly7347]

I went to a school with no bus transportation. So when we went on field trips they rented charter buses and factored that cost into the field trip fee.

My DD went on a couple field trips last year with public school bus transportation. They charged a bus fee to cover some of the cost of using them for the field trip. One of their field trips was to the local children's museum and we had passes (I was a chaperone). We didn't have to pay the fee for intrance into the museum since we had passes. But DD did pay the bus fee.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

snipped



my point.

Since when is making a major complaint harrassment? I think she has a legitimate complaint.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

instead of calling to complain, which would most likely be pointless. why not try talking to the other parents about raising some money to hire a transportation service.
odds are they wont let parents drive, too much liability, but what about motor coach type drivers. you may even find one that would do it for cost because it is for a school. tell them youll give them publicity by letting the local paper know of the good deed they did when the school wasnt able to come through. that would make a great story.
its always best to be pro-active

why would it be pointless? At this point, she doesn't relaly know WHY the trip was cancelled - at least if people call & complain, they will realize that the parents would like to have the trip otherwise it seems like it was cancelled and no one cared. Find out the reason for the cancellation and go from there.

 

[lntsmom]

I would call and ask for information, not call to complain. The first may get action...the second will, at best, result in eye-rolling.

That said, the whole field trip thing differs from district-to-district.

When I taught in the inner city we were required to take our kids on a minimum of one enrichment-based trip a month. You read that right!

When I taught in the burbs in MO, the PTO's gave each grade level a set amount of money and you could do with it as you wished. However, due to a lawsuit ("a free public education") we were never allowed to do fundraisers or ask for money to cover the costs.

The district where I'm at now has really curtailed trips this year. Why? In the old days you could have the bus drivers drop you off and pick you up later. Now, with a new contract and policy in place, the bus driver has to stay with you all day and has to be paid for the time from half an hour before departure through half an hour after return. Add to that the bus price and a surcharge for fuel and what you get is teachers saying that they aren't promising any trips at all this year.

And, that's fine with me!!! Last year my first grader's trip to the zoo cost me $25. I can take him myself for $5!

As a teacher, here's my best advice: if you are upset with something that has gone on at school, rant and rave to your spouse, your best friend, your sibling, etc. Get it out of your system. Then, calmly call the school...preferably the person who is your direct contact (meaning...don't call the counselor just because you're uncomfortable with the teacher, etc.) and ask for information. Then, share your concerns. You don't want to get a reputation for being "that parent".