PERSONNEL
EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES WHILE TRAVELING WITH STUDENTS
Procedure
PURPOSE
Navarro College is committed to enhancing students’ learning opportunities through a variety of activities that may require travel away from the college and to ensuring the safety and security of students on such college sponsored trips. This policy establishes the guidelines and responsibilities for all travel that involves Navarro College students.
Student travel shall not be permitted unless responsibilities delineated in this procedure are followed. The types of activities and events covered by this procedure include, but are not limited to, course-related field trips, sponsored student organizational or college departmental activities, grant-sponsored travel, and meetings where a student is officially representing the college or a college-sponsored student organization or club. NJCAA sanctioned travel is not included in this procedure.
DEFINITIONS
Campus-sponsored travel – travel that is sponsored by an approved area on a campus and includes only students whose campus of academic record is listed as the sponsoring campus.
Chaperone – Navarro College employee(s), both full- and part-time, who accompany students on college-sponsored student travel.
College-wide funded travel – travel that is funded by college-wide student activities or from another college-wide funding source, such as a grant.
Field trips – one-day educational trips for the purpose of first-hand exploratory observation sponsored by an academic or career-related program.
Lead Chaperone – chaperone who assumes the primary responsibility for the student travel event.
Sponsor of student travel – the academic division, approved student organization, grant-funded project, athletics office, or other approved areas that request college sponsored student travel.
Student travel – includes, but is not limited to conferences, field trips, curricular and co-curricular activities and events, travel related to grant programs, athletic events, and travel that is required by a faculty member or sponsored by an approved college organization.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYEES
All Navarro College employees are expected to dedicate their primary energies and loyalties to the service of the students. A major responsibility of all College employees is to ensure that students are engaged in activities that are aligned with the mission of the College.
Although specific expectations of employees are enumerated in this document, the purpose of these guidelines is to provide constructive direction to the employee. That is, the purpose of the list of responsibilities is to encourage compliance with “the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law”.
Chaperone Expectations
Day travel and field trips – A full-time or part-time employee shall accompany students on college-sponsored travel that leaves and returns on the same day.
Overnight travel – The following chaperone requirements apply specifically to overnight travel.
- At least one (1) full-time employee chaperone shall accompany every student group for overnight college-sponsored travel. When the number of traveling students exceeds 14, the department sponsoring Vice President shall determine the appropriate number of full and part-time employee chaperones that will be required.
For campus-sponsored travel, the lead chaperone shall be determined by the sponsoring department Vice President. For college-wide funded travel, the lead chaperone shall be determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The designated lead chaperone shall have overall responsibility for the group and shall:
- Ensure he/she has the office, cell, and home phone numbers of the appropriate Vice President;
- Ensure that students and chaperones travel together (i.e., on the same flight or in the same vehicle(s)) stay at the same hotel. In the event that participants in the trip must travel by separate means (e.g., more than one vehicle or flight), the number of chaperones traveling by each transportation means shall be proportional to the overall ratio of chaperones to students. Exceptions shall be requested and must be approved by the sponsoring Vice President prior to travel.
- Provide a travel itinerary (including all offsite activities) to the students and responsible Vice President if the travel is funded by college-wide student activities. The itinerary shall include the name, address, and phone number of the hotel, times of departure and expected return, and flight information, if applicable.
- Ensure that any advance per diem funds received for the travel have been disbursed to the students prior to departure. All students receiving funds shall sign a Per Diem Receipt Form.
- Remain at the conference or other travel site from the student group’s arrival through its departure and ensure that all other travel chaperones remain at travel event.
- Provide students with the chaperone’s expectations regarding curfew and travel behavior, in writing, prior to the travel.
- Ensure that a parent or guardian of students under the age of 18 signs the Assumption of the Risk and Student Travel Contract forms.
On all student travel, chaperones shall abide by the following requirements.
- Be familiar with the college’s Conduct Guidelines as published in the Student Handbook. This policy and its procedures will be reviewed with the participating students prior to traveling.
PROHIBITIONS
Navarro College employees attending an off campus event are prohibited from engaging in activities while serving as a chaperone that would be prohibited if the event was being held on campus. This includes the use of legal or illegal drugs, gambling or entering gambling facilities, or alcohol consumption even if students are not actually present. Neither employees nor students can enter a Bar or night club (with the exception of restaurants that have an embedded bar area). Employees must remember that they are representatives of the College, and their primary responsibility is the welfare or their students. Any sexual contact between employees and students, regardless of age, is strictly prohibited.
Updated: February 11, 2020
