Internal rules for school trips and long excursions

School trips and long excursions are special occasions during the school year where students and teachers spend a few days together outside of class and school, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The program is rich and varied, educational and pedagogical, with strong ties to the school curriculum, and also offers periods of relaxation and opportunities for open conversation and discussion.

Nevertheless, school trips and long excursions are still school events. Rules established by the school still apply, and all participants, students, teachers, and chaperones must respect them.

These regulations have been approved by the Education Council on January 09 2006, and supplement the General School Travel Regulations (Superior Council, Berlin 1999). They apply to school trips and long excursions organized for Secondary School classes.

Art 01. The document “2013-2014 School Travel Commitment” representing the rights and responsibilities of each party involved is to be signed by the school, the teacher, the student, and the parents before departure.

Art 02. Participation in all aspects of  trip or excursion preparation is obligatory.

Art 03. The participation in the entirety of the program is mandatory, except with the written authorization of management justifying exceptional circumstances.

Art 04. Teachers and accompanying personnel carry out regular monitoring throughout the program. This monitoring can be shared by or transferred to an adult chosen by the organizing teacher, e.g. a ski instructor or a host family.

Art 05. The students respect the decisions made by the teacher in charge. Measures to ensure the safety and health of participants are always a priority.

Art 06. Each participant must carry an identity card or a passport at all times (or a copy, if the original is kept by the leader of the group), as well as  a list of all participants (with GSM number if possible), including important information (hotel, family, school, embassy), and a map of the location being visited (city, region etc.). Provision of a GSM is desirable.

Art 07. Parents must inform the teacher in charge of any medical or pharmaceutical requirement(s) their child may have. The latter entails the possession of the necessary drugs in the necessary quantities.

Art 08. Punctuality of the participants for all appointments and organized activities is required.

Art 09. There will be a mandatory group conference daily.

Art 10. Smoking is prohibited during the official program and during meals. Outside the official program, the organizing professor may authorize smoking for  6th and 7th grades, with the express consent of their parents, and in accordance with local legislation. Possession of cigarettes and tobacco must be strictly limited to personal need.

Art 11. The import, possession, purchase, consumption, distribution, and export of alcohol and/or drugs are strictly prohibited. In case of doubt as to the non-observance of this elementary rule, the school and/or teacher in charge reserve the right to request a medical examination during or after the trip to determine drug or alcohol consumption, as well as to check participants’ rooms and/or belongings.

Art 12. No form of violence, theft, smuggling, or aggression will be tolerated.

Art 13. The habits and customs of the country visited are to be respected at all times (behavior, dress, public speaking, etc.). Students will be informed in advance, and any behavior likely to alter the relations between the group and the host country or its nationals is formally forbidden.

Art 14. The pupils can circulate without being accompanied by the group leader or his/her delegates during free periods. Free periods are determined by the organizing professor according to the age of the pupils, the place visited, and any other relevant circumstances. During free periods, students are required to remain in and around the place visited in groups of a minimum of three.

Art 15. Free periods can also be organized in the evening, with a mandatory curfew. The return time will be fixed by the teacher according to the age of the participants and the location. It cannot exceed 23:00. Parents may refuse permission for free periods in the evening for their child by notifying the teacher in writing, prior to departure. At the time set by the organizing professor, each student must be back and must go to his/her room. They are to remain there until the next morning.

Art 16. An attendance check is carried out during each day trip, in the rooms, and at the time of return from the free periods.

Art 17. Any damage caused voluntarily or not by a student to the means of transport, the place of lodging, or anywhere else must be reported to the professor in charge immediately.

Art 18. In the event that a participant must leave the group for an urgent reason (illness, injury, etc.), he/she is to be accompanied by the organizing professor or one of his/her delegates until he/she is entrusted to his/her parents or other authorized person.

Art 19. It is forbidden for students to leave the group without permission or to leave their accommodation during the night.

Art 20. Any inappropriate sexual behavior is forbidden.

Art 21. Teachers have the right to check pupils’ rooms at any time, if the situation requires it.

Art 22. Escorts can be reached by trip participants either physically or by mobile phone at any time.

Art 23. A member of the school administration (or a delegate) can be reached by the organizing professor at all times during the school trip.

Art 24. If an exceptional situation requires it, the professor in charge may, under his/her own responsibility, adapt one or more articles of this by-law, and will be solely responsible for any such variance; the decision and justification to be presented to the administration upon his/her return.

Art 25. A written report will be submitted by the organizing professor after the trip, and it will be made accessible to the entire school community.

Art 26. Violation of any one of these rules may lead to the immediate repatriation of the pupil at the expense of the parents. The decision to immediately repatriate for disciplinary reasons is to be taken by the organizing professor and management, who would then notify the parents of the student concerned as soon as possible. A disciplinary council may also be organized at the school to define additional consequences.

Art 27. In case of a ‘force majeure’ event that would result in an unforeseeable extra cost (accommodation, meals, change of tickets …), neither the EEB1 nor the organizing professors may be held responsible for these costs. These additional fees will be charged to parents, who hereby agree to repay them.