A Trip Request Form should be submitted to the main office a minimum of ten (10) days in advance of a scheduled trip. Please read below for the district's criteria and guidelines.
QUAKERTOWN COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Request for Excused Absence for Students Taking Non-School Educational Tour or
Trip with Family or Other Approved Adult Sponsor
Criteria/Guidelines
Regulations of the State of Pennsylvania provide that, upon written request from the parents/guardians of the pupils involved, pupils may be excused from school attendance to participate in an educational tour or trip not sponsored by the school when the trip is evaluated by the Superintendent as educational, and if the adult supervision is acceptable to both the Superintendent and the pupil's parents/guardians.
In the Quakertown Community School District, the building principal has been designated by the Superintendent to make the initial decision, based on the information provided.
In order to clarify such absences, the following procedure for non-school educational trips/tours is established:
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This form must be submitted to the principal a minimum of ten (10) school days prior to the trip (except in an emergency). Parents/Guardians will be notified in any case in which the request is denied.
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Requests will be approved only if it can be determined that such trip/tour is of educational value to the student.
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Unless there are unusual or emergency circumstances, such requests will NOT be approved for the first OR last ten (10) school days of the year, during periods of standardized assessments, when a student has accumulated an excessive number of unexcused absences, or when a student is in academic jeopardy. Please consult the district website, school calendar, or contact your building administrator for specific assessment dates.
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If more than one child in a family will be taking the trip/tour, a separate request for each child shall be made to each child's principal if the children attend separate schools.
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No more than five (5) school days per student will be approved for educational trip/tour requests in any school year. (Special requests with unusual circumstances or exceptional opportunities for learning should be discussed personally with the building principal well in advance of the requested dates for absence.)
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Satisfactory academic achievement will be considered in the approval of such a request.
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All schoolwork missed during the trip/tour must be made up at the initiation of the student immediately upon returning to school.
October 2003
Revised: March 2014
Revised: January 2021