Lesson planner · classroom toolsIndividual Student Safety Plan for Trips and Activities
Plan how one student will take part safely in a field trip or activity: medical needs, mobility, behavior or elopement, and personal care. Use initials or "Student A" only and refer to the student's existing plans.
Starting points – Check every row against your district's policy and the venue's rules, and add what is specific to your students.
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This supports, but does not replace, your district's policy. Your principal or administrator must review and approve it.
This is a trip and activity plan, not a crisis plan. If you're looking for a safety plan for a student at risk of self-harm or suicide, talk to your school counselor or psychologist today and follow your district's procedures.
When to write one
Write an individual plan when a student needs something different from the rest of the group to take part safely: a severe allergy, seizures or diabetes, a wheelchair or mobility need, anxiety in new places, or a behavior intervention plan that includes elopement. Students with disabilities have the right to take part in field trips on an equal basis, so the aim is to include them.
How to write it
- Meet the family, the nurse and the case manager.
- Start from the student's existing plans: the individualized health plan or emergency care plan, 504 plan, IEP or behavior intervention plan. Refer to them here; don't copy their details.
- Walk through the day for this student: the bus (a lift bus if needed), restrooms, lunch, noise and crowds, the activity.
- Assign an adult by role who carries medications and the plan.
- Share it only with the adults who need it, and attach it to the trip plan.
Before
- Meet the family, nurse and case manager
- Check venue access and a calm space
- Preview the trip with photos or a social story
Trip day
- Assigned adult with medications and plan
- Check in at each transition
Afterward
- Debrief with the family
- Update the plan
Keep student information out of it
Write "Student A" or initials and say where the confidential plan is kept ("health plans are with the trip leader"). Names, diagnoses, IEP or 504 details and family phone numbers belong in your district's systems, not on a plan that gets printed and handed to chaperones. What you type here stays in this browser.
Sources and further reading
- U.S. Department of Education: disability discrimination FAQs (Section 504)
- Your district's board policy and administrative rules on field trips, volunteers, medications and student health.
We link to these so you can read the original guidance; we haven't copied it. Your district's policy comes first.
Frequently asked questions
What is an individual student safety plan for a field trip?
A short plan for one student who needs extra support to take part safely, such as for a medical condition, mobility need or behavior, attached to the main field trip plan.
Can a student with an IEP or 504 plan be left out of a field trip?
Students with disabilities must have an equal opportunity to take part in field trips and activities. Plan accommodations with the family and case manager, and talk to your principal if you have concerns.
Should I copy the IEP or health plan into this form?
No. Refer to it ("see emergency care plan, held by the nurse") and record only the trip-specific steps. Use initials or "Student A".