Inter-Lakes board again chews on propriety of excusing teachers from classrooms so they can accompany kids on field trips

MEREDITH — The Inter-Lakes School Board on Tuesday night examined its policy on student field trips and the message created by that policy. The board also heard differing perspectives from the professionals who abide by that three year old policy, initiated to give weight to the fact that when a teacher leaves the building to accompany one group of students he/she leaves many other students without their regular instructor.

Carol Baggaley, the member of the board who requested that the topic be included in the meeting's discussions, said, "I don't have any problem with students and staff leaving for field trips or events... I have no problem with it, unlike some school board members."

The board's policy, adopted in 2008, states that building principals should decide when a proposed field trip is worthwhile, considering, among other issues, "the number of students who benefit from the activity/trip as opposed to the number whose education is disrupted." The disrupted education could occur as a result of a classroom teacher taken away from other instructional duties because he or she was serving as a field trip chaperone.

Baggaley said she wanted the board to discuss its policy because she felt some teachers and students perceived that the board was not in favor of excursions out of the school buildings. She asked, "How do we feel about it, once and for all?"

Board member Jack Carty said he felt there was "tremendous benefit" to have teachers chaperone field trips, both for disciplinary reasons as well as because they would, presumably, be better able to enrich the field trip experience due to their knowledge of the curriculum the trip is meant to enhance. "My suggestion," Carty said, "would be that we leave it to the discretion of the principal."

"I want to know what message we're sending," said Baggaley. "Even though the policy says this, I don't know if that's the message we're sending to principals and support staff."

Everett Bennett, Middle Tier principal, said he sees the focus on how field trips affect classroom time "as positive guidance that has not limited the ability to take meaningful trips... I don't see the current field trip policy or the message you've sent as being inhibiting."

John Hansen, principal of Sandwich Central School, agreed.

Cody Cook, the student representative on the board, said, "At the high school level, there are some very good substitutes," and added that the administration makes an effort to place substitutes in classes where they have expertise in the subject.

"Since the policy went into effect, there has been a heightened attention on the issue of balance," said Patty Kennelly, high school principal. She said the policy has caused teachers and administrators to consider the possible negative effects of a trip as well as its benefits. "We definitely think deeper than we used to before the policy went into place."

A different perspective was offered during the public input session, when high school math teacher Diane Mega said, "I did feel like the policy was a bit of a slap in the face when it was put into place." Specifically, she was taken aback by the suggestion that her temporary absence from the classroom would necessarily have a negative result in the progress of her class. "If my students can't learn without me, I haven't done my job."

Mega recalled how she recently spent a Friday at a workshop at the University of New Hampshire and visited a laboratory that she'd like to take some of her students to in order to illustrate to them how the study of math can result in a career. However, because she cannot directly relate the trip to her Algebra II curriculum, she hasn't applied for such a trip. Referring to the field trip policy, she said, "from where I sit, it's not all rosy."

"That's what I was trying to say," said Baggaley. "Show the kids the world out there, not just the world in Meredith, New Hampshire."