Parent/Guardian picking up a student from a field trip: 

Knox County Schools understands that parents/guardians may choose to assume responsibility of their students at the conclusion of a field trip as opposed to having them return to the school under the supervision of a Knox County Schools employee. This practice is allowable as long as there is adherence to the following:

• The parent/guardian must submit a request in writing to the school’s front office at a minimum of 24 hours prior to the field trip.  (This will give the school time to verify the request and ensure everything is in order.)
• The KCS employee in charge of the field trip will check with the front office prior to leaving for the trip to verify the list of students who are approved to be picked up at the field trip rather than return to the school.
• The KCS employee in charge of the field trip will verify the parent/guardian’s identity at the field trip site, parent is to furnish valid ID, and have him/her sign a sign-out sheet turning over responsibility to the parent/guardian. 
• The parent/ guardian may only assume responsibility of the student(s) for which he/she has legal custody.
• A parent/guardian who is serving as a chaperone may not leave the field trip to take his/her personal student home, since it may compromise the adult to student ratios that must be maintained at the number below.
• The Knox County School employee in charge of the field trip has discretion and reserves the right to deny the request of the parent/guardian if the previous steps were not followed or if he/she feels the student’s safety may be in jeopardy. 

Chaperone to student ratio for Field trips by grade-level: 

KCS values the participation of volunteer chaperones to be used for supervision on field trips. Adult-tostudent ratios may vary but must be adequate for the field trip activity and the number and age of the students. Below are the expected adult-to-student ratios for Knox County Schools:

Elementary (Grades Pre-K -5)

Secondary (Grades 6-12