35330
. (a) The governing board of a school district or the county
superintendent of schools of a county may:
(1) Conduct field trips or excursions in connection with courses
of instruction or school-related social, educational, cultural,
athletic, or school band activities to and from places in the state,
any other state, the District of Columbia, or a foreign country for
pupils enrolled in elementary or secondary schools. A field trip or
excursion to and from a foreign country may be permitted to
familiarize students with the language, history, geography, natural
sciences, and other studies relative to the district's course of
study for pupils.
(2) Engage instructors, supervisors, and other personnel to
contribute their services over and above the normal period for which
they are employed by the district, if necessary, and provide
equipment and supplies for the field trip or excursion.
(3) Transport by use of district equipment, contract to provide
transportation, or arrange transportation by the use of other
equipment, of pupils, instructors, supervisors or other personnel to
and from places in the state, another state, the District of
Columbia, or a foreign country where those excursions and field trips
are being conducted, provided that, when district equipment is used,
the governing board shall secure liability insurance, and if travel
is to and from a foreign country, liability insurance shall be
secured from a carrier licensed to transact insurance business in the
foreign country.
(4) Provide supervision of pupils involved in field trips or
excursions by certificated employees of the district.
(b) (1) No pupil shall be prevented from making the field trip or
excursion because of lack of sufficient funds. To this end, the
governing board shall coordinate efforts of community service groups
to supply funds for pupils in need.
(2) No group shall be authorized to take a field trip or excursion
authorized by this section if a pupil who is a member of an
identifiable group will be excluded from participation in the field
trip or excursion because of lack of sufficient funds.
(3) No expenses of pupils participating in a field trip or
excursion to other state, the District of Columbia, or a foreign
country authorized by this section shall be paid with school district
funds. Expenses of instructors, chaperones, and other personnel
participating in a field trip or excursion authorized by this section
may be paid from school district funds, and the school district may
pay from school district funds all incidental expenses for the use of
school district equipment during a field trip or excursion
authorized by this section.
(c) (1) The attendance or participation of a pupil in a field trip
or excursion authorized by this section shall be considered
attendance for the purpose of crediting attendance for apportionments
from the State School Fund in the fiscal year. Credited attendance
resulting from a field trip or excursion shall be limited to the
amount of attendance that would have accrued had the pupils not been
engaged in the field trip or excursion.
(2) Credited attendance shall not exceed 10 schooldays except in
the case of pupils participating in a field trip or excursion in
connection with courses of instruction, or school-related educational
activities, and which are not social, cultural, athletic, or school
band activities.
(d) All persons making the field trip or excursion shall be deemed
to have waived all claims against the district, a charter school, or
the State of California for injury, accident, illness, or death
occurring during or by reason of the field trip or excursion. All
adults taking out-of-state field trips or excursions and all parents
or guardians of pupils taking out-of-state field trips or excursions
shall sign a statement waiving all claims.
No transportation allowances shall be made by the Superintendent
for expenses incurred with respect to field trips or excursions that
have an out-of-state destination. A school district that transports
pupils, teachers, or other employees of the district in schoolbuses
within the state and to destinations within the state, pursuant to
the provisions of this section, shall report to the Superintendent on
forms prescribed by him or her the total mileage of schoolbuses used
in connection with educational excursions. In computing the
allowance to a school district for regular transportation there shall
be deducted from that allowance an amount equal to the depreciation
of schoolbuses used for the transportation in accordance with rules
and regulations adopted by the Superintendent.