You can't stop in on your child's field trip?

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately due to my work schedule I can't take the whole day off from work to help chaperone my daughters field trip next week, so I was thinking about stopping in since the field trip is downtown and my job is downtown. I have no intention of separating my daughter from the chaperone/group she is assigned by the school and was just planning tagging along. When I casually mentioned this to another mom she told me that our school has a very strict policy on this and the teachers will ask you to leave if you show up without being an official chaperone. I checked with the front office of our school and it turns out the mom was right...but can the school really enforce this? It's a museum which is open to the public. Also, wouldn't the teachers/chaperone's appreciate an extra set of eyes for a bit?

[Anonymous]

What's to stop a complete stranger/molester from tagging along with the group under the premise of being an unregistered chaperone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately due to my work schedule I can't take the whole day off from work to help chaperone my daughters field trip next week, so I was thinking about stopping in since the field trip is downtown and my job is downtown. I have no intention of separating my daughter from the chaperone/group she is assigned by the school and was just planning tagging along. When I casually mentioned this to another mom she told me that our school has a very strict policy on this and the teachers will ask you to leave if you show up without being an official chaperone. I checked with the front office of our school and it turns out the mom was right...but can the school really enforce this? It's a museum which is open to the public. Also, wouldn't the teachers/chaperone's appreciate an extra set of eyes for a bit?

You aren't going as a random person, you plan to tag along. Our school did the same thing. If you weren't signed up you couldn't tag along.

No, the teachers don't want an "extra set of eyes" they haven't planned for.

[Anonymous]

In our district parents have to do a background check to chaperone a field trip.

[Anonymous]

Pp here, I've been a chaperone with an unplanned extra showing up. Teacher quietly mentioned that the person wasn't part of the group and someone from the venue steered them away from the kids.

Op, most schools have a plan in place so they know who is around the kids. If you aren't on their list don't hang around.

[Anonymous]

It's a public place...I don't think teachers can stop you or anybody else from being there.

[Anonymous]

Personally it seems a little disruptive to me--I wouldn’t do it. I don’t think my kid would be thrilled either, since I’ve never done that before—she’ll be like why are you here, LOL. I’d wait until I can attend the entire field trip as a chaperone.

[Anonymous]

Pp here, I've been a chaperone with an unplanned extra showing up. Teacher quietly mentioned that the person wasn't part of the group and someone from the venue steered them away from the kids.

Op, most schools have a plan in place so they know who is around the kids. If you aren't on their list don't hang around.

This.
Remember, the school is doing this for the safety of YOUR child, as well as all the other children. Don't be that parent.

[Anonymous]

Our school would be fine with this and personally I’d just do if I could do so w/o being a disruptive break if there’s a talk. If it’s just a tour-geez: it’s a public space

[Anonymous]

Teachers may want it organized with clear consistent accountability of kids to chaperones. Having parents drop in and out, makes it difficult for them and the chaperones to watch the kids. At our kids' school for some field trips, it was ok for chaperone to join at location (e.g. join at the museum, not at school for the ride), but these parents signed up to chaperone, so were there during the whole time except the ride to /from school.

I think it's just easier when there is clear responsibility that joey, larlo and larla are being watched by Larla's mom, rather than have joey's mom then join, have joey for some time, leave and then if joey wanders off Larla's mom doesn't pay attention cause she thinks he's still with his mom sort of scenario.

[Anonymous]

I understand from the school’s point of view since they usually organize groups and this could be disruptive. Parents are welcome to do this at my children’s school and are often told there are only a certain number of chaperones allowed but parents may drive themselves and meet the group there. I chaperoned a trip downtown recently and several parents who worked nearby stopped by for an hour or so. Most quietly observed instead of helping out, which was strange to me.

[Anonymous]

In order to volunteer in any capacity involving contact with children at my youngest child's school (high school), you have to have a background check done, including fingerprints. They verify before every volunteer opportunity. So no. You could not just show up.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been a chaperone at downtown museum field trips (I also work FT downtown) and it would be incredibly difficult to have a parent randomly showing up for part of the trip. It’s hard enough to keep the kids together. Check and see if you can join the trip downtown if that’s easier for you—many parents did that for our smithsonian and building museum outings. Also if it’s is MCPS, you need to have done the child abuse training to be a chaperone.

[Anonymous]

Can the school really control who else is there at a public venue? I say go and join your kid.

[Anonymous]

There are some parents who are legally not allowed to have contact with their children.

So little Larla is on a field trip to the museum and her mom, who is legally not allowed contact, shows up. "It's ok. I'm Larla's mom" she says to Suzy's mom, who is Larla's assigned chaperone.
Larla and her mom walk off to "go look at the dinosaurs" or whatever and are never seen again.