Can my child have a 1:1 aide on a school field trip?

If your child has an aide full-time during school hours, there is no reason not to provide an aide for the field trip. If it is after hours or overnight, the school cannot compel a particular employee to go, but they should provide an aide. Even if a child does not normally have a full-time aide, they might need one during a field trip for safety reasons, which should be documented by your IEP team in advance. We recommend having a meeting with your IEP team a month before a field trip to review your child’s support needs.

The absence of an aide is not a reason to deny a student the opportunity to participate in a field trip. Sometimes, parents are asked to attend, which is fine if you want to go but is not an appropriate solution to the school’s responsibility to supply an aide.

For more information, see our article When Is a School Required to Pay for an Aide?