Field trip checklist: from permission slip to pickup
The dates, forms, fees, lunch, medication questions and pickup plan to check before your child’s school field trip.
Short answer
For a field trip, check the permission slip deadline, any fee, the departure and return times, lunch and clothing, the school’s medication instructions and who is doing pickup. Use the school’s latest notice as the source for every detail.
The jobs before trip day
- Read the whole notice and any attachment. Check that it applies to your child’s class.
- Write down the slip deadline. Sign and return it the way the school asks: paper, the app or an online form.
- Check whether there’s a fee or a lunch choice, and when it’s due.
- If your child takes medication or has an allergy or access need, ask the school how the trip will handle it, and follow its instructions.
- If you’d like to chaperone, ask whether you need a background check first.
- Agree who packs the bag and who picks up.
A Friday trip can have a Wednesday slip deadline. Put Wednesday in the plan. The Friday calendar square can’t sign anything.
A field trip timeline
| When | Job | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Notice arrives, Mon, Oct 19 | Add the trip and the slip deadline to the plan | Jamie |
| By Wed, Oct 21 | Sign the slip and pay the fee | Jamie |
| Wed, Oct 21 | Check medication paperwork with the school nurse | Jamie |
| Thu, Oct 22, evening | Pack a bag lunch, water bottle and jacket | Alex |
| Fri, Oct 23, morning | Drop off at the time the notice gives | Jamie |
| Fri, Oct 23, return | Pick up at the confirmed time and place | Alex |
Medication and allergies
Ask the school, not the class group chat. The American Academy of Pediatrics says any medication at school, prescription or over-the-counter, needs written authorization from a licensed prescriber plus your consent, and it should arrive in its original labeled container.
Ask the school nurse how that works away from school: who carries it, and whether your child’s individual health plan (IHP), if they have one, covers trips. Follow the school’s process. This guide covers the paperwork, not medical decisions.
If you’re chaperoning
Some districts screen volunteers. Plymouth-Canton schools in Michigan, for example, ask every parent who chaperones a field trip for background check information, and keep the approved list for the current school year only.
If you want to go, ask early how long approval takes and whether you can drive other kids.
The night-before bag check
Start with the school’s list. Common items include a bag lunch in a throwaway bag, a water bottle, a jacket and sneakers, but every trip has its own rules. Some schools supply lunch or limit bags.
Pack only what the notice asks for. If the class group chat suggests extras, check whether they’re official first.
The pickup check
“The bus returns at 2:45 PM” doesn’t always mean “pick up at 2:45 PM.” Ask whether normal dismissal at 3:15 PM still applies. It matters most when an after-school program or carpool is part of the day.
Name the adult picking up, and tell them where the current notice is.
The morning-of check
- Lunch, water bottle and jacket are in the backpack, not on the counter.
- Your child knows who is picking up, and where.
- The pickup adult has the return time on their phone.
- Any medication handoff happened the way the school asked.
A trip note to copy
Field trip: aquarium · Fri, Oct 23 Slip + $12 fee due Wed, Oct 21 — Jamie Inhaler form on file for trips? Ask the nurse — Jamie Pack: bag lunch, water bottle, jacket · Thu night — Alex Bus back 2:45 PM · normal pickup 3:15 PM — Alex Source: teacher email, Mon, Oct 19 Open question: is the after-school program open that day?
Questions to ask the school
- “Is lunch provided, or do kids bring a bag lunch?”
- “Can kids bring money or a phone?”
- “How is medication handled on the trip, and who carries it?”
- “What time and where is pickup?”
- “Do chaperones need a background check, and how long does it take?”
Questions parents ask
When is a field trip permission slip due?
By the deadline on the notice, which is often a few days before the trip. Put that date in the plan, not only the trip day.
What should my child bring on a field trip?
Only what the school’s notice lists. Common items include a bag lunch, a water bottle and a jacket, but some schools supply lunch or limit bags.
Can my child take medication on a field trip?
Ask the school nurse. The AAP says medication at school needs written authorization from a prescriber and your consent, in its original labeled container, and the school decides how that works on a trip.
Do I need a background check to chaperone a field trip?
Some districts require one, like Plymouth-Canton in Michigan. Ask the school how to apply and how long approval takes, and start well before the trip.