(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 pupils 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) A pupil shall not 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) A group shall not 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.
(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 that 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.
(e) Transportation allowances shall not 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 school 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.
(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 92, Sec. 49. (SB 1289) Effective January 1, 2019.)