Recently, I provided information related to student health services and field trips. First, I want to emphasize that KDE is not advising you to cancel field trips. To clarify this issue further, please note these points:
· These requirements are specific and apply only to students with 504 plans or IEPs that require the provision of health services. This does not affect the great majority of your students.
· Students’ 504 plans or Individual Education Plans (IEPs) may require school districts to provide health services to these students during school activities, including school-sponsored field trips.
· Although 504 plans or IEPs may allow for delegation of the health services, by physicians or nurses, while the student is on field trips, that delegation ability is contingent on the involved jurisdiction’s restrictions on delegation.
· A Kentucky physician or nurse may only provide health services or delegate to a school employee the task of providing those services to a student while in another state as allowed by that other state’s board of medical licensure or nursing.
· If a school anticipates that a student requiring health services under a 504 plan or IEP will travel outside our state on a school-sponsored field trip, then the school must determine the best way to meet that responsibility. This will require some advance planning to ensure these students’ health services needs are met.
· A school may want to hold a 504 or IEP meeting, as appropriate, and invite the parents of the student to accompany the student on the field trip. Parents can administer the health services in any jurisdiction.
· If the parents of the student do not want to accompany the student on the trip, then the school retains the responsibility under 504 or IDEA for providing health services to the student (with a 504 plan or IEP) and must determine the best way to meet this requirement, considering the restrictions on delegation of health services when in other jurisdictions/states.
Attached is the previous message we sent out to you about this topic that gives more in-depth information. If you need assistance and advice on this topic, please contact Amy Peabody in the Office of Guiding Support Services at (502) 564-4474 or amy.peabody@education.ky.gov.