[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 729 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 729

To help keep students safe on school-run, overnight, off-premises field 
                                 trips.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 2009

  Mr. Rothman of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To help keep students safe on school-run, overnight, off-premises field 
                                 trips.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Phylicia's Law''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Students achieve their full academic potential when 
        they have the ability to learn in a safe and secure 
        environment.
            (2) Off-campus school trips comprise an integral part of 
        the educational experience for our Nation's students. Each year 
        millions of students enjoy these trips, which provide them with 
        invaluable learning opportunities outside the classroom.
            (3) There exists no Federal law requiring public schools to 
        develop safety plans for off-premises, overnight, school-
        sponsored trips.

SEC. 3. STUDENT SAFETY ON FIELD TRIPS.

    Section 4114(d)(7) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7114(d)(7) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (E), by adding ``and'' at the end; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(F) an assurance that--
                            ``(i) before every off-premises, overnight 
                        field trip, a written safety plan is developed 
                        by the school sponsoring the trip and provided 
                        to the parents of the children concerned; and
                            ``(ii) each such safety plan shall include, 
                        at a minimum--
                                    ``(I) policies on curfews, room 
                                checks, and chaperone qualifications; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) emergency procedures to be 
                                followed in the case of serious injury 
                                or death;''.
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