DepEd Guidelines on Off-Campus Activities

Policy purpose and guiding principles

The guidelines support K to 12 Curriculum implementation by enabling experiential learning through relevant off-campus activities.
The policy requires all off-campus activities to ensure relevance and alignment with K to 12 educational competencies and the leadership development of learners.
All off-campus activities must uphold child protection principles so no learner shall be disadvantaged in any form.
All off-campus activities must observe safety and security protocols before, during and after the activity.
Off-campus activities must not be used as a means to raise funds for the school or an association.
Curricular and nationally mandated off-campus activities remain subject to existing policies governing them.

Definitions of key terms

Activity Head is any authorized personnel primarily responsible for the learners during an off-campus activity.
Chaperone is a person assigned to accompany and supervise learners during off-campus activities.
Educational Field Trip is a carefully planned activity involving travel to sites outside the classroom and school premises for firsthand learning, built around achieving particular core competencies of the curriculum.
Guardian refers to legal guardians, foster parents, and other persons—including relatives or non-relatives—with physical custody of the child.
Off-Campus Activity is an authorized learning-related activity outside school premises, participated in by learners and supervised by teachers and/or staff and other concerned stakeholders.
Off-Campus Co-curricular Activity is an authorized, voluntary, non-graded off-campus learner engagement anchored within the bounds of the standard curriculum and educational competencies, organized and coordinated by authorized learner or civic organizations.
Off-Campus Extra-curricular Activity is a voluntary, non-graded off-campus learner engagement not anchored on standard curriculum and educational competencies, offered/coordinated by the school, authorized learner, or civic organizations, aimed at holistic development.
Roadworthiness pertains to a vehicle’s street-legality and suitable operating condition as per standards of appropriate government/regulatory agencies.

Scope and activity categories

The policy covers the implementation and management of co-curricular and extra-curricular off-campus activities in all public and private schools.
DepEd Mandated and Initiated Off-Campus Activities are organized by the central, regional, and division offices and follow existing issuances specific to the activity.
Externally Initiated Off-Campus Activities require approval from DepEd authorities per governance level for public schools; private schools approve through their own appropriate authorities.
Externally initiated off-campus activities must be thoroughly discussed with school management before seeking approval and must follow procedures in the policy.
School Initiated Off-Campus Activities include field trips and/or educational tours organized by public schools provided they will not entail huge costs and will not risk the safety and security of learners.
School field trips and/or educational tours are supplemental activities only and shall not replace learning delivery.
The conduct of off-campus activities is a prerogative of the school heads and is subject to approval of the Schools Division Superintendents (SDS).

Roles and responsibilities by office

The Office of the Undersecretary for Planning and Field Operations and the Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction provides overall policy guidance.
The Bureau of Learner Support Services (BLSS) must:
- oversee policy implementation;
- resolve emerging issues and challenges;
- conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation; and
- spearhead review of the policy on off-campus activities.
The Bureau of Learner Delivery (BLD) and Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) must ensure adherence of curricular and nationally mandated co-curricular activities to policy protocols and participate in regular policy review.
At the regional level, the Education Support Services Division (ESSD) and Curriculum Learning Management Division (CLMD) must spearhead nationally mandated co- and extra-curricular off-campus activities, evaluate and recommend approval of proposals, ensure strict compliance, monitor activities, and resolve emerging issues; ESSD is the overall in-charge of monitoring and evaluation at the regional level.
At the division level, School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD) and Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) must facilitate smooth SDO-level implementation, monitor activities, evaluate and recommend approval of school-level proposals aligned with curriculum, secure a list of accredited and blacklisted tour operators/service providers, ensure strict compliance, and resolve emerging issues; SGOD is the overall in-charge of monitoring and evaluation at the division level.
At the school level, the School Head must ensure proposed activities are in the Annual Improvement Plan, review and endorse proposals for SDO approval, ensure K to 12 alignment, ensure strict compliance, schedule catch-up learning sessions for participants who miss classes, resolve emerging issues, and submit activity reports to the SDO.
The Activity Head must spearhead planning and preparation, facilitate parents’/guardians’ conference and pre-departure orientation, ensure strict observance of safety and protection procedures in planning/activity/post-activity stages, and conduct post-activity processing and prepare the activity report for submission.
Parents and/or Guardians must: participate in planning/briefing activities; accomplish and submit the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Consent Form (Annex C) before the activity; inform teachers of medical needs; provide required information before the activity; and ensure travel insurance is secured.
For private schools, approving authorities engage as provided in their manual of rules and regulations, and parents/guardians must be engaged in off-campus activities.

Planning requirements and approvals

Schools and concerned offices must prepare an off-campus activity plan and seek approval from the concerned authorities.
Planning must account for learners’ diversity, context, and needs, and must support education priorities and learner development.
The plan must include a clear justification covering relevance to curriculum, safety and security measures, and accountability of concerned stakeholders.
Parents must have active involvement in planning and must be informed of activity details and the nature of their children’s participation, and encouraged to attend as long as resources permit.
For off-campus activities conducted for at least one day, an Activity Proposal (Annex A) must be submitted to the approving authority/ies for review and approval.
For all off-campus activities less than one day, concerned teachers must seek the school head’s written approval, and must exercise utmost diligence in observing learners’ safety and security throughout the activity.
Off-campus activities must be flexible in rescheduling due to weather and must incur no extra costs in cases of rescheduling.

Required safety, supervision, and logistics

All learners must be assigned a buddy for off-campus activities, except when only one learner is traveling with the concerned teacher.
The Activity Head must ensure an accessible medical kit during the entire activity and must make learners aware how to access it.
Emergency and evacuation procedures must follow the School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Manual and must be included in the pre-departure briefing.
Personnel must promote consumption of healthy food and beverages pursuant to DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2017.
Teachers must be aware of participating learners’ medical conditions; medical clearance is required especially when strenuous physical activities are part of the program.
Teachers must secure every learner’s emergency contact details and give their contact details to parents/guardians.
Each learner must prepare and wear a Learner Safety and Emergency Card containing: emergency contacts; teacher contact numbers; allergies and other pertinent health information; and blood type; learners incur no cost for the card preparation.
Vehicles must strictly follow applicable traffic rules and regulations, and all multiple vehicles must travel in convoy.
The Activity Head must monitor weather forecasts and patterns 2–3 days before and on the day of the scheduled activity; if inclement weather is expected, the school head shall immediately cancel the trip.
Local sites of academic and/or historical relevance must be prioritized for field trips/educational tours to promote local knowledge sources and cost-efficiency.
Off-campus activities using external tour/transportation operators must have a jointly signed agreement specifying responsibilities and liabilities, especially to learners.
External partners (e.g., barangay, public or private school) must have a written agreement signed before the activity.
Tour operators must be duly accredited by government agencies and must have: a Certified True Copy of Accreditation Certificate by the Department of Tourism (DOT); and (if applicable) a Certified True Copy of Certification from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on franchise validity and scope.
The agreement for tour operators must make itinerary and location activities clear and must be strictly followed, and venues must accommodate expected participant numbers at a time.
Transportation providers must have vehicles certified by DOTr/LTO, and vehicles must not be more than 10 years old as of the scheduled date based on the year of manufacture.
Transportation providers must provide valid documents including registration, insurance coverage, professional driver’s license, and roadworthiness certificate.
Transportation providers must submit a list of specific vehicles and plate numbers and assigned drivers to be used at least five (5) days before the activity; only the pre-identified vehicles and drivers may be used during the activity.
Before the activity, transportation providers must inspect identified vehicles in the presence of the Activity Head or authorized personnel.
Participant numbers per vehicle must be strictly limited to seating capacity, and overloading or use of additional seats in the vehicle aisle is prohibited.
Drivers assigned must have updated licenses and be in good medical condition based on a latest health examination within one year of the scheduled activity.
Appropriate accommodations and/or modifications must be provided for learners with special needs.
Parents/guardians must be convened for conference discussions of approved/upcoming activities; non-attending parents/guardians must receive a letter of information signed by the principal, and invitations/memoranda for non-school-initiated activities must be attached; consent forms (Annex C) must be submitted to the Activity Head before the activity.
A pre-departure briefing must be attended by learners, teachers, and parents/guardians to discuss program, possible expenses, places to visit, emergency/evacuation procedures, safety/security measures, and departure/arrival areas; clarifications must be resolved in the briefing.
For big groups, groupings must be made during pre-departure briefing, chaperones identified, and chaperones provided a list of learners under their care.
For visits requiring multiple areas, a map with pre-determined visit points must be provided to learners during pre-departure briefing.

Conducting the activity: required steps

School rules apply during off-campus activities.
On the day of the activity and before learners board, the school must inspect and ensure the vehicle is in good condition and crosscheck the vehicle and driver with pre-identified vehicle/driver lists.
All participants (learners, parents/guardians, teachers, and other personnel) must sign a manifest (Annex B) before leaving the school and upon return.
The school must conduct headcount before leaving and upon arrival at every off-campus venue.
For activities with transportation providers, the school must track vehicles leaving and returning and the learner and teacher passengers, and must make this tracking transparent to parents/guardians.
A specific school waiting area must be designated for returning learners, and learners whose fetchers are not yet present must wait there under teacher supervision.
Upon arrival at the venue, learners must be briefed on safety and security measures, emergency and evacuation procedures, and venue rules; ID cards and Learner Safety and Emergency Cards must be checked by concerned teachers.
Close supervision must be maintained throughout the entire activity, and learners must be instructed to report whereabouts to concerned adults; learners may not wander off on their own.
For big group activities, there must be at least two chaperones in a vehicle of not more than the seating capacity, with one assigned at the front and the other at the back of the line.
For co- and extra-curricular off-campus activities initiated by the division, region, or external entity, participating learners must be accompanied by concerned teacher(s) or coach(es) from the participating school.
Kindergarten up to Grade 3 learners must be accompanied by their parents/guardians during off-campus activities.
For activities with an educational component, related lectures must be conducted throughout the trip.
Learners must be dropped off at the designated waiting area; elementary learners may not leave the school premises without their fetchers.
If parents/guardians want drop-off elsewhere, they must communicate drop-off details to the Activity Head or authorized personnel, and the fetcher must be in the agreed drop-off area at the time of drop-off; otherwise, the learner is dropped off and picked up at the school.
After the activity, authorized personnel must inspect the vehicle for items left behind, collect found items, and facilitate claiming.

Post-activity duties and reports

The class adviser must conduct a culminating activity and process the off-campus activities vis-à-vis the curriculum, aiming to synthesize learning experiences and insights.
Teacher(s) involved must ask participating learners for feedback, including what went well, what went wrong, and improvements for next time; evaluation must cover the activity, vehicle(s), venue, and other applicable services.
The Activity Head is prohibited from conducting the off-campus culminating activity.
All teachers involved must convene for post-activity evaluation to discuss issues and concerns from the entire trip; if only one teacher was involved, the evaluation must be with the school head.
Feedback from learners and faculty must be consolidated by the teacher(s) involved for inclusion in the activity report.
Concerned teachers must prepare and submit an activity report (Annex D) to the school head for subsequent reporting to the Schools Division Office (SDO) and Regional Office (RO) of whichever is the approving authority.
Private schools may submit their reports to their respective approving authorities.
The activity report must contain documentation of learners’ culminating activity and evaluation of learners and teachers, and must highlight academic gains relevant to the curriculum, evaluation of tour/service provider, and challenges encountered.

Voluntary participation and cost protections

Participation, especially by learners, is voluntary for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
No learner shall be required to participate in any off-campus activity.
Travel insurance is mandatory for all off-campus activities, and no one may join without travel insurance.
All co-curricular and extra-curricular activities must have no grade equivalent.
Non-participating learners must not be required to do special projects and/or examinations or any form of school requirements.
The school head must ensure off-campus activities do not disrupt classes.
Non-participating learners must receive lessons equivalent to the program of the conducted off-campus activity to ensure nothing is missed.
Make-up classes must be conducted to cover competencies discussed and/or taken up during the off-campus activity.
Schools, SDOs, and ROs may partner with other organizations and government agencies to assist DepEd in conducting off-campus activities.
Off-campus activities must not place undue financial burden on learners and their families under any circumstances.
Teachers must not charge off-campus expenses to learners.
For public schools, funds may be sourced from DepEd funds (subject to nationally mandated guidelines and allowable expenses in the school’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) budget), Special Education Fund (SEF) through request to the Local School Board as applicable and in accordance with DepEd-DBM-DILG Joint Circular 01 s. 2017, and external sources such as sponsors and/or external partners for fees, transportation, logistics, and other requirements.

Monitoring, violations, and sanctions

The BLSS, in close collaboration with BCD and BLD, with CLMD and ESSD, and with CID and SGOD, must conduct structured monitoring of off-campus activity processes and provide feedback to improve the policy.
BLSS, with concerned regional offices, must conduct an annual review of the effectiveness and efficiency of the policy in achieving its objectives.
Any violation or abuse of the Order must be reported immediately to concerned DepEd offices as articulated in the policy’s violations mechanism, and violations must be dealt with accordingly.

Related issuances and repeals

This Order repeals DepEd Order Nos. 87 and 52, s. 2003, 5, s. 2002, and 56, s. 2001.
Any other issuances, rules, and regulations, and provisions inconsistent with the policy are rescinded, repealed, or modified accordingly.

References to other DepEd issuances

The guidelines expressly incorporate standards on healthy food and beverage choices through DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2017.
The guidelines also reference MOOE budgeting and allowable expenses through DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2016 (including implementing guidelines on the direct release and use of MOOE allocations).
Child protection policy is referenced through DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012.
Prior field trip policy issuances are referenced for context through DepEd Order No. 87, s. 2003, DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2003, DepEd Order No. 51, s. 2002, and DepEd Order No. 56, s. 2001, as well as DepEd Memorandum No. 67, s. 2017 (creation of a Technical Working Group to review and revise policies on educational field trips) and DepEd Memorandum No. 47, s. 2017 (moratorium on educational field trips and similar activities).
The policy references a Rules and Regulations to Govern the Accreditation of Travel and Tour Services by the Department of Tourism dated September 26, 1995.
The policy requires use of the School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Manual for emergency and evacuation protocols.