TL;DR
- Copy the day-trip permission slip below, fill in the [PLACEHOLDERS], and you have a complete form in about ten minutes.
- For overnight trips, add the overnight section: lodging, supervision, conduct, medication and early-return rules.
- Check with your school first. Many schools and districts have their own required permission forms and approval steps, and theirs comes before any template.
- Collect medical and allergy details on every slip, and give chaperones their own form.
- Collecting slips online means no lost backpack forms, and you can take the deposit at the same time.
A field trip permission slip needs the trip details (where, when, how students travel, what it costs), emergency and medical information, and a dated parent or guardian signature. The free template below covers all of it for a day trip, and the overnight and high school variants add what longer trips need. Before you use any of it, ask your principal or district office whether a required form already exists: many schools and districts have one, and it overrides any template. If you also collect payment for the trip, SquadTrip can put the form questions, the e-signature and the deposit on one booking page.
Get signed forms and deposits back from one link instead of a stack of paper. SquadTrip collects registration answers, e-signatures and payments for school trips. Free to start.
Free Field Trip Permission Slip Template (Day Trip)
Copy everything below into a document, replace each [PLACEHOLDER], and delete anything that doesn't apply.
[SCHOOL NAME] Field Trip Permission Form
1. Trip details. Our [GRADE / CLASS / CLUB] will visit [DESTINATION, ADDRESS] on [DATE]. Students will leave school at [DEPARTURE TIME] and return at approximately [RETURN TIME].
2. Purpose. This trip supports [SUBJECT OR UNIT] by [ONE SENTENCE ON WHAT STUDENTS WILL DO OR LEARN].
3. Transportation. Students will travel by [SCHOOL BUS / CHARTER BUS / WALKING / PUBLIC TRANSIT]. Students must travel to and from the destination with the group unless the trip leader has approved other arrangements in writing.
4. Cost. The cost per student is [$AMOUNT], which covers [ADMISSION / TRANSPORT / LUNCH]. Payment is due by [DATE] through [PAYMENT METHOD]. If cost is a barrier, please contact [NAME, EMAIL] confidentially.
5. What to bring. [LUNCH OR LUNCH MONEY / WATER / WEATHER-APPROPRIATE CLOTHING / CLOSED-TOE SHOES]. Students should not bring [ITEMS NOT ALLOWED].
6. Supervision. Students will be supervised by [TRIP LEADER NAME] and [NUMBER] adult chaperones.
7. Student information. Student name: [ ]. Grade: [ ]. Teacher: [ ].
8. Emergency contacts. Parent/guardian name and phone: [ ]. Second emergency contact name, relationship and phone: [ ].
9. Medical and allergy information. Allergies (food, insect, medication): [ ]. Medications the student may need during the trip, including an epinephrine auto-injector or inhaler: [ ]. Other medical conditions or needs staff should know about: [ ].
10. Emergency treatment. In a medical emergency, if I cannot be reached, I authorize school staff to seek emergency medical treatment for my child. [YES / NO]
11. Agreement. I give permission for my child to attend this trip. I understand that students are expected to follow school rules and the trip leader's instructions, and that a student who does not may be sent home at the parent's expense or excluded from future trips.
12. Signature. Parent/guardian name: [ ]. Signature: [ ]. Date: [ ].
Return this form by [DATE] to [NAME / ROOM / ONLINE LINK].
Overnight Trip Permission Slip Variant
Keep sections 1 to 12 and add these.
13. Itinerary and lodging. Students will stay at [LODGING NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE] from [CHECK-IN DATE] to [CHECK-OUT DATE]. A full itinerary is attached.
14. Rooming and supervision. Students will share rooms with [NUMBER] students of the same [GENDER / AS SET BY SCHOOL POLICY]. Chaperones will conduct room checks at [TIME], and students must remain in their rooms after lights out.
15. Code of conduct. I have read the attached trip code of conduct with my child. Possession of alcohol, drugs, vapes or weapons, or leaving the group without permission, will result in [CONSEQUENCE].
16. Early return. If my child must be sent home for conduct or health reasons, I agree to [PICK UP MY CHILD / PAY FOR RETURN TRANSPORT] and understand that payments may not be refunded.
17. Medication handling. All medication must be in the original labeled container and handed to [NURSE / TRIP LEADER] by [DATE]. My child [MAY / MAY NOT] carry and use their own inhaler or epinephrine.
18. Payment schedule and refunds. The total cost is [$AMOUNT]: a deposit of [$AMOUNT] due [DATE], then [NUMBER] payments of [$AMOUNT] due [DATES]. Refunds after [DATE] are limited to amounts the school can recover from vendors.
19. Parent meeting. I will attend the parent meeting on [DATE, TIME, PLACE] or contact [NAME] to discuss the trip by phone.
20. Travel documents (trips abroad only). My child's passport number, expiry date and issuing country: [ ].
For international trips, ask for passport details early. USPS notes that both parents or guardians must authorize a passport for a child under 16, and that children's passports are valid for only five years.
High School and Teen Trip Variant
Older students get more independence, so say exactly how much. Add these lines to either version.
21. Free time. During scheduled free time at [LOCATION], students may move in groups of at least [NUMBER] and must check in with [CHAPERONE] at [TIMES]. My child [MAY / MAY NOT] take part in unsupervised free time.
22. Phones. Students must keep their phone charged and answer calls from chaperones. Chaperone contact number: [ ].
23. Students 18 or older. A student who is 18 signs this form themselves. Their parent or guardian is asked to [SIGN AS EMERGENCY CONTACT / ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRIP], as your school's policy requires.
Line 23 is the one most often wrong. Check with your school how it handles adult students before you send the form.
What Every Permission Slip Should Include
This table shows which sections a day trip needs and which an overnight trip adds.
| Section | Why it matters | Day trip | Overnight trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destination, date, times | Parents know where their child is and when they return | ✓ | ✓ |
| Transportation | Parents know how students travel and who drives | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost and payment deadline | No surprise bills, and a clear due date | ✓ | ✓ |
| Emergency contacts | Two people staff can reach | ✓ | ✓ |
| Medical and allergy information | Staff can plan for needs before the trip | ✓ | ✓ |
| Emergency treatment consent | Staff can act if a parent can't be reached | ✓ | ✓ |
| Signature and date | Shows a parent or guardian agreed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lodging and itinerary | Address and phone for every night | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rooming and supervision rules | Room assignments and night checks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Code of conduct and early return | Who pays if a student is sent home | ⚠ | ✓ |
| Medication handling | Who holds medication and when it's handed over | ⚠ | ✓ |
| Payment schedule and refunds | Deposits, installments, refund dates | ✗ | ✓ |
⚠ = include if the trip involves medication or higher risk.
Medical questions belong on every slip. The CDC's voluntary guidelines for managing food allergies in schools tell staff to "Identify special needs before field trips or events," and say schools should identify who is responsible "for carrying medication during field trips." They also say "Do not exclude children with food allergies from field trips" and suggest inviting, but not requiring, the child's parents to come along as well as the regular chaperones.
Check Your School's Required Forms First
1. Ask before you write anything
Ask your principal or district office: is there a required form, what approvals come before forms go home, and can forms be signed online?
2. Expect approval to come before the slip
Districts often require approval before a permission form goes out. Howard County Public School System's field trip procedures, for example, say "A student's participation in a field trip requires a parent signature on the Permission Form for Student Field Trip," and require the trip request to be submitted at least 40 calendar days before the permission form is distributed (as of 30 Sep 2026).
3. Overnight trips often need extra forms
Seattle Public Schools' overnight field trip procedures list a parent authorization form, a medical information form and a medication form for each student and chaperone, collected at least four weeks before the trip, plus at least one parent meeting. If a student has a serious medical condition, the same procedures ask for a doctor's letter saying the child may safely take part.
4. Add a waiver only if your school allows it
For higher-risk activities such as climbing, water sports or ropes courses, a venue or your school may require a separate waiver. What to include in a group event waiver covers the basics. Liability language is a legal question: have your district or an attorney review any waiver before families sign it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Collecting Permission Slips and Signatures Online
1. One link for the form and the payment
Families answer the slip's questions, sign and pay on one link. See school and field trip payment software for what to look for.
2. Make medical questions required
A form that can be submitted without allergy and medication answers will be. Make those fields required, and have "None" as an allowed answer.
3. Parents sign for their child
The parent or guardian booking for a student signs on the student's behalf. Confirm with your school that an e-signature is acceptable and whether they want a printed copy for the trip file.
On SquadTrip, the permission slip questions become registration questions at checkout, the agreement becomes an e-signature waiver signed at booking, and a parent or guardian can sign for the student they are booking. Deposits and automatic payment plans run from the same page, with reminders before each due date. The Starter plan is free; families pay a single 6% processing fee on top of the trip price, so the school or organization receives the full price.
Stop chasing paper slips and payment envelopes. SquadTrip gives your trip one page for the questions, the parent's e-signature and the deposit or payment plan. Free to start.
Paper or Online: Which to Use
Use paper (or your district's form) if:
- Your district requires its own form or a wet signature
- It's a free day trip with nothing to collect
- Some families lack reliable internet access (offer paper as a backup either way)
Use an online form and booking page if:
- The trip has a cost, a deposit or a payment plan
- It's overnight and you need medical, rooming and conduct agreements from every family
- Chaperones and students register at different prices
- Your school has confirmed that e-signatures are acceptable
For the rest of the planning, from approvals to chaperones, see how to plan a school trip. If families will pay over several months, student trip payment plans covers how to set the schedule.
Conclusion
Copy the template, add the overnight or high school sections, and check it against your school's required form before anything goes home. If the trip has a cost, put the form and the payment on one page so you only chase families once.
