Field Trips

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My kindergartener's class is taking an end-of-year field trip. There is a small chance I will be able to go along as a chaperone, but most likely not. I am considering keeping him home from school that day.
I believe he has mild Asperger's, but have not thus far sought an official diagnosis because he is doing generally well in school. He is academically bright, and his "quirky" behavior hasn't caused an issue to this point. His teacher either hasn't noticed his eccentricities, or doesn't want to bring it up.
There are two main reasons I'm reticent to send him on a field trip.
1. He has no fear of ANYTHING, including strangers. He is extremely outgoing.
2. He will run off if he sees something interesting. If you tell him to stay close, that only means he will wait until your back is turned.

Should I keep him home that day, or do you think I'm being overprotective?

P.S. The other day I read an article about a first grader who jumped in with a leopard at the zoo during a field trip. My son would absolutely be that kid. (His class isn't going to a zoo, but I think this helps illustrate his personality)

I think it's fair to bring your concerns to his teacher, and ask how he or she plans to handle it. If you don't get a solution that you're comfortable with, I think keeping him home is something to consider.

Some things I remember from kindergarten. Our field trips had a high chaperone-to-kid ratio, something like one to three, or one to four. There were always kids who needed to have their hand held the entire time (I'd check and make sure there won't be gender issues with bathrooms - usually at that age, it's OK to use the adult's appropriate bathroom.) Find out how this is handled in your case.

Most field trips also take place where there are "rooms" that the child can freely explore safely - for instance, in any museum exhibit, usually there's a room for each display with an entrance and an exit. Often, parents will station themselves at either side to make sure nobody goes in or out...and most kindergarten-friendly exhibits will be behind glass. Check to see if there's some kind of system, and if the chaperone can make sure your child is not only safe, but also that the exhibits (or leopards) are safe, too. Make sure there is a protocol for areas that are more open and more public.

You can also request that the teacher or her classroom aide be your child's chaperone if you can't go - or that you not be assigned other children if you are able to make it.

Well, another problem is that the school is very small and rural. I don't mean to knock rural schools (I attended one myself) but his school does seem to be a bit...um....."relaxed" about everything. I don't think I'm communicating the atmosphere very well, but I don't know how else to say it. I have had issues in the past with picking him up from school and finding him running around outside by himself. The teacher had told him to wait in the hall and then went back in the classroom. Boom, he was gone. So, I don't really trust that my concerns would be taken seriously enough if I did bring them up. More likely I'd just be seen as uptight.

As a condition for our son to attend a second year at the preschool where he is, we had to sign an agreement that either myself or my husband would go with the class anytime there was out of school function. This particular preschool takes the kids lots of places often using public transportation so we were regularly faced with either going with the class or keeping him home. Since, one of us would have to be out of work either way, we have always made arrangements to go. I am curious - it sounds like it is the school that would preventing you from going. Is that true? It seems that such an outing would benefit from as many parent volunteers as are available and they would be a bit crazy to tell you not to go.

Bombaloo - Yes, they are only allowing a small number of parents to go. Last fall, the school took the entire elementary to an orchard with NO outside chaperones! This is more of what I mean when I say they're "relaxed".

P.S. I didn't let him go on the fall trip. It seemed obviously unsafe, for any child and especially for mine.

I think you need to tell the teacher that your son needs an unusual degree of supervision. You think he would be too much of a handful for other parents. Tell them you are happy to go, if space on the bus is an issue, let them know that you can drive separately, you could always just go where they're going. Its a free country, they can't keep you away. You could also take your son separately.

My boys would be crushed if they didn't get to go. They wouldn't understand. So, I would make the effort to force the issue.