Preschool Field Trip Problem

[Mysweethoneybee]

Last night we went to enroll my 3 year old in preschool for next fall. He loved the school as did I. But I have a big problem with it. They take field trips. On the form discussing field trips it said that "parents should provide no back booster seats for use during field trips". My son is extra tall but a lbb wouldn't come close to fitting him correctly. I am not part of the "in crowd" at this preschool. I am not really sure if I should say something about kids under the age of 4 needing to be in harnessed seats per Missouri law or if I should just see if it is possible for me to drive my son on field trips.
This preschool is part of a private school that I expect my son will eventually attend. The school is considered to be a really good school, but now I am wondering how good it is if they don't require harnessed seats.

 

[LISmama810]

I'm not familiar with Missouri law, but regardless, 3-year-olds should NOT be in boosters, period.

Hopefully someone will be along with more information for you regarding the law (sometimes rules are different for preschools/other educational venues). If what they're doing is, indeed, illegal, it needs to be addressed.

Otherwise, I'd still address it with them and either drive myself or refuse to let him go.

 

[StPaulMom]

If you love the school, then dont let this keep you from sending him. HOWEVER, you should absolutely speak to the director/principal about this. How do they transport the children? If it's in private cars, that's a HUGE liability (both for the school and the parents driving other children) and I would insist on driving him myself and no other children. Explain that you will be more than happy to drive your son to all field trips because a low back booster (or truly, any booster) is not a legal or safe option for a 3 year old. If it's a van, I would find out if you could install your own harnessed seat for the field trips. This would certainly not be convenient or ideal, since you'd have to do it for every trip, but much safer than a booster or having someone else possibly install it incorrectly.

Either way, trust your gut on this. This might be a good opportunity to have a CPST come into the school and have a safety event, etc.

 

[MomToEliEm]

For those not familiar with Missouri law, here is what it states:

http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c300-399/3070000179.htm

(1) Children less than four years of age, regardless of weight, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for that child;

(2) Children weighing less than forty pounds, regardless of age, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for that child;

(3) Children at least four years of age but less than eight years of age, who also weigh at least forty pounds but less than eighty pounds, and who are also less than four feet, nine inches tall, shall be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat appropriate for that child;

(4) Children at least eighty pounds or children more than four feet, nine inches in height shall be secured by a vehicle safety belt or booster seat appropriate for that child;

(5) A child who otherwise would be required to be secured in a booster seat may be transported in the back seat of a motor vehicle while wearing only a lap belt if the back seat of the motor vehicle is not equipped with a combination lap and shoulder belt for booster seat installation;

(6) When transporting children in the immediate family when there are more children than there are seating positions in the enclosed area of a motor vehicle, the children who are not able to be restrained by a child safety restraint device appropriate for the child shall sit in the area behind the front seat of the motor vehicle unless the motor vehicle is designed only for a front seat area. The driver transporting children referred to in this subsection is not in violation of this section.

There was some discussion a few years ago as to whether child passenger restraint system included boosters or was just a harness seat:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=58586
In that post, it was pointed out that the law does state definitions for a child restraint:

(1) "Child booster seat", a seating system which meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards set forth in 49 C.F.R. 571.213, as amended, that is designed to elevate a child to properly sit in a federally approved safety belt system;

(2) "Child passenger restraint system", a seating system which meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards set forth in 49 C.F.R. 571.213, as amended, and which is either permanently affixed to a motor vehicle or is affixed to such vehicle by a safety belt or a universal attachment system;

To me, I think you could argue that a backless booster like the graco turbo probably isn't affixed to the vehicle so it doesn't count as a child passenger restraint. If you had a latched booster though, it might qualify. Even if it does qualify, you could point out the 4 year age minimum on the Graco Turbo which would mean it isn't an appropriate device for your child's age.

If they are using an actual school bus, the laws might all be different. Try to find out what they use to transport the kids.

 

[bnsnyde]

Does not sound safe. I see 3-year-olds in boosters (back or no back) all the time at my preschool, mostly when people carpool. A lot of parents ditched the harness, too. Not good!
Today I saw a small 1-year-old FF. And my kid was riding away RF at 3.5!

You have the right to transport your child, so that's what I would do. My kids will be in a harness until they are in grade school with the seats I have.
Yesterday for the first time my almost-five-year-old did ride in a high-back booster as another mom drove him home from a playdate, 2 blocks. That was a big step for me. But in my car we've got the Frontier 85/Radians so they will last with harnesses.

 

[Mysweethoneybee]

It is a 15 passenger van. I can see shoulder belts hooked high up by the windows. I think I will ask if I can just take him to field trips or have him not go on those days if we decide to put him in that preschool. I was trying to find the laws about child restraint usage on those and then I found this and now I am more and more thinking I don't want him riding in that van since I don't know anything about it really. http://dor.mo.gov/motorv/nhtsa/ after reading that advisory I don't want him not harnessed in it.

Thanks for everyone's help. I really do appreciate it.

 

[rachelandtyke]

I think driving him would be the best option. Even if they did allow you to put your harnessed seat in there, he'd be in a van full of unproperly restrained children and that would still put him in greater danger in case of an accident.

 

[mylittlet]

I would talk to the school. Do they have any buses? our current preschool uses buses for field trips. They might not know the dangers they are putting the kids in.

Stefanie - CPStech in Iowa

 

[jourdysmom]

*Most* 15 passenger vans unless brand new only have l/s belts outboard. the middle seats are all lap only, totally unsafe for booster use. AND *most* do not have head rests, therefore necessitating HBB use AND harnessed seat use.

 

[luvsviola]

I would just tell the school point blank that your child is not old enough or mature enough to use a booster yet, and that you will be providing transportation for all field trips for him. I would also say that you are more than happy to chaperone as well. I would do this in writing, through email, and follow up with the director in person. By doing it through email, you have a written record that they DO NOT have permission to transport him.

The more of these kind of threads I read, the happier I am that DD's preschool just doesn't provide transportation for field trips. Every parent is responsible for driving their own children or arranging their own carpools, and staying with their own children. The school doesn't want the liability of transporting children or dealing with car seats.