SPECIAL CONCERNS FORM
We see a lot of students up here at High Trails, and every one of them
is, in their own way, unique. If your student/child will need some special
attention while they are up here, please read through any pertinent
descriptions below and then fill out the form at the bottom of this page. By
filling out the form at the bottom of this page ahead of time, we can start
up a good dialog to make certain that your child has both an educational and
a safe experience at High Trails.
504 Plans and the ADA
A major provision of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. � 794)
requires school districts to provide all students, regardless of disability,
with a free appropriate public education. This provision, found in Section
504, applies to any condition - physical, mental, or emotional - that might
interfere with a student's ability to receive an education in a public
school classroom, subject to external review. 504 Plans, named for that
section of the Act, are comprehensive plans created collaboratively by
parents, nurses, school administrators, and other interested parties to
address the student's individual needs.
Upon contact and request by a school representative, High Trails supports
all school 504 Plans. We will adjust our program to reflect the changes
required by the 504 Plan that the elementary school has enacted. Some
examples of pertinent 504 plans are a Food Allergy Management Plan and a
Diabetes Management Plan. If multiple schools are at High Trails, there is a
possibility that a 504 Plan with one school will affect the experience of
another school.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III does apply to High
Trails, and we have designed our programs to support these requirements. The
ADA requires that child care providers not discriminate against persons with
disabilities on the basis of disability. This, in effect, requires that we
provide children with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in
our wilderness based program.
Students Needing An Aide
High Trails welcomes students with physical, mental, emotional, behavioral, or medical disabilities; however, we are not a focused care facility. Should a student need or have an aide while at school, they should have an aide while at camp. Should a child not be able to dress, feed, bathe or use the restroom by themselves, they should have an aide while at camp.
Wheelchairs are possible, but in any natural outdoor environment they present their own inherent challenges; an aide or an understanding and flexible cabin/trail group of students is required.
Should a student have a condition, medical or otherwise, that requires consistent one on one attention, they should have an aide while at camp. Should a child not be able to behave themselves in programs and classes, they should have an aide. If one student, whatever the situation or background, consistently detracts from the experience of the remainder of the students, an aide is required to mitigate this circumstance. We welcome all aides endorsed and provided by the school administration and teachers.
Unless otherwise arranged with the school, aides will be housed in a cabin along with the student they are assisting. High Trails reserves the right to request a school district approved 504 Plan for the care of students needing an aide.
Allergies and Food Preferences
Food Preferences
Upon notification, High Trails provides options to support a vegetarian
diet. If your child needs other accommodations due to personal preference,
you are welcome to send up your own food.
Skin Allergies
Insect bites, poison ivy, latex, and other allergens can produce a
reaction such as localized redness and swelling or lead to anaphylactic
shock. Should your student have a serious allergy, you must send an Epi-Pen
or the appropriately prescribed medication with them to camp.
Food Allergies
The most common food allergies are peanut, milk, egg, tree nut, seafood, shellfish, soy, gluten, and wheat. We do not serve seafood or shellfish (other than tuna fish), and there are simple food alternatives available at every meal that do not have milk and eggs in them.
If your child cannot eat the foods on our menu, or if they cannot eat foods labeled "prepared in a facility that processes milk", "prepared in a facility that processes eggs", "prepared in a facility that processes nuts", or anything along this line, we suggest you send up your own food.
Because we operate a large kitchen we cannot cater our food operations or
food servings on an individual basis. **** The exception to this is if your
child has a current 504 Plan in effect with your elementary school. In this
case, we will adjust our program to reflect the changes required by the 504
Plan that the elementary school has enacted.
Potential allergen specifics? See here.
Peanut Allergies
The most common serious allergy we see at High Trails is a
potential reaction to peanuts, nuts, and nut oils. Peanuts are found most
often in peanut butter. Nuts and nut oils are found in many cooked and baked
items, and are often made in the same facilities as other foods. If your
child has a peanut allergy, please review the below choices and notify us
ahead of time.
- Option #1 Mild Nut Allergy: peanut butter and nuts will be present at camp. The allergic student can be around PB/nuts and can make wise choices about their proximity and contact. PB/Nut free options will be available at each meal.
- Option #2 Severe Nut Allergy: a separate, "nut free" table will be provided for student use in the dining hall during meals. Peanut butter will be served at lunch to all trail groups except for the trail group containing the allergic student. Mandatory hand washing for students and staff will take place before and after each meal to avoid cross contamination.
We do not offer a "Nut Free" environment at High Trails. **** The exception to this is if your child has a current 504 Plan in effect with your elementary school. In this case, we will adjust our program to reflect the changes required by the 504 Plan that the elementary school has enacted. For example, if your elementary school is "Nut Free", we will adjust our program and reflect this change during your stay with us.
PLEASE NOTE: If your student has a severe allergy they should bring an Epi-Pen or similar emergency medication. The Epi-Pen will be immediately available 24 hours a day. In case of an anaphylactic emergency, all members of our staff are qualified in first aid and are trained in recognizing allergic reactions and administering Epi-Pens. High Trails maintains its own supply of epinephrine for allergic emergencies.
Sending Up your own food?
If your child can't eat the food on our
menu, we are happy to microwave any prepackaged and prepared foods
provided they are simple, easy to manage, and you have notified us in
advance. Our suggestion is to go through our menu (email us to find out
which week's menu will be served when your school is up here) and model your
prepackaged meals after our meals. If we're having pancakes for breakfast
and due to a gluten allergy you can't have these, you can precook some of
your own pancakes and freeze them in a plastic container. We'll grab this
container, heat it up in a microwave, and serve it to your child. If we're
having pizza for dinner and your child can't eat this, perhaps pick out an
acceptable pizza in the frozen section of the supermarket. We'll cook and
serve it. Please realize that we're cooking for upwards of 175 people, so if
you're sending up your own food, you've got to make it easy and simple for
us. One to two course meals prepackaged in plastic, microwaveable containers
is just fine and we can make certain your child gets their food along with
everyone else. If you send up your own food that is more complicated than
this, we may not have the time to prepare the food for your child until
after everyone else has been served. If you have questions, please let us
know ahead of time.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a common situation at High Trails; please don't let this condition adversely affect your choice to attend outdoor science school. Students need to understand their diabetic condition, how it affects their eating and exercise actions, and be able to communicate their condition to the adults around them. Diabetic students also need to be able to test their own blood levels and administer insulin injections.
High Trails will oversee and assist in all diabetic care processes, provided that the student meets the above conditions. High Trails reserves the right to request a school district approved 504 Plan for the care of Diabetic Students. Carb Counting? Please see here.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have a diabetic student attending High Trails, you will need three (3) forms: Health Consent Form and Medication Form (standard and provided by your school) and a Diabetic Management Plan.
We cannot care for your student without a Diabetic Management Plan
Bedwetting / Incontinence
This is very common in students that attend camp. Should you have this concern, here’s what we can do to make the situation a good one:
- Prevention: some simple preventative measures we can take include limiting liquid intake after dinner, waking the student up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and placing them on the bottom bunk to make it easier to get out of bed and use the restroom. Night time sleeping aids like pull-ups are good options as well.
- Discretion: we can discretely pull your student aside and talk with them about the potential problem before it happens, so that they feel comfortable enough to confide in their instructor should they need help. If incontinence does occur, we’ll discretely bag up the affected clothing / bags and wash them during the day when the group is out of the cabins. By the time anyone returns to the cabins, we’ll have the cleaned items back in place.
- Welcome to High Trails Outdoor Science School! Started in 2000, we're a Big Bear based small business that focuses on residential outdoor education for elementary and middle school students. This single minded approach has let us refine our program into what is now, we believe, the best outdoor education and natural science camp experience for your students.
Last year we had 100+ schools and 8,000 students visit us in the mountains for 3, 4 and 5 weekday programs. If you're looking for a friendly, innovative and fresh approach to the world of outdoor education, come join us at High Trails Outdoor Science School; your very own dirty classroom.
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- Ahh...the Dirty Classroom. No sweeping or dusting necessary. Here you'll find our own effort at helping outdoor educators become better teachers. From lesson plans to activity videos, we're doing our part at making the Dirty Classroom good, clean fun.
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