Why Alcohol on School Trips Is Not a Minor Offense

Maybe you too have such a school event coming up soon and you're wondering if you can risk smuggling along a few drinks and partying with your roommates in the evening? Enjoy the freedom of being far away from your parents with your friends? Sounds great - but it can have unpleasant consequences.

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Which laws govern the handling of alcohol?

The fact is: Your teacher has a supervisory obligation during this time. What sounds like harmless fun to the students can therefore become a problem for the accompanying teacher. Because apart from school guidelines, there are laws in the various federal states that clearly regulate the use of alcohol. And even if the target is abroad, acting according to the motto “Other countries, different customs” could have serious consequences for the teacher. So what is the legal situation with drinking during a class trip?

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School laws are often stricter than youth protection

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The Youth Protection Act is clear: From the age of 16, you can drink and buy beer, wine or sparkling wine in public in Germany. Anyone who is younger is unlucky. Your teachers must still be careful, because school trips are considered school events and are therefore subject to additional rules. Many education laws are even extra strict - such as those of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein: Any serving and consumption of alcohol is completely prohibited at school events.

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Alcohol on a School Trip — How Are We on the Safe Side?

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Although the school conference can approve exceptions - such as a wine tasting while visiting a wine farm - teachers usually don't want to put themselves through this. Because they must also justify alcohol consumption in front of your parents, and as is well known, they are often the most worried. It is therefore easier and usual to completely forbid drinking on a school trip. This puts your teacher on the legally safe side. And if you break the ban, you can be sent home.

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‍Bans are often pointless

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It is, of course, absolutely clear to most educators that bans in particular attract many children even more. So how can you avoid your protégés drinking themselves into a coma? Education about responsible alcohol consumption works best. A good relationship of trust between teachers and students is important at the latest when someone has gone over the rails on the class trip and needs help. And exactly how a teacher performs his supervisory duties is still up to him - quite a few turn a blind eye in the evening as long as drinking doesn't get out of hand.

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Have fun but look out for each other!

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The laws therefore speak for themselves. The Protection of Young People Applies, and in Addition the Education Law of the Respective Federal State. Your teacher is taking a big risk if he allows you to drink - so you shouldn't overdo it if he doesn't decide to look too closely. Avoid heavy drinking and don't hesitate to ask a chaperone for help if one of your classmates has drunk too much and is not feeling well. Because no penalty is as bad as not having responded in an emergency.

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You can also have fun without alcohol

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And the most important thing at the end: The teachers should ideally ensure that you have a lot of fun on your class trip with a balanced program - and completely without alcohol. School Rally is ideal for this - our scavenger hunts on smartphones not only provide lots of adventures, but also interdisciplinary learning and a stronger class community!

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