Arlington, Va. suspends Outdoor Lab overnight field trips

Arlington Public Schools has suspended overnight field trips to the Outdoor Lab after an “incident” at the campsite and natural classroom in Fauquier County. School officials declined to provide more details, but said an investigation had been launched.

Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jeffrey Long said in an email that an incident involving students was reported to the sheriff’s office on March 30. The investigation is ongoing, but no charges had been filed as of last week.

The Outdoor Lab is about a 200-acre facility owned and maintained by the nonprofit Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA) about an hour west of Arlington. Through a partnership with Arlington Public Schools, the lab acts as a natural classroom, welcoming thousands of students annually to its hiking trails, camp sites and stream.

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APS students usually visit the Outdoor Lab for a day trip in third grade, and then again for an overnight trip in fifth grade. The overnight trip usually consists of activities like a nighttime hike, campfire and curriculum correlated to what students are learning in the classroom.

APS spokesman Frank Bellavia said the overnight trips will be turned into day trips for the remainder of the school year after the incident. About 16 overnight trips for about 924 students were canceled this year.

“We paused the overnight portion through the end of the school year to allow the necessary time to review and update our policies and procedures and to ensure all staff and volunteers are well trained and informed for the safety and well being of all involved,” Bellavia said in an email.

Founded in 1967, the Arlington Outdoor Education Association operates the Outdoor Lab for about four class visits each week. APS funds the educational programs and employs the staff. The facility, which includes two wooded mountains, a two-acre pond and a wildlife lab, is available exclusively to APS students. The lab also hosts three week-long camps during the summer for students.

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The lab has served generations of Arlington students and has become a fixture in the school system’s curriculum. The lab boasts on its website that it is an opportunity where “urban youth — often for the first time — can run in a meadow, climb a mountain, hike beside a stream, or fish in a pond.” Beloved by many parents, some expressed concern about the suspension of the overnight trips for future classes.

Adam Simkin, president of the Discovery Elementary School PTA and a father, said he hoped to see the overnight field trip return. He attended the Outdoor Lab field trip himself more than 30 years ago and said he still raves about it.

“As an Arlington County student it’s an invaluable experience,” Simkin said. “You go to have fun, you go to get dirty, and you go to learn.”

As a father of twins in fourth grade, Simkin said he’s hoping the school division will see the importance and value of the field trip.

“Everyone needs to experience this,” he said. “And I think Arlington County needs to keep this going.”

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