Public and private schools, and youth organizations of every kind, arrange day and overnight trips for the teenagers in their care. Many of these trips are by chartered bus. Offering these outings may expose the organization to liability when one teenager acts sexually inappropriately with another teenager. To avoid liability, what is the standard of care that must be provided by the organization? Where do chaperones fit in?

A “charter bus” is a vehicle that is hired for private use. It is usually hired to transport people to a common destination as opposed to using a set route dictated by a published schedule. The federal government refers to such buses as “common carriers” if they are in the business of transporting people or goods from one place to another for a fee. As such, a common carrier can be liable for injuries to its passengers or others who are injured because of its negligence. If there is liability for sexually inappropriate behavior, how might that liability be apportioned between the carrier and the institution that chartered the bus?