Aragón establishes a common framework for extracurricular activities outside the center

The Department of Education, Science, and Universities of the Government of Aragon has approved Order ECU/1254/2026, dated August 18, which establishes a common transitional framework for the organization of complementary activities, extracurricular activities, study trips, school exchanges, and educational mobilities carried out outside the school premises in the community’s public teaching centers. The regulation is published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 164, dated August 25, 2026, in section III of Other Provisions and Agreements, with reference BOA20260825021, and will take effect from the day following its publication.

The order, signed by counselor Carmen M.ª Susín Gabarre, responds to the growing diversity and complexity of the activities organized by the centers and the need to offer homogeneous responses to increasingly varied situations. The text is based on the shared competence in teaching matters that the Statute of Autonomy of Aragon attributes to the community in its article 73, and is supported by Organic Law 2/2006 on Education, and Law 8/2012 on teacher authority, among other provisions. The instructions are transitional in nature and will remain in force until specific regulation on the matter is approved.

A common framework for planning and safety

The instructions establish general criteria regarding programming, organization, supervision, information for families, basic documentation, and action protocols for incidents and emergencies. The activities will be part of the Annual program of complementary and extracurricular activities integrated into the General Annual Programming of each center, and participation shall, in any case, be voluntary for both students and teachers.

When an activity presents relevant inherent risks, the responsible teaching staff must certify in advance that foreseeable risks have been identified and can be reduced to levels compatible with the required safety. If the evaluation concludes that they cannot be adequately eliminated or reduced, the authorization, organization, or execution of the activity shall be prohibited.

Health coverage and travel insurance

The regulation reinforces the protection of students during travel, especially in international mobilities. Among the planned measures, the following stand out:

• Inform about the need to have a valid European Health Insurance Card when traveling to other European Union Member States.
• Remind that the Carné Joven de Aragón includes an associated travel insurance, whose validity and coverage should be verified before departure.
• Consider contracting collective accident and travel assistance insurance for activities lasting several days, involving overnight stays or national or international mobility.
• Maintain the civil liability coverage derived from the policies underwritten by the Administration of the Autonomous Community of Aragon.

Authorizations, coexistence, and teaching staff

When students are minors, prior authorization from their fathers, mothers, or legal representatives will be required, while adults will provide their own consent. In activities involving overnight stays or multi-day trips, families and students will sign a commitment to accept the rules of conduct and coexistence, the serious or repeated breach of which may lead to exclusion and early return, with extraordinary expenses borne by the family unless covered by insurance.

The participation of teaching staff does not, in itself, imply the assumption of an aggravated liability regime, and the Administration reaffirms its commitment to provide assistance, defense, and legal representation in the legitimate exercise of their functions. Teaching staff participating in these activities will not be obliged to return to their post until they have enjoyed a twelve-hour rest period from the end of the activity and the return to the student drop-off location.

Relevance for the educational community

The order directly affects schools, institutes, families, and teaching staff throughout Aragon, by unifying criteria that until now were regulated dispersedly in different provisions. As it is a transitional framework, centers may incorporate these criteria into their internal regulations, and the Provincial Services and the Education Inspectorate will provide guidance and monitor their implementation, in a context where safety and child protection are placed at the center of educational activity.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 164, August 25, 2026, section III (Other Provisions and Agreements) (official reference: BOA20260825021).