Across the country, parents and their children sign waivers for the children to participate in many activities, including field trips, clubs, and sports. If a parent refuses to sign these forms, the provider often prevents the student from participating in the event or activity. Schools support waivers because they can minimize costs behind school-sponsored activities, and waivers often preclude parents from suing the school for their child’s injuries.
Approximately seven million American students engage in some type of interscholastic sport during the school year, and these students often injure themselves. Despite the large number of injuries each year, injured players and their parents rarely sue to recover damages from the school. Some legal scholars suggest that parents and students, unfamiliar with their legal rights, sign waivers and do not sue because they believe the waivers are valid. . . .