2 replies to this topic

[CoachPreston16]

I am a resident of Maryland. I work for a high school and coach the varsity football team. We are having a slow pitch softball tournament to raise money for our kids to go to camp. I am worried that something will happen at the tournament and someone will get hurt. I was planning on doing a waiver that says that the school, myself, and the owners of the field we are using are not held responsible for anything that happens negatively. I am going to have the player print and sign their name and write their birthdate. At the same sheet I am going to put the manager as the person that witnesses the signing. Is this document enough to cover me for anything that may happened? Is there anything that you can suggest for me to add?CoachPreston16

[pg1067]

One cannot comment intelligently on the sufficiency of a waiver without reading it.  Since this is a school sponsored activity, you need to discuss it with the principal or a vice principal and possibly run it by the local school board (if it's a public school) or the school's attorney.  Any private school probably has an attorney that it could call and have prepare a simple waiver.  This is not something you should be doing yourself.

[Fallen]

Those waivers aren't in a legal sense worth the paper they're printed on, in the end (though they do serve to sway someone who doesn't understand that fact).  (I presume you get kids' parents to sign something of the kind with regard to participation on the football team.  A minor doesn't have legal standing to waive ... anything.)

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Ultimately, what you do is discuss this with the school admin folks.