School’s Field Trip Waiver Angers Parents
A new field trip permission slip has angered the parents of children attending school in Lee County, Florida. Well, it’s not exactly the permission slip – it’s the waiver included on the permission slip.
The slip states, “your child may be seriously injured or killed by participating in this activity.” If the parents sign the waiver, they are agreeing to give up their child’s right and their right to recover any damages from the school, its agents, and its employees in a lawsuit if anything happens to their child. This includes any injuries the child may suffer and the death of the child during the trip or as a result of the field trip.
Several parents refused to sign the permission slip. One stated, “it looks like they are more concerned with a lawsuit than with the safety of my child.”
The school board attorney disagreed with the mother, stating that parents can sue if a school employee is negligent and that negligence leads to a child being injured or worse. He said, “it doesn’t say you will not sue, it says you understand there is a risk involved.”
Lee County has changed the standard permission slip to go along with Florida law and follows the state law word for word. The local administrator who supervised its development feels the legislators were too explicit. The same form is used for athletics and for academics and the administrator thinks there should be a difference in the forms since athletics pose a greater chance of injury.
In case you’re wondering, the very dangerous field trip was scheduled for the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers.
Labels: School WaiversPosted by 12:26 pm