A Missouri school district is requiring parents of student-athletes to sign liability waivers in case their kids get COVID-19
Hazelwood School District, a suburb in northeast St. Louis, Missouri, issued liability waivers to families of student-athletes ahead of summer strength and conditioning trainings for school sports.
The waiver included information on COVID-19, saying the district would be exempt from liability in COVID-19 cases, "even if the cause, damages or injuries are alleged to be the fault of or alleged to be caused by the negligence or carelessness of the Releases."
The district said in a statement that it included information about COVID-19 on student-athlete waivers so families can make "an informed decision" before joining sports teams.
A school district in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, is requiring parents of student-athletes to sign liability waivers in case their children contract COVID-19 during summer athletic programs.
Hazelwood School District, in northeast St. Louis, states in the waiver that the district would be exempt from liability in COVID-19 cases, "even if the cause, damages or injuries are alleged to be the fault of or alleged to be caused by the negligence or carelessness of the Releases."
According to the district's website, the waiver doesn't apply to students who could be attending in-person school in the fall, but only to students participating in sports programs through the summer. Anthony Kiekow, a spokesman for the school district told Insider some sports teams are planning summer strength and conditioning.
In an interview with KSDK, one parent of Hazelwood students called the contract "morbid" and nicknamed them "death waivers."
The school is still weighing its options for the fall. District officials said in a statement shared on Facebook on Tuesday that parents regularly sign waivers if their students are playing sports, and this year's included information about COVID-19 so families can make "an informed decision" before joining a sports team.
The district's statement said its athletics waiver was made by the Missouri United School Insurance Council, and that other districts covered by the company will be issuing similar contracts.
"Our district has implemented unprecedented safety precautions in all of our buildings; however, it is important for parents to understand that school districts can only mitigate the risk of COVID-19," district officials said. "No district, organization, or business can offer 100% protection against exposure to a global pandemic. Visit the Centers for Disease Control website for more information about COVID-19."
Hazelwood isn't alone in issuing liability waivers to students amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
According to The Hill, businesses and schools across the US have been issuing COVID-19 liability waivers for months, and many supporters of such waivers are calling for a federal standard.
John Witt, a professor at Yale Law School, told The Hill that many waivers are weaker than people might expect.
"The immunity legislation is like a sledgehammer where the waivers are like a scalpel," he said. "The waivers only apply to people who sign them, not to family members who catch it from someone who signed it, for example."
Many schools across Missouri plan to reopen in-person classrooms in the fall. Last week, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services released guidelines to help keep schools safer.
The guidelines encourage schools to screen students and staff for COVID-19 symptoms, put social distancing measures in place, and wear face coverings when possible.
Missouri had a record number of COVID-19 cases in the state this week, recording 936 new cases on Tuesday.
CORRECTION: This story previously said the waivers were for sports sessions starting in the fall. They are for summer sports sessions.
Read the original article on Insider
