For many children, some of their fondest memories of school involve taking a field trip. These trips not only relieved them from the daily monotony of class, but took them on exciting journeys to museums, parks, botanical gardens and picnics. They are meant to be educational but also fun excursions where kids can have fun, explore and break free from the usual educational environment.
What is a Permission Slip?
When a child is underage, they will need a permission slip to do certain activities that are outside of school or other organization such as a church or club. The permission slip is a document that the student takes home so their parents can look over the information and if they approve, sign it, giving their permission for their child to go.
Permission slips are actually legal documents required by all 50 states when minors will be off campus. The permission slip outlines exactly what the trip will entail, including the date, times, meals, places to visit, as well as contact information. The free to download Permission Slip Templates you will see on our site are more than adequate in covering any situation where a permission slip is required.
As a result the permission slip can be looked at as a contract, or agreement between the organization and parent. As they are legal documents, care must be taken in creating them.
There are also times when Permission Slips are slightly more detailed. In some cases, the Permission Slip authorizes the school to seek medical attention in case there is an accident or allergic reaction. This type of slip might also be used if your child is on medication, such as insulin.
Types of Permission Slips
Blanket or General Form
The Blanket Permission Slip is also known as the General Form. This form means that the parent is waiving any responsibility toward the school. No matter what happens, the school is not held responsible for any falls, trips, or other incidents. This is very broad, or ‘blanket’, ‘general’ in that it does not matter who or what caused an accident. This general waiver of liability even includes possible acts of negligence. For example, say the teacher turned their back for one moment, and the child tripped and fell. The teacher or school would not be held responsible.
Informed Consent Form
As you can probably tell by the name, the Informed Consent Form is a little different from the Blanket Form. This form lays out the details of the trip and any possible risks involved. The parent is informed about what will happen, where it will happen, along with date and times. When the parent signs it, they are agreeing that if their child is injured due to one of the risk factors, the school is not held accountable. However, if the teacher turns their back and the child trips? Then the school can be held accountable.
Information Found on Permission Slips
Permission Slips may vary depending on the institution. However, most contain the same, general information:
- Event Title
- Date
- Start and end time
- Name of child
- Contact information
- Health information such as allergies/disabilities
- Field for parental signature and printed version
All of the Permission Slip Templates on our site are geared to handle any situation, and will have all the basic elements you’ll need to endure a properly signed and documented form.
Permission Slip Templates
As you can see, there are many variations available for permission slips, each variation depending on the type of trip, how long the trip will be, and type of permission slip used. In order to streamline the process, institutions utilize permission slip templates. These templates are already formatted to fit your specific needs, all that you need to do is to fill in the blanks. This ensures that you will have a professionally designed and properly laid out permission slip.
We are offering beautifully designed Permission Slip Templates free for download from out site. All of our Permission Slip Templates are professionally designed and cover a variety of situations. Easy to use, simply choose the layout that best serves your purpose, download and print. Feel free to print as many as you need. After which, you just hand them out to the students for the parents to sign. We guarantee that our templates will help you in not only creating the proper permission slip, but also make the entire process easier and cost effective.
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Legal Ramifications of Permission Slips
The Blanket Form
The Blanket form offers a general waiver of liability. This is tricky, in that the form states that the school is not liable, but in the end the answer may rely in the courts. The judicial system is none to fond of the Blanket Permission Slip, simply because of the general waiver of liability. As a result, the Blanket Form might not be enforceable by a court of law.
The Informed Consent Form
In this case, this permission slip outlines each and every activity. If your child is engaging in one of those activities, is supervised, and has and falls, the school is not liable. However, if your child is engaged in an activity you signed off on, and the teacher walks away so there is no supervision? The school is now liable in a court of law.
Realizing that these are legal documents, some schools may require that the Permission Slip is only valid if it is notarized. Notarization is added protection for the school in making sure that the signature is actually signed by the parent and not a forgery. These are also used if the field trip is going to be longer than a day, requiring an overnight stay.
As you can see by reading the above, Permission Slips are indeed legal documents. By using the Permission Slip Templates we offer on our site, you will be certain that your requirements will be met, and have no worries about issuing an incomplete form.
