Lawyer Says She Refuses to Sign Waiver for Her Kids at Amusement Parks. Shows How You Can Do it Too

Parents are often made to sign liability waivers in amusement parks or any activities in which kids participate, where risks are involved. Signing the papers means that the parents or a guardian won't have the right to sue in case their kids are injured or there is a fatal accident. People hardly read through these papers and sign without a second thought but a lawyer Shannon Schott (@shannonschott.esq on TikTok) explained to her audience why she avoids these kinds of forms.

“I do not waive my child’s rights when it comes to waiving liability in the event of a catastrophic injury or death when my child does certain things or engages in certain activities. I just won’t do it,” Schott mentions in her viral video. “First and foremost, if people are not paying attention, I just don’t do it. If someone says you have to go online and sign a waiver, I say, ‘OK, thanks,’ and I don’t do it, and no one checks, and that’s not on me. That’s me being smart and not waiving my child’s rights." Schott also noted that just because she is not signing the papers it doesn't mean that she is trying to trick anyone into a lawsuit.

“Obviously, we are very safe. We follow the rules. I’m just not willing to waive my child’s rights in the event that they are injured through no fault of their own or, of course, if they die. If I’m required to go to a kiosk and type in a little form, I just don’t put in the correct information because, again, I’m not willing to agree to waive any of my child’s rights. And then if I’m forced with a form that is a piece of paper, I sign the piece of paper, and then on the section that waives my child’s rights, I draw a line and I write, ‘decline.’ I also do this when the school presents me with waivers of liability for field trips," Schott mentioned.

She added a message for all the parents among her viewers to be careful when it comes to waiving the rights to their child's safety. She said, “And if you’re being forced to sign something in order for your child to do something that they really want to do, like a sport or an activity, just decline the part that says, ‘I absolve you of all liability, even if you kill my kid.’ Just write in ‘decline,’ sign it, and hope that no one challenges it because they’re just collecting pieces of paper. They want to stick in your file and know that they have a signed document."

The people collecting those papers usually fail to check whether the parents have written "decline" on the paper. The TikTok community thanked Schott for sharing valuable information and left positive comments on the video.

@afamily20202 asked, "What liability do we sign or assume when we are at Walt Disney? I never even thought of this but we are AP and it’s a small one-sheet contract not sure if it says anything about suing." @6pads mentioned, "My kid's school has started doing Google forms with clickable boxes and no other options to move forward unless you click." @quacksplosive commented, "I wish I saw this literally a DAY sooner because I was contemplating redlining a liability waiver for summer camp and DIDN'T DO IT." @thisisharlie added, "I really appreciate this. My mom knows the answer to just about every question I have, but this is one that’s always felt wrong to me. This info is great to have."

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