Nebraska School Sports, Field Trip, and Activity Consent for Grandparents

The child wants to play basketball. The school sends home a sports physical form, an athletic participation waiver, and a field trip permission slip for the team's first away game — and every one of them has a line for "Parent/Guardian Signature." If you are the grandparent raising this child, whether you can sign depends on what paperwork you hold.

What a § 30-2604 POA Covers

A valid, notarized power of attorney delegating parental powers under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2604 authorizes the designated caregiver to make decisions regarding the care and custody of the child. In practice, this covers:

• Sports physicals — the physical itself is a medical appointment, and the POA grants medical consent authority. The physician performing the exam needs to see that you hold a current, unexpired delegation before they will proceed.
• Athletic participation waivers — school districts typically accept a POA holder's signature on these forms because they fall under day-to-day custodial decisions delegated by the parent.
• Field trip permission slips — standard permission forms for school-organized activities are routine custodial decisions within the scope of a § 30-2604 delegation.

If your POA is current and on file with the school, most of these signatures are straightforward. The school already knows you are the authorized caregiver from the enrollment process.

What the Rule 19 Enrollment Form Covers

If you enrolled the child using the NDE Rule 19 "Adult with Legal or Actual Charge or Control" form instead of a POA, the picture is narrower. Rule 19 establishes authority for educational decisions, attendance, and access to FERPA-protected academic records, and makes you responsible for school-related emergency medical care. It does not grant general medical consent for a sports physical or routine care from an outside provider.

For a sports physical, the doctor needs medical consent authority. Rule 19 alone does not provide it. You would need a separate § 30-2604 POA that covers healthcare, or the parent would need to sign the physical form directly.

For field trip slips and activity waivers that the school itself administers, most districts accept the Rule 19 enrolling adult's signature. But policies vary by district, and some coaches or activity directors interpret their forms strictly as requiring a "parent or legal guardian" — which an enrolling adult under Rule 19 technically is not.

The Practical Approach

The cleanest path is to hold both a § 30-2604 POA and a completed Rule 19 form. The POA covers the medical side (physicals, injury treatment during practice, emergency care on an away trip), and the school enrollment form covers the educational side. Together, they handle everything a season of youth sports generates.

Make sure the school's athletic office has a copy of the POA on file, not just the main enrollment office. Coaches and activity directors pull forms from their own files and may not check the registrar's records when deciding who can sign.

Where the Limits Are

A few situations push beyond what a POA can handle:

• Financial commitments — if an activity requires a multi-year binding financial contract (some travel sports clubs or private leagues), a school or club may insist on a parent's direct signature or a court guardianship order
• Travel consent for out-of-state trips — a POA is a Nebraska state instrument; if the team travels out of state, the destination venue or host organization may have its own requirements for non-parent authorization
• High-risk activities with specialized liability waivers — some programs require a parent or legal guardian specifically, and their definitions may not include a POA holder

For the vast majority of school-based sports, field trips, and extracurricular activities within Nebraska, a current § 30-2604 POA is sufficient. If you run into a refusal, the escalation protocol is the same as for any institutional pushback: request a written explanation of the specific policy, present the statute, and ask for a supervisor review.

The School and Medical Consent guide for Nebraska includes the escalation letter templates for school and medical refusals, along with the full instrument comparison table showing what each document authorizes.

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