How to Fill Out and Submit a School Athletic Clearance Form

To fill out a school athletic clearance form, a parent completes the medical history section, a licensed clinician performs the physical exam and signs the clearance portion, and the family signs any concussion awareness and liability paperwork the district requires. Everything then goes to the school — through an online portal or on paper — before the student’s first practice. The specifics vary by district, but that sequence is the same almost everywhere.¹

Get the Right Packet Before You Do Anything Else

Districts post their athletic clearance packet on the school’s athletic department webpage, and the front office usually keeps printed copies. Download or pick up every form before you book the doctor’s appointment, because the physician needs the blank physical examination form in hand at the visit. Showing up without it wastes the trip.

The packet almost always contains two core Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (PPE) documents: a medical history form the parent fills out, and a physical examination form the clinician completes. Alongside those, expect district-specific forms covering emergencies, liability, and concussion awareness.

Have these ready before the appointment:

A copy of your insurance card showing the policy number. Many districts require proof that the student carries accidental injury insurance covering medical and hospital expenses. If your family has no coverage, ask the school about low-cost state or federally sponsored programs.²
Updated emergency contacts, phone numbers, and your preferred hospital. Refresh these every season even if nothing has changed; schools treat stale emergency information the same as missing information.
A copy of the birth certificate, which some districts require for first-time athletes or transfers.³

Filling Out the Medical History Section

The medical history form is a parent or guardian’s job, not the student’s. The clinician uses your answers to decide what to examine closely and whether extra testing is warranted, so honest answers matter more than quick ones.

The form covers several areas of health history:⁴

Personal heart history: fainting during exercise, chest pain or tightness, racing or fluttering heartbeat, any heart problem a doctor has already identified.
Family heart history: a relative who died of a heart problem or had an unexplained sudden death before age 35, or a known genetic cardiac condition in the family such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or long QT syndrome.
Bones and joints: past stress fractures, ligament injuries, or anything musculoskeletal that caused the student to miss a practice or game.
General medical: breathing problems during exercise, missing organs (a kidney, spleen, or eye), concussion history, heat illness, sickle cell trait, skin conditions like MRSA, and vision problems.
Nutrition and weight: trying to gain or lose weight, avoiding food groups, or any eating disorder history.
Menstrual history for female athletes.

The family cardiac section trips up many parents because they genuinely don’t know. If you’re unsure whether a relative’s death was heart-related, write that uncertainty on the line rather than leaving it blank. A blank line looks like you skipped the question; a note shows you considered it. The clinician can then decide whether follow-up makes sense.

One more rule for this form: mark “no” or “N/A” on every line that doesn’t apply. Blank lines are the single most common reason packets come back rejected, because the reviewing staff can’t tell whether you skipped the question or meant to answer no.

The Physical Exam Itself

An MD, DO, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant with appropriate clinical training performs the exam.¹ Your pediatrician or family doctor can do it, and so can a walk-in clinic or urgent care center. Many of those charge roughly $25 to $75 for a sports physical. Some schools and community groups host free or reduced-cost sports physical events before the season starts, so ask the athletic department.

The PPE is a system-based exam covering cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, neurological, and general medical areas.¹ The cardiovascular portion gets the most attention because undetected heart conditions are the leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. The clinician listens for murmurs and irregular rhythms, checks blood pressure, and reviews the family cardiac answers you provided. The musculoskeletal check tests joint range of motion, muscle strength, and overall structural soundness. Height, weight, and vitals go on the form. If your child disclosed a prior concussion, expect extra time on neurological screening.

What the Doctor Writes on the Clearance Line

After the exam, the clinician marks one of these outcomes:¹

Medically eligible without restrictions — cleared for all sports.
Medically eligible, but further evaluation recommended — cleared now, with additional testing (often cardiac) requested.
Medically eligible for certain sports only — the doctor lists which sports are permitted and which are not.
Not medically eligible, pending further evaluation — the student cannot participate until additional testing is completed and reviewed.
Not medically eligible for any sports.

Anything short of full clearance should come with an explanation from the clinician: what condition triggered the restriction, and what steps, if any, would change the outcome. “Pending further evaluation” is usually not a permanent disqualification. It typically means the clinician saw something that warrants a specialist visit before signing off.

Before you leave the office, double-check the physical form for the clinician’s signature, the exam date, and a practice stamp or printed name. A form with the clearance box checked but no signature will bounce back from the school.

Concussion Awareness and Liability Forms

Most states require a signed concussion awareness form before the student can begin practice. These forms describe concussion signs and symptoms, explain the school’s removal-from-play protocol, and outline the graduated return-to-play steps that must happen under medical supervision after a head injury.⁵ Both the student and a parent or guardian sign annually.

Some districts also require separate liability waivers and short online courses through the NFHS on concussions, heat-related illness, and sudden cardiac arrest.³ The courses are free, run about 20 minutes each, and generate a certificate of completion that you upload or print for the school. Check your packet to see which of these your district requires.

Turning In the Completed Packet

How you submit depends on your district.

Online Portals

Many schools use platforms like AthleticClearance.com (integrated with HomeCampus) to manage the whole process digitally. Parents create an account, enter the student’s information and emergency contacts, and upload scans or clear photos of the signed physical form and insurance card.⁶ The system saves your information year to year and lets siblings share an account. After you submit, athletic staff review the packet within the platform and either clear or deny the student, with notifications sent automatically to the parent, student, and coach.

Paper Submission

Schools without an online portal accept paper packets hand-delivered to the athletic director or designated office staff. Make copies of everything before you turn it in. A lost packet with the original signed physical means another trip to the doctor. Staff then verify that every signature is present, the physical exam date is current, and the insurance information is complete. Allow at least three business days for review during busy pre-season windows.

Once the school approves the packet, the student’s name goes on the official cleared roster and they can begin practicing and competing.

How Long the Clearance Lasts

A sports physical is valid for 365 days from the date of the exam, not the date the doctor signed, and not the date you submitted. A physical done on June 1 expires on June 1 the following year. It must stay current through the entire sports season; if it expires mid-season, the athlete becomes ineligible immediately until a new physical is uploaded and approved.⁷

For multi-sport athletes, timing matters. A physical done in August for fall football will still cover winter basketball and spring track, but the following fall will need a new exam before preseason. Scheduling the physical in late May or early June is the cleanest way to cover every sport for the upcoming school year with room to spare.

Why Packets Get Rejected

Most delays come from paperwork, not medical findings. The frequent culprits:

The wrong physical form. Many districts accept only their state association’s specific PPE form. A generic wellness exam certificate or a form from another state will be rejected.³
A missing doctor’s signature, exam date, or practice stamp.
An expired physical, meaning more than 365 days have passed since the exam date.
Blank lines on the parent-completed history form. Mark “no” or “N/A” on every line that doesn’t apply.
Missing supplemental items like the concussion form, liability waiver, or online course certificates.

When a school portal flags your submission as denied, you should get an email or notification explaining what’s missing. Fix the specific item and resubmit; you don’t need to redo the entire packet. During peak pre-season weeks, every resubmission adds another review cycle, so checking carefully before you hit upload is worth the ten minutes.

A Note for Transfer Students

Students who change schools mid-year or between school years face additional steps beyond the standard clearance packet. Most state athletic associations impose an eligibility waiting period for transfers (in some states, up to 90 school days of ineligibility at the varsity level) unless the transfer falls under specific exceptions like a genuine change in the family’s residence, foster care placement, or a court order. The receiving school’s principal or athletic director establishes the transfer student’s eligibility and may need transcripts, address verification, and paperwork filed with the state athletic association.

On the medical side, a valid physical from the previous school may transfer, but some districts require their own form. If the prior physical was on a different state’s form, ask the new school’s athletic director whether they’ll accept it or whether a new exam is needed.³ Start the clearance process at the new school as soon as possible; the eligibility clock doesn’t begin until the school has your paperwork in hand.

1
American Academy of Pediatrics. Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (PPE)
2
Glendale Unified School District Athletics. Athletic Clearance
3
Seminole County Public Schools. Online Athletic Clearance FAQ
4
New Jersey Department of Education. Preparticipation Physical Evaluation History Form
5
California Interscholastic Federation. Concussions
6
HomeCampus. Athletic Clearances
7
Canyon Crest Academy Athletics. Clearance