How to Fill Out and Submit the PSAL Parental Consent Form

The PSAL parental consent form is a one-page document that a parent or guardian signs to let a student try out, practice, or compete on an interscholastic sports team at a New York City public high school. Download the current version, fill in your child’s identifying information, initial each numbered acknowledgment, sign and date the bottom, and hand the original to the Athletic Director or head coach along with the medical clearance page from a current pre-participation physical. The form by itself does not clear your child to play — the physical has to be on file too.¹

Where To Get the Current Form

The form is a downloadable PDF on the PSAL website at psal.org under the printable forms section.² Many high schools also post it on their own athletics pages or keep hard copies in the main office, the PE department, or with coaches.³ Use the version that matches the current school year. Older versions circulating online may not be accepted.

Information You Need To Fill It Out

The data section is short. Have the following in front of you before you start:

Student’s full name as it appears in school records
High school name
Sport the student plans to play that season
Date of birth
Official class (grade level)
OSIS number, the nine-digit NYC Department of Education student ID, found on any report card or available from the school’s Parent Coordinator⁴
Two emergency phone numbers

The consent form does not ask for insurance information, a physician’s name, or a mailing address. Those details belong on the separate pre-participation physical exam packet.¹

What You’re Initialing

Most of the page is a list of numbered statements, each with a blank for your initials. Every initial confirms you’ve read and agreed to that specific provision, and skipping even one blank can hold up clearance. Work through them in order. The acknowledgments include:

Permission for your child to try out for the listed sport and participate in all team activities as directed by the school and coach
Agreement that your child will meet all PSAL practice and competition requirements
Agreement that your child is responsible for their own behavior and that violations of the school’s code of discipline can result in removal from the team
Acknowledgment that an approved medical certificate and interval health history must be on file before tryouts, practice, or competition, and that you will notify the school within 72 hours if your child’s medical or physical condition changes after signing
Acknowledgment of the risks of sports participation, including concussions and injuries to bones, neck, spine, and internal organs
Confirmation that you received and read the concussion information sheet the school provides
Authorization for the staff member in charge of the team to obtain emergency medical treatment for your child on your behalf and at your expense
Agreement to be responsible for returning all school-issued equipment
Permission for your child to travel unaccompanied on public transportation or on a DOE-approved bus to and from practices and competitions
Permission for your child’s photograph, performance information, name, school, and grade level to appear on the PSAL website

The form also contains a liability release. Signing releases the NYC Department of Education, the City of New York, and the PSAL from claims connected to your child’s participation, except for claims arising from gross negligence or willful misconduct by those organizations or their employees.¹

Signatures

Two signatures go on the bottom: yours as parent or guardian, and the teacher or coach’s. Both must be dated. The student does not sign the form — this is a common point of confusion. The student’s obligations are carried through the acknowledgments you initial on their behalf and through the separate code of conduct the PSAL enforces.

The Physical Exam That Has To Go With It

PSAL rules require an approved medical certificate on file before any athletic activity, including tryouts.¹ That means a completed PSAL Pre-Participation Physical Exam, a separate four-page packet.⁵

How the packet works:

History form. You and your child fill this out together before the appointment. It covers medications, allergies, personal and family heart health, bone and joint issues, and general medical questions.
Physical examination form. The medical provider — a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant — completes this after examining your child. It records height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, vision, and a full systems check.
Recommendations for Participation page. The provider marks whether your child is cleared, not cleared, cleared with restrictions, or pending further evaluation. This is the only page returned to the Athletic Director.
Health history COVID addendum. The parent or guardian must complete and sign this within 30 days before sports participation.

Take all four pages to the appointment, but only the Recommendations page goes back to the school. The physical is valid for 12 months from the exam date, through the last day of that month the following year. If your child plays a fall and a spring sport, one physical can cover both seasons as long as the dates align. A provider can rescind clearance at any time if your child’s health changes in a way that affects safe participation.⁵

How To Submit the Paperwork

Deliver the signed original consent form to your child’s Athletic Director or head coach, together with the Recommendations for Participation page from the completed physical and any additional forms the school asks for, such as the interval health history. Some schools are strict about originals. Brooklyn Technical High School, for example, does not accept copies, emails, or faxes.³ Assume your school follows the same rule unless the Athletic Director tells you otherwise.

The Athletic Director reviews the paperwork to confirm it is complete and that medical clearance is current. Once verified, your child’s eligibility is updated and the coaching staff is told the student can participate. Until that happens, no tryouts, practices, scrimmages, or games, and no exceptions for informal team activities.

Keep a copy or a phone photo of everything you turn in. With hundreds of athletes moving through multiple sports, paperwork can go missing midseason, and your own records make the fix quick.

One Form per Sport, per Season

The consent form is sport-specific. A student who plays both a fall and a spring sport needs a separate signed consent for each season. The physical, by contrast, carries over as long as it is still within its 12-month validity window. The most common reason a student misses the first week of a season is a consent form or physical that was not submitted in time — not ability, not roster space. Start the paperwork before the registration deadline, which typically falls a few weeks ahead of the first practice.⁶

If Your Child Is Not Cleared

If the provider marks your child as “Not Cleared” or “Cleared with Restrictions” on the Recommendations page, the Athletic Director cannot override that determination. The provider may also mark the form “Pending” if something flagged during the exam — a heart murmur, an unresolved prior injury, a concern from the health history — needs further testing or a specialist consultation before a decision can be made.⁵

When a child is cleared with restrictions, the Recommendations page will specify which sport categories are permitted (for example, non-contact but not contact) and whether protective equipment or accommodations are required. Check with the Athletic Director to confirm the sport your child wants to play falls within those limits. Once the underlying issue is treated or re-evaluated, a new Recommendations page can be submitted to update the clearance.

1
Public Schools Athletic League. PSAL Interscholastic Athletics Parental Consent Form
2
Public Schools Athletic League. Printable Forms
3
Brooklyn Technical High School. PSAL Parent Consent
4
New York City Public Schools. NYCSA Set Up Guide
5
Public Schools Athletic League. PSAL Pre-Participation Physical Exam
6
Public Schools Athletic League. School Sports Calendar