FIRST® South Carolina CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE AND RELEASE AGREEMENT 2023-2024

By signing below and sharing their personal information, Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) acknowledges that they have read, understand, and agree to this Consent to Participate and Release Agreement and understands that it is intended to be legally binding.

The Participant identified below (“Participant”) desires to participate (as a team member, coach, mentor, judge, volunteer, trainee, or in some other manner) in FIRST® LEGO® League Explore, FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge, FIRST® Tech Challenge, or FIRST® Robotics Competition (“Program”). As a condition of allowing Participant to participate in any FIRST® Program, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology South Carolina, Dba FIRST® South Carolina, requires that the Participant (by their Parent/Guardian if under 18 years of age) agree to the terms of this Consent to Participate and Release Agreement.

1. Assumption of Risk:

a. Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands that FIRST® South Carolina is comprised of volunteers (no employees).
b. Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands that participation in any FIRST® Program may expose Participant to risks of injury and illness including, without limitation, injury and illness; other participants; physical activities; COVID-19(see below) and other infectious diseases; and other activities associated with participation in any FIRST® Program.
c. Participant, if 18 years of age or older, acknowledges and agrees that he/she is primarily responsible for his/her safety. The Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age acknowledges and agrees that the Parent/Guardian is primarily responsible for the Participant’s safety and that the Parent/Guardian will monitor, as appropriate considering the age of the Participant and other factors, the Participant’s participation in any FIRST® Program.

2. COVID-19:

a. COVID-19 is a disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands that COVID-19 is considered highly contagious and is primarily spread from person-to-person, including by asymptomatic persons. COVID-19 is more likely to spread when people are near one another. Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands that, while participating in any FIRST® Program, Participant will be in close proximity to other persons, some of whom may be infected by, and able to spread, COVID-19.
b. COVID-19 Symptom-Free Participation: Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) agrees that Participant will not participate in person in any FIRST® Program if Participant or any individual residing in the same home as Participant has had any symptoms of COVID-19 (https://scdhec.gov/covid19/symptoms-covid-19 ) during the 14 days preceding the date of participation. Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) agrees that Participant will comply with any COVID-19 screening or exposure control practices which may be adopted by FIRST® South Carolina and will also comply with any COVID-19 requirements of the state or local jurisdiction in which the Participant is participating.
c. COVID-19 Safety Measures: Participant (or Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) agrees that they will follow the SC DHEC guidance for wearing a face mask, frequent hand washing, and maintaining distance while participating in in-person activities.
d. Participation Is Voluntary: Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18years of age) agrees that Participant’s participation in any FIRST® Program is voluntary and Participant and the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age hereby knowingly assume the risk of any and all COVID-19 exposure. Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands and agrees that the waiver and release of the right to make injury claims stated below waives and releases the right to make any and all claims whatsoever related to COVID-19 exposure and any and all claims for any resulting injury, disability, or illness up to and including death.

3. Consent to Record and to Collect Personal Information, Ownership of Electronic Materials:

a. Participant (and the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands that any FIRST® Program activities may be conducted remotely via a variety of electronic platforms, including video-conferencing tools, email, VOIP (Wi-Fi calls), cellular calls, shared documents on the cloud, etc. These remote activities may be “live” or “recorded.” Use of electronic communications includes some amount of risk that information will be hacked by unrelated entities, or inadvertently displaced by the participants.
b. Participant (and the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands that any FIRST® Program remote activities will include potential exposure of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to non-participants. All volunteers will seek to minimize exposure of PII to non-participants. PII includes:

i. A FIRST® and last name.
ii. A home or other physical address including street name and name of a city or town.
iii. Online contact information.
iv. A screen or username where it functions in the same manner as online contact information.
v. A telephone number.
vi. A Social Security number.
vii. A persistent identifier that can be used to recognize a user over time and across different Web sites or online services. Such persistent identifier includes, but is not limited to, a customer number held in a cookie, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a processor or device serial number, or unique device identifier.
viii. A photograph, video, or audio file where such file contains a child's image or voice.
ix. Geo-location information sufficient to identify street name and name of a city or town; or
x. Information concerning the child or the parents of that child that the operator collects online from the child and combines with an identifier described in this definition.

c. Participant (and the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) understands that live electronic broadcasts, photographs, videoconferences, and other recordings (collectively the “Recordings”) may be made of participants in any FIRST® Program, including the Participant. Participant (and the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) consents to those electronic broadcasts, photographs, video- conferences, and other recordings and the use thereof (i) as part of any FIRST® Program and (ii) to publicly promote FIRST® South Carolina.

d. Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age for and on behalf of the Participant and the Parent/Guardian) consents to the collection and processing of personally identifiable data, of the types and for the purposes of operating any FIRST® Program and as expressed in the FIRST® South Carolina Privacy Policy.

4. Release of All Claims: In consideration for FIRST® South Carolina allowing the Participant to participate in any FIRST® Program, Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age for and on behalf of the Participant and the Parent/Guardian) assumes all risk of such participation and hereby releases FIRST® South Carolina and (except as expressly provided below) all FIRST® South Carolina director, officer, or volunteers from any and all claims for any accident, illness, injury, disease of any kind, loss or damage to personal property of/to the Participant (and the Parent/Guardian), including without limitation, COVID-19 as described above, or other damages that may occur as a result of the Participant’s participation in any FIRST® Program, including without limitation any injuries, diseases, or other damages that may be caused by negligence of FIRST® South Carolina or negligence of any FIRST® South Carolina director, officer, or volunteer (including without limitation, negligently failing to adequately investigate or screen coaches, mentors, volunteers, etc.), and agrees not to file any lawsuit or otherwise make any claim against FIRST® South Carolina director, officer, or volunteer for any such accident, illness, injury, disease, or other damage. The Participant (and the Parent/Guardian of a Participant under 18 years of age) does not hereby release any claims against any individual person who intentionally causes injury to the Participant.

Participant (or the Parent/Guardian of Participant(s) under 18 years of age)

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Date of Birth *

Address Line 1 *

Address Line 2

Phone *

City *

State *

Zip *

ROLE * The field ROLE is required.

ASSOCIATION(S) * The field ASSOCIATION(S) is required.

Minor #1's Information

If Parent/Guardian is completing this consent and release for one or more minor participants, the following information about each minor must be completed.

Otherwise, scroll to bottom to give your acknowledgement of consent.

Minor #1's First Name The maximum length for the field Minor #1's First Name is 500 characters.

Minor #1's Last Name The maximum length for the field Minor #1's Last Name is 500 characters.

Minor #1's Date of Birth The field Minor #1's Date of Birth must be a date.

Minor #1's Program Participation

Team Number The maximum length for the field Team Number is 500 characters.

Minor #2's Information

Minor #2's First Name The maximum length for the field Minor #2's First Name is 500 characters.

Minor #2's Last Name The maximum length for the field Minor #2's Last Name is 500 characters.

Minor #2's Date of Birth The field Minor #2's Date of Birth must be a date.

Minor #2's Program Participation

Minor #3's Information

Minor #3's First Name The maximum length for the field Minor #3's First Name is 500 characters.

Minor #3's Last Name The maximum length for the field Minor #3's Last Name is 500 characters.

Minor #3's Date of Birth The field Minor #3's Date of Birth must be a date.

Minor #3's Program Participation

Minor #4's Information

Minor #4's First Name The maximum length for the field Minor #4's First Name is 500 characters.

Minor #4's Last Name The maximum length for the field Minor #4's Last Name is 500 characters.

Minor #4's Date of Birth The field Minor #4's Date of Birth must be a date.

Minor #4's Program Participation

Minor #5's Information

Minor #5's First Name The maximum length for the field Minor #5's First Name is 500 characters.

Minor #5's Last Name The maximum length for the field Minor #5's Last Name is 500 characters.

Minor #5's Date of Birth The field Minor #5's Date of Birth must be a date.

Minor #5's Program Participation

Minor #6's Information

Minor #6's First Name The maximum length for the field Minor #6's First Name is 500 characters.

Minor #6's Last Name The maximum length for the field Minor #6's Last Name is 500 characters.

Minor #6's Date of Birth The field Minor #6's Date of Birth must be a date.

Minor #6's Program Participation

PARTICIPANT OR PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE

By selecting Yes below and typing my name as the e-signature, I consent to all that's contained in the FIRST SC Consent and Release document above for myself and/or the minor student(s) I am responsible for.

Signature acknowledgement * The field Signature acknowledgement is required.

E-Signature The maximum length for the field E-Signature is 500 characters.