Public schools routinely require permission or release forms for field trips and other activities of potential liability. The legal status of such forms varies, but they are generally considered neither rock-solid protection nor legally valueless in terms of immunity. This article presents a case involving a student who sustained bicycle injuries while participating in an after-school program in Bismarck, North Dakota. The parents had sued for damages against the school district but the district was exonerated after the court found out that the parents had signed a permission form. This particular case exemplifies how release forms trigger responsibility of the school or its insurer. The author further explains that while release forms and related documents have various uses in schools, they also have disadvantages. As such, educators need to carefully assess the trade-offs rather than automatically assuming that such forms are either absolutely worthwhile or absolutely worthless.