I go to a technical college and just a few days before our start date we get a waiver that we have to sign on the first day. The waiver is delivered to us under the guise of keeping us safe from covid, but instead it is a waiver to release the school and every single employee or anyone associated with the school from being sued from everything from sexual harassment to everything and anything they could ever do wrong. The liability says that if we are hurt using the equipment, the school is not liable, even if it is negligent. If a student is sexually harrassed by a faculty member or administration, the school and the harasser is excused by the waiver and we are agreeing to never sue the person or the school. Our school president has been accused of sexual harassment by female employees who have left the school. The school is way out of line and if I do not sign this I will lose my degree and all my financial aid - including a $12,000 outside scholarship - this year. They presented it to us over the holiday weekend knowing we will be stuck come Tuesday and have to sign. The school says it will take temperatures etc about covid, but then says we cannot sue it if it is negligent in taking the temperatures. The covid issue has now expanded to criminal activity and serious issues. If the school does not maintain our chemicals, machinery, we could die or be maimed and never work again. Yet it asks us to agree to never sue. We get three days to decide and if we do not sign, we cannot attend school. Is this crazy?
Talk to a lawyer and/or the local press.
Well, just going on your description, it doesn’t sound fully enforceable. Fed law, eg, should supercede some aspects.
talk to your local news agency… they have tip lines.
Is this a private technical school or is it a public community college?
In either case, this kind of nonsense is something to go to the press about. If it is a public community college, it is also something to take to your state legislators so they can go make a stink at the state higher education commission.