Parents who share their parental rights and responsibilities in Florida have many obligations to one another and their children. They have to commit to a time-sharing schedule. They also usually share legal custody or the authority to make decisions about their children.
That can prove particularly challenging, as many divorced or separated parents may not agree on all of the details about how they intend to raise their children. Where the children attend school could eventually become a source of conflict. Perhaps one parent has embraced their religion after the divorce, and they want their children to attend private school. Maybe one parent intends to move, which could result in the children living in a different school district.
How can parents address matters related to school enrollment and educational choices when they divorce?
With specific custody terms
In some scenarios, it is clear that one parent intends to do far more of the hands-on child-rearing than the other. Parents can sometimes reach custody arrangements that allow one parent to have the final decision-making authority in certain matters, including school-related concerns.
Other times, parents may agree to a basic set of expectations regarding their children’s schooling and may include those expectations in their parenting plan. They might agree that the children should remain in the same school district until they graduate, for example. They might even establish minimum grades that they expect the children to achieve if they want to work part-time jobs or participate in extracurricular activities, such as school sports.
With the help of a judge
In scenarios where parents share legal custody, they may find themselves disagreeing on the key decisions despite having already settled into a new schedule. In scenarios where parents disagree about living arrangements or schooling matters, they may need to go back to court and have a judge resolve their disagreements.
A judge can help determine what is in the children’s best interests. They may look at factors ranging from the children’s academic performance and social connections at a school district to the overall performance of different school systems.
The judge can then make decisions about which home is the primary residence for the children, whether one parent can relocate or if transferring the children’s enrollment to a different educational institution is appropriate. If parents cannot agree on educational matters between themselves, then they almost certainly require the assistance of someone with an objective perspective and an understanding of the law.
Reviewing the current parenting plan can be a good starting point for parents who are navigating disputes related to schooling in a shared custody scenario. Parents either have to agree with one another or prepare to have a judge review the situation.