A
tricky question that will eventually face anyone who is either going through or
has recently been in a Texas Divorce is when you should tell others about the
break up. As we are looking at the beginning of the new school year, you may be
wondering whether to tell your child’s school.
So, should I tell my child’s school about my divorce? In this video, we’ll answer that question
along with other back to school tips for divorced or divorcing parents.
Informing Your
Child’s School
Experts
say that it is not necessary to jump ahead and tell the school until things are
actually in motion. My general advice
however, is to make your child’s school aware of the divorce once it has been
finalized and a custody order has been put in place. This becomes an even better idea if your
custody case was or is a contentious one.
Making sure the school is aware of the visitation schedule will help
ensure your child goes home with the right parent on the right day.
Protective
Orders
However,
in some cases, my advice moves beyond “it’s a good idea” to a very pointed and
urgent admonishment that if you are
involved in a case with a finding of family violence and a protective order, it
is absolutely necessary to inform the school of the existence of the order. The school needs to know who and who does not
have access to the child. Fortunately
most schools are very aware of their responsibilities to keep your child
safe. Bringing them a certified copy of
your protective order is an excellent way to ensure they can do their job by clarifying
their duties as it relates to your child.
General Parent
Rights on Education
Fortunately
most cases do not require that amount of vigilance. There are certain conservator rights that are
usually granted to both parents in the bulk of all cases, although a Texas
court may limit them if it is warranted for some reason. Many of these relate to schools. Unless the court specifically ordered
otherwise, under 153.073 of the Texas Family Code both parents have the right
to receive educational information about their child and to have access to
their child’s school records. Each
parent can independently consult with school officials about their child’s
educational and extracurricular activities.
Each parent can attend school activates, and each parent has the right
to be notified by the school in the case of an emergency.
If
you have a standard custody order in Texas, or if you anticipate no reason the
court would limit these educational right in your pending divorce or custody
suit, then it is probably a good idea to let the school know what is going
on. If the school knows you are living
apart, they can take necessary steps such as sending home two copies of report
cards, discipline reports, and the like.
This will keep both parents in
the loop and avoid any potential conflicts.
And avoiding conflict will always save you emotional stress, time and
potentially litigation costs.
For more information, please visit www.MyDivorceFirm.com
