When going through child custody issues, one of the last
things on a parents mind is communicating your child’s new living arrangement
with their school or daycare. Most school personnel are aware that significant
proportions of their students do not reside in two-parent households. Here are
a few things that you need to be sure to communicate to your child’s teachers
or school support staff in order to avoid any further issues.
1. Who has contact with the student during school hours
One of the most obvious points to make your child’s teachers
aware of is who has access to the child during school hours. This includes
explicitly spelling out who is allowed to retrieve the child from school, both
as part of the child’s normal routine, and in the event that the normal person
who picks the child up from school is unable to do so.
2. Who has access to the student’s school records
Only the legal guardian of a child has access to his or her
school records. This includes grades, information describing the child’s
behavior, standardized test scores, and the child’s admittance into free lunch
and other programs. It is possible for a parent to give another party access to
the child’s school records, but they must go through the appropriate paperwork
in order to comply with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
3. Who can make educational decisions for the child
Finally, only the parent who has been awarded legal custody
of the child is authorized to make educational decisions on the child’s behalf.
This includes what schools the child will attend, as well as any other
decisions associated with the proper education of the child.
