What to Do if the Child Custody Plan Is No Longer Convenient for Our Child's New School Schedule?

A new school year can mean an entirely different schedule and more extra-curricular activities for your child, but what does it mean for your existing child custody plan? Working with your child’s other parent is the easiest way to modify your parenting plan and custody schedule, however, they may be reluctant to cooperate. These are some tips to avoid a child custody conflict during back-to-school time.

Stay in Touch

Keeping each other informed should be a priority for parents. If a change in school schedule does arise, a parent needs to notify the other to avoid any conflicts or confusion. A shared online calendar can help keep everyone in the loop. The calendar can include a current school schedule, extracurricular activities, and project/homework due dates. If a parent is confused about something, they can quickly and easily check online.

Try to Be Flexible

Things happen and you won’t always be able to stick to the visitation schedule listed in your parenting agreement. If your child has a sudden choir rehearsal or an unexpected football practice, it’s important to be open to options. Create a temporary visitation schedule if a parent has to miss out on scheduled visitation due to unforeseen events.

Plan Ahead

The best way to avoid conflict is by planning ahead before the beginning of every school year or semester. Work out who will pick the child up after school, attend PTA meetings, be available for school holidays and attend extra-curricular activities.

Modify the Parenting Plan

If all else fails, you will need to modify your existing child custody plan. Get the appropriate paperwork, fill it out with the revisions, file the paperwork with your local court, notify the other parent and appear at the hearing to answer questions about the modifications. If a judge agrees with your reasons, they will approve the modifications.

Not all custody plan modifications will go smoothly, and that’s why you need to enlist the legal guidance of our Colorado child custody lawyers at Jorgensen, Brownell & Pepin, P.C. We can help you negotiate visitation around your child’s school schedule.

Call (720) 491-3117 or contact us online to speak with a lawyer.