Disagreements About Education - Protecting Your Rights
Although the divorce decree will often specify that the parent with primary physical custody will have the main responsibility for a child's education, the other parent has the right to bring problems or disagreements to the court's attention if they can't be resolved otherwise.
If you're involved in a dispute with the other parent concerning important decisions about your child's education, learn about your rights by discussing your situation with a knowledgeable lawyer. Contact the Law Offices of Wendy Wood in Houston or Bryan for an experienced attorney's advice about your options for making your views heard about the education of your child.
Sometimes disagreements about education turn on the child's best interests
Divorcing parents very often have sharply differing values about fundamental parenting issues: religion, discipline, recreational activities, or cultural influences. Few of these basic issues will have as direct or lasting an impact on the child's future prospects as educational decisions.
Examples of the kinds of disagreements that could lead to a contested family court hearing include the following:
- Transferring a child from a more demanding to a less demanding school
- Enrolling a child in a school that lacks advanced placement, gifted and talented, or other academic enrichment programs
- Any decision to home school a child
- Transfers from a public school to a private, parochial or Christian school, or vice versa
- Withholding access to the child's school reports and evaluations, test scores, or counselor's advice
In certain situations, proof in court that the primary custodial parent is incapable or unwilling to make responsible educational decisions for the child could support a change in custody.
Our law firm has considerable experience with the resolution of difficult issues concerning a child's education and the right of a parent to have a meaningful voice in the child's schooling. To learn more about our ability to present your concerns effectively, contact us in Houston or Bryan for a free consultation.
