What School Should The Children Attend After The Parents Divorce?
Every year, as a new school year approaches, I get many questions about what school my divorce clients’ children should attend now that the parents are living separately. Each parent naturally wants their children to attend the school most convenient to them and nearest to their home. Sometimes the only resolution to this disagreement between the parents is a judgement by the Family court.
Often times parents think it helps to provide reports of the school’s rating or ranking as it compares to the school nearest the other parent. They include factors such as the school having better educated teachers or smaller classroom sizes where the children get more individualized attention. While these issues may be important, what I usually tell my clients is that the court doesn’t look at what school is best, rather the court looks at what school is best for that particular child. The court will do so by looking at many factors and how they personally apply to the child in question. Some of the factors that the court looks at in making this determination are:
- The child’s educational needs
- The curriculum
- The method of teaching
- The quality of instruction at each school
- The child’s past scholastic achievements and how they may or may not be achievable in the new school
- If they child has any special medical needs and how or how well the new school will be able to serve those needs
- Extracurricular activities
- Existing relationships that the child has with teachers, classmates, or administration
- The child’s ability to adapt to a new environment
These are different factors that the court looks at to make a decision on what school will set the child up for success. Like any other ruling involving children, the court’s decision is always in the best interest of the child.
If you have questions related to this topic, or any other family law issue, please do not hesitate to contact our office to discuss your situation in a one-on-one consultation. To schedule a meeting, contact our office at (702) 998-1188, info@ljlawlv.com, or schedule a consultation online.
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