Custody related school issues: When one parent has sole custody of a child, they do not need the other parent’s permission when making major legal decisions for that child, including school related decisions. However, when parents have joint custody of a child and do not agree on, for example, where a child will go to school, there is now a “school issue” in the case.

The court considers a number of factors when making a decision regarding where a child will go to school if the parents cannot agree on a school, such as: where the child primarily resides, how old the child is, how “rooted” the child is in the current school district, what grade the child is in (will there be a natural break in the child’s schooling anyways that would require a change? i.e. Middle school to high school), the child’s involvement in the school, the child’s social life and how it would be affected, the proposed school placement parent’s ability to care for the child before and after school, and the reason the parent is requesting the school choice change (personal or for the child’s benefit).  The court can also consider the proposed school districts and schools themselves as to how they compare to one another.  While the above is not an exhaustive list of what the court can and will consider, this list includes some of the common considerations. Further, this decision is almost always made with the help of a Guardian ad Litem’s recommendation.

To read more on the factors Guardian ad Litem’s and the court considers when making custodial decisions, such as school choice, please see our blog titled “Custodial Issues Regarding School in Wisconsin” at  https://wisconsinfamilylaw.info/2014/07/24/custodial-issues-regarding-school-in-wisconsin/ .

Money related school issues: Another common set of school issues arise when parents are confused or disagree on how much each parent must contribute to school related costs and fees and what exactly qualifies as a “school related cost and fee.”

School related costs and fees are typically considered “variable expenses,” which are expenses that are above and beyond daily expenses and are, therefore, not covered by guideline child support amounts. Determining the percentage of variable expenses that each parent pays is typically determined by the amount of placement that each parent has.  For example, if you have 50% of the placement of your child each year, you likely will pay 50% of the variable expenses for your child; if you have 35% placement of your child, you will likely pay 35% of the variable expenses for your child, and so on. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but this is the general relationship that variable expenses have with placement.

Tuition, registration fees, graduation fees and school supply costs are some examples of what typically qualifies as a “school related cost and fee.” However, when parties do not define exactly what does and does not qualify, parties may disagree about what specific fees and costs require contribution from the other parent.

Often times, an issue comes up where the parties had previously agreed to send their children to private school during the marriage, but one parent no longer agree to same.  If one parent objects to private school on the basis that he or she cannot afford the tuition costs, the court will usually find in that parent’s favor and not force them to pay expensive tuition that they can no longer afford after a divorce.

It is important to include in your divorce agreement detailed language on what percentage of variable expenses, including school fees and costs, that each parent will pay, and what exactly qualifies as a “school fee and cost” to avoid disagreements related to these school issues in the future.

If you have a school issue in your pre- or post-judgment divorce or paternity matter, it is important that you have an attorney help navigate you through these issues. If you wish to meet with one of the attorneys at our office, please call 414-258-1644 to schedule a free half-hour consultation.