Back to school season is often filled with mixed emotions. While kids might not be ready to say goodbye to summer yet, many Minnesota parents are eager to get their kids back in school and on a more regular schedule. This process can be a little more complicated when parents are divorced, but having a solid child custody arrangement can make the process easier.
Who pays for what?
While there might not be any fees to attend public schools, there are still a lot of associated costs. Most parents with school aged children know how it feels to receive a list of supplies that they must purchase and send with their children. Costs like these can quickly add up, so divorcing parents should be sure to address how they will divide the costs of the following in their custody agreements:
- School supplies
- School lunch
- Uniforms
- Field trips
- Extracurricular activities
It is also a good idea to keep the school in the loop when it comes to important custody information. For example, will transportation be different depending on which parent a child is living with? How often will he or she switch homes? It is also important to make sure that both parents are regularly sharing information with one another as Minnesota schools often only contact one parent when there is an issue.
Parenting during the school year does not have to be an impossible task. Many divorced parents handle the transition from summer to school quite easily. Those that do well generally have the support of a well thought out child custody agreement that focuses on their child’s well-being, so divorcing parents should be sure to prioritize creating such an agreement during the divorce process.
