COVID-19 Complexities: Custody Issues and School Openings

COVID-19 Complexities: Custody Issues and School Openings

Complications of Schools Reopening

Schools have opened and there are a variety of ways in which they have decided to educate their students. Some schools are open for business as usual, with strong social distancing and various mask-wearing requirements in place. Others have opted to only teach virtually. Many are offering combinations of both.

The issue of educating our children is even more complicated by the morphing of how education will continue over time. Will all schools open in-person in a few weeks or months? What about Day Care options? Will the number of new Covid-19 cases recede enough to warrant total in-classroom education?

The modifications in how children will be taught this year has placed great pressure, and in some cases tremendous burdens, on parents – particularly when custody issues are in the mix. It is hard enough for parents working at home to take on the supervision of their children’s schooling. Once custody issues surface, the situation is significantly compounded in complexity.

Potential Effects on Shared Custody Arrangements

In some cases, parents who are sharing custody may be placed in situations where they must interact with former spouses to a greater level, creating significant friction. And what happens when one parent feels that the other is not competent to home school? Do custody issues need to be changed? How can parents work through this moving landscape of their children’s education during the pandemic?

At Buncher Family Law, we have counseled and assisted a number of couples struggling with these very issues. Sometimes a simple mediated conversation can take the emotions out of the equation so that satisfactory solutions can be more easily reached. In some extreme cases, parents have asked to have their custody decisions revisited from a legal perspective.

Strategies for Moving Forward

To further complicate things, although Family Law Courts are open, cases are moving through the courts slowly. Judges dockets are busy as they try to get through the backlog of cases from the COVID court closure and handle their current caseload. The attorneys at Buncher Family Law can help you determine the best strategy to move through your custody and marital dissolutions issues. In some instances, couples opt for mediation or a collaborative effort to stay out of the courtroom completely.  

Covid-19 has complicated many lives to a great extent. For those dealing with custody and schooling issues another deep layer of complexity has formed. If you are grappling with schooling and renewed custody issues, the attorneys of Orange County-based Buncher Family Law are here to help.

Posted in Child Custody, Child Support / Spousal Support, Family law tips.