Share your court orders with school officials and camp counselors.
Posted October 17th, 2016.
Categories: Child Custody, Custody Tips, Family Law.
A court order is more powerful if you put it in the hands of teachers, coaches and camp counselors. Not every custody order needs to be passed around, but it may be a good idea – depending on the nature of your case – to circulate copies of your court orders among the authorities and supervisors who come in contact with your children.
Some parents find that it’s helpful to provide a copy of their custody or visitation order to the local police department, and some police departments keep these orders on file in case anybody violates a provision in the future. It may also be useful to provide court orders to school officials to prevent the non-custodial parent from removing the child without permission or prior notice. The same goes for coaches, activity supervisors, summer camp counselors, and others who may have authority over the children during various parts of the day. Giving out copies of court orders as a preventative measure can safeguard you against an improper removal of the children.
We also routinely advise both custodial and non-custodial parents to keep copies of significant court orders in the glove box of their cars and/or in their briefcases and purses. Frequently, we hear about a dispute between two parents over a pickup or drop-off time; the dispute boils over, and police are called to the scene – and police can be heard saying that “without a court order, we cannot help you.” So, moral of the story….have the court order ready and available at all times. And make sure teachers, counselors and coaches have their own copies on file.
