50/50 custody

[Anonymous]

I'll call the school on this on Monday, but curious if anyone knows this. My Spouse and I are separating, and he's moved out of the school district. A friend told me that if I want my daughter to remain in her school, I'll need to show that the majority of school nights are spent with me. Is that true?

[Anonymous]

Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

How does that work in a exactly 50-50 arrangement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

How does that work in a exactly 50-50 arrangement?

The child could sleep in bounds Sunday - Tues out of bounds Wed -Friday and the parents split the Saturdays

Like this

Week 1: Sat - Tuesday in bounds
Wed - Sat out of bound
Week 2 Sun - Tuesday in bounds
Wed - Friday out of bounds
Week 3 Repeat week 1
Week 4 Repeat week 2

I think that should work

[Anonymous]

^^ then make some changes in the summer so out if bounds parent gets some free Friday nights too

[Anonymous]

OP,

How old is your child? This sounds confusing to me. Have you considered having the child stay in place and having the parents switch out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

So, a student who spends one week with mom, and then next with dad legally can't go to school anywhere? I find that hard to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

I've always found this rule too much of a reach into personal decisions. If one of the child's parents is a verified resident of the district, the child should be able to attend the school. The parent living in the district is paying taxes so I don't see why the parents can't pick which school to send their kid to. I'm not sure why living in a district and paying taxes toward the school isn't enough to entitle your kid to being educated by the district. OP will now have to work her kid's schedule around meeting this rule.

[Anonymous]

I've always found this rule too much of a reach into personal decisions. If one of the child's parents is a verified resident of the district, the child should be able to attend the school. The parent living in the district is paying taxes so I don't see why the parents can't pick which school to send their kid to. I'm not sure why living in a district and paying taxes toward the school isn't enough to entitle your kid to being educated by the district. OP will now have to work her kid's schedule around meeting this rule.

+1 Do what is best for your child. That should be the most important consideration. A child who is 50 percent in one place and 50 percent in another should be able to attend in either location. It should not matter which days of the week the head is on a pillow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

So, a student who spends one week with mom, and then next with dad legally can't go to school anywhere? I find that hard to believe.

Principal's answer is bizarre, probably based on regs, but bizarre!

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are remaining in your current home, you should be okay. You don't have to notify the school of any change in address during the separation (because it could end up being temporary). Just give Dad's cell phone and office phone for his contact info and use your address on everything else.

[Anonymous]

Principal's answer is bizarre, probably based on regs, but bizarre!

Not the principal, but I doubt anyone really checks. However, there are reasons for this. It probably applies to more than just custody issues: people trying to say the child is living with the grandparents, when the child really is not, for example. Or saying the child is living with the dad so he can go to a different school--when he is really living with the mom.
There is another issue, too. This is a really disruptive schedule for a child. Spending one night with one parent and the next with the other or one week here and one week there during the school term is just not a good idea. Who signs the papers? Who makes the decisions? Who supervises the homework? Which house has the child's stuff. The teacher does not even know who is in charge. And, the child does not either.

It is one thing to switch off occasionally. Switching off daily--or even weekly is a terrible idea. Kids need security. How would you like switching houses every other week? Let the other parent take the kid out for dinner and spend time with him in the evenings--but kid needs to have a home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

How does that work in a exactly 50-50 arrangement?

The child could sleep in bounds Sunday - Tues out of bounds Wed -Friday and the parents split the Saturdays

Like this

Week 1: Sat - Tuesday in bounds
Wed - Sat out of bound
Week 2 Sun - Tuesday in bounds
Wed - Friday out of bounds
Week 3 Repeat week 1
Week 4 Repeat week 2

I think that should work

SO now schools are dictating parenting arrangements? Some families do the one week option.

[Anonymous]

Try teaching a kid who is confused about where he is going to be.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for this example! I think something like this might work for us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principal from FCPS here: yes. For the majority of the school nights (Sunday-Thursday night), the enrolling parent and the child must both lay their head on a pillow in the school catchment area. Your child needs to be waking up in her school district at least 3 mornings across Monday through Friday every week.

How does that work in a exactly 50-50 arrangement?

The child could sleep in bounds Sunday - Tues out of bounds Wed -Friday and the parents split the Saturdays

Like this

Week 1: Sat - Tuesday in bounds
Wed - Sat out of bound
Week 2 Sun - Tuesday in bounds
Wed - Friday out of bounds
Week 3 Repeat week 1
Week 4 Repeat week 2

I think that should work