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Parenting Plan: Viva la spring break! (part 3 of 3)

Any child custody action, whether it is a divorce or unmarried people who have a child in common, involves the determination of a parenting plan. A parent plan creates a residential schedule for the parents and the child. The parenting plan establishes who the child primarily lives with, and the other’s parent visitation.

Parenting plans leave no stone unturned when it comes to determing the residential schedule. Parents establish a schedule for children under school age, when the children start school, winter vacation, other school breaks, summer, vacation with parents, holidays and special occasions (birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day).

Parts one and two discussed creating a schedule for spring break. Part one discussed alternating spring break between parents on an odd/even basis. This allows each parent a large chunk of time with the children on an alternating basis. Part two suggested the alternative of splitting the spring break evenly between the parents. The idea is that the parent who normally has the kids for the weekend prior to spring break has the kids for the first part of the break. Wednesday, the midway point of the break, is the exchange day. And the parent who’s supposed to get the kids that weekend has the latter half of the break (Wednesday through Sunday).

The following is sample language of parents splitting the spring break evenly, but it is worded different from the example in part two.

Spring Break shall be evenly divided. The parent who has the children for the first weekend of the Spring Break shall have the children from after school until the following Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. The other parent shall have the children from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday until Sunday at 6:00 p.m., regardless if it was their scheduled weekend. The regular residential schedule shall resume the weekend following the children’s return to school.

There is no set or standard language when it comes to dividing a school break. The examples in this spring break series are meant for illustrative purposes only. If you have questions on what a spring break schedule should look like or what you want for a spring break schedule, consult an experienced family law/divorce attorney.

This concludes the three part series on creating a spring break schedule. AKIONA LAW, PLLC makes the information and materials on this blog available for general informational purposes only. The information provided is not intended to be legal advice. See DISCLAIMER.

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