By Julia L. Leveridge, AAML Ohio

Ah, late summer: the smell of fresh crayons, the sound of the school bus down the road and the unmistakable ping of co-parent calendar invites. To help your clients glide into the school year, here is the checklist every divorce lawyer secretly wants them to follow.

• One school, one story: Make sure both parents are telling the same tale about addresses, pick-up permissions and who is allowed at school events. Administrators love consistency almost as much as they love labeled lunchboxes.
• FERPA and friends: Both parents should be listed for access to records, portals and teacher communications unless a court order says otherwise. Bonus points if everyone knows their login before the first pop quiz!
• The pick-up puzzle: Put in writing who can pick up the child, on which days and what happens if there’s a schedule emergency. If it’s not in the plan, it’s in the principal’s office.
• The calendar truce: Sync a shared calendar for school days, half-days, conferences, picture day and “spirit week” (a sneaky five-theme trap). Color coding is not just for highlighters anymore.
• Health file double-set: Immunization records, IEP/504 documents, allergies, medications — both households need the same info. The school nurse is not your document repository.
• Talk to the teachers (together for bonus points): Send a joint “hello” email to teachers and coaches with both parents cc’d, court orders attached only if relevant and a clear note that both parents should be included going forward. One inbox, zero drama.
• Homework lives in two houses: Create mirror “homework stations” at both homes — same calculators, chargers and poster board. Reduce the weekly “Where’s my protractor?” mystery.
• Activities and fees: List who signs up, who pays and who drives. If reimbursement is part of your plan, set a deadline and method. Venmo is a tool; it is not a co-parenting philosophy.
• First-day photo etiquette: Trade one great pic, not a subpoena. If social media is allowed, agree on what gets posted and where. The algorithm doesn’t need your parenting plan.
• Lunch money ceasefire: Fund the lunch account before the balance goes negative and your child trades algebra answers for that square pizza. Decide who reloads and when.
• School supplies without the drama: Split the master list or alternate years. Keep receipts if your order requires it. Remember: A 64-pack of crayons is not a litigation strategy.
• Transportation rules of the road: Clarify bus vs. carline, who has the car seat and the “What if there’s an after-school detour?” plan. “Ask your lawyer” is not a pick-up protocol.
• Emergency contacts that actually work: Update numbers for both parents and anyone else authorized. If your emergency contact is still your ex’s college roommate, it’s time.
• Snow days and curveballs: Pre-agree on closures, sick days and sudden quarantines — who’s on call, where the child goes and how the make-up time happens. Surprise is for birthdays, not custody days.
• Parent-teacher conferences: Decide whether you’ll attend together or split by semester, and make sure both get the notes. Summary 24 hours later beats a cross-examination.
• The “no surprises” email rule: Share school announcements, permission slips and portal messages within 24 hours. If it comes home in a crumpled folder, treat it like gold.
• Tech checklist: Duplicate chargers, headphones and logins. If a forgotten charger can topple the peace, buy a second one. Cheaper than your lawyer’s hourly rate!
• Medicine and EpiPens: Two sets when possible, plus written instructions for both homes. The school’s plan should match the parents’ plan.
• Gradebook sanity: Agree how often to check grades, who contacts the teacher first and when to bring the other parent into the conversation.
• Tone is everything: Model school-year professionalism in messages: short, child-focused and screenshot-safe. The golden rule of co-parenting emails: Would you want a judge to read this?

Here’s to a school year full of completed permission slips, conflict-free carlines and precisely zero emergency binder hunts. Class dismissed!