"How do I know my 16-year-old is still in school?"

Question: I am still paying child support for my 16 year old son. Someone just told me he is not in school any more and now working full-time. Am I entitled to know what he is doing? How do I find out?

Answer: Yes, you are entitled to confirmation that your son is still attending school and, therefore, remains eligible for child support. You can request the information from the other parent and it should be provided. Or, you can ask the other parent to authorize the school to provide the information directly to you.

One issue to consider these days is the definition of “school”. Family courts want to encourage young people to secure skills which will enable them to make it on their own, including financially. For this and other reasons, family courts have an open-minded approach to educational programs where, for example, part of the program is devoted in in-class study and other parts to online learning and practical experience like apprenticeships. One can no longer think of “full-time school attendance” as sitting in class for the duration of the program. All that being said, both whether the young person is still enrolled in a program of study and, second, what type of program is involved, is information to which the child support payor is entitled.

If the information is not being provided by either the recipient or the young person, family court may unfortunately have to become involved.

©AJJakubowska