Many people are worried about the potential effects of coronavirus on their health and their job. While some parents are struggling to juggle home schooling their children with their workday, others are concerned with just seeing their children. If two parents share custody of their kids, they may have questions how to handle their agreement during this viral pandemic. Fortunately for families all across Virginia, experts have suggestions for how to handle this aspect of child custody.
Some courts have specifically decreed that the self-quarantining measures should not affect current custody agreements. In certain areas of the country, a parent who fails to comply with a custody order could face jail time or a significant fine. A court may decide not to enforce those measures, given these exceptional circumstances. However, some parents are worried that if they try to keep their children, in an effort to minimize their potential exposure to coronavirus, doing so could negatively impact future custody proceedings.
One mother reported that she has been unable to see her daughter since the girl’s school decided to extend its spring break as a way of dealing with the virus. Her custody agreement says that her daughter is to stay with her other parent during spring break. Experts say that if a parent has concerns, the police can conduct a welfare check, but cannot make a parent turn over the child.
Any parent here in Virginia with concerns about how to handle their existing child custody agreement may want to consult an attorney. Though a pandemic is certainly an unusual event, an experienced family law attorney can help a family navigate this potentially confusing situation. The most important thing is that children get taken care of and everyone does what they can to stay healthy.
