by Attorney Eric D. PuryearIn Iowa (and many other states), parents who have a custody or divorce case are required by the court to take a class on co-parenting. That class, often called “children in the middle” or “parenting solutions” is intended to help a parent learn how to work well with the other parent in a way that helps the children. Information is provided on how to avoid making children feel like they are to blame for problems between their parents, and how to communicate and co-parent in the manner best for everyone.
It is common for a parent to later seek to modify a divorce or custody case. That may be due to larger problems such as child abuse, drug use in the presences of a child, domestic violence in the other parent’s home, or due more mundane matters such as work schedules. When a modification action is filed, the court will enter an Order requiring both parents to take another Children in the Middle class. As an attorney who has handed such matters for many years now, I am routinely asked by clients whether they have to take the co-parenting class again.
The answer is generally “yes.” The court will require that parents take Children in the Middle again in most cases, even thought they have taken it before. The court’s reasoning is that taking the class again is a good refresher, especially as the parents gear up for a potentially contentious case.
However, sometimes when a client has very recently taken Children in the Middle, it is possible to ask the court to waive that requirement. For example, I have had clients who took Children in the Middle in January for one case, and then were ordered to take it in February for another case. The court was receptive to a motion that I filed asking to waive the requirement in the second case. However, when many months or years have passed, the court is unlikely to waive the requirement.