August means a fresh start—new backpacks, new teachers, new routines. But if you’re co-parenting, it also means a prime opportunity to either work as a team… or make school staff silently dread every email with your name on it.

Let’s talk about how to do it right—and a few ways to screw it up before the first bell even rings.

1. Don’t Leave the Other Parent Off the Paperwork

It happens more than it should—one parent fills out the registration forms and conveniently “forgets” to list the other parent as an emergency contact or authorized pickup.

Unless your court order says otherwise, both parents should be listed. Teachers, nurses, and front office staff don’t want to referee your custody case. They want to know who’s allowed to pick up your child and who to call if there’s a fever or a fight.

Leaving out the other parent doesn’t make you look strong. It makes you look petty. And it could get you called into court.

2. Share Access to Grades and Portals

Most schools use online systems now—parent portals for grades, attendance, assignments, and behavior logs. If you’re the “on file” parent, take two minutes and add the other one.

Even if your co-parent is the kind of person you’d rather block than include, if they have parenting time, they have a right to that info.

And yes, I’ve seen judges ask why a parent wasn’t added to the system. It doesn’t go over well.

3. Communicate Before Someone New Starts Doing Pickups

If your new boyfriend or girlfriend is suddenly the one picking up your child from school, and the other parent finds out from a flustered teacher or an awkward parking lot handoff… you’re not doing this right.

Big changes—especially around who’s transporting your kid—need to be discussed. You don’t have to get permission, but you do need to avoid unnecessary landmines. Otherwise, you’re not co-parenting—you’re just poking the bear.

4. Don’t Weaponize the Teachers

Teachers are smart. They’ll figure out which parent is stirring the pot, badmouthing the ex, or trying to recruit school staff into the custody drama.

If you walk into a parent-teacher conference and start slinging mud about your co-parent, you may think you’re scoring points—but you’re not. You’re setting off alarms. And guess who hears about it later? The guardian ad litem, the counselor, the court…

Teachers aren’t allies in your divorce. They’re allies for your kid. Respect that.

5. Stay in the Loop, Not in the Way

If you’re not the parent handling day-to-day school drop-offs or assignments, still stay engaged. Ask how tests went. Show up to events when it’s your time. Encourage. Support. Be visible—but not invasive.

If your co-parent is doing the hard work Monday through Friday, don’t sabotage it with chaos on the weekends. Kids crave consistency more than cleverness.

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Lawyer Bill’s Advice

Back-to-school season can be a reset button if you let it. You don’t have to like your ex. You just have to parent alongside them in a way that keeps your child’s well-being front and center.

Every little thing—who’s listed as a contact, who gets grade reports, who shows up smiling at pickup—either builds trust or burns bridges.

Be the grown-up. Don’t make the teachers guess who the problem is. And if you’re co-parenting with someone who won’t play fair? Document it, don’t mirror it.