Teen in our tutoring program is in the middle of a custody dispute… any advice?

Hey everyone, I could use some advice on a situation I’ve got going on with one of our students. She’s 16 and is in our tutoring program, but she’s now in a custody dispute between her mom and dad. Dad initially enrolled her, but now the student is living with mom, and mom wants to take over paying for her tutoring so she doesn’t miss out.

We’re just a private tutoring service, so my thought is that this custody stuff shouldn’t affect us, right? We don’t have the same legal responsibilities as a school would, so does it matter who pays as long as we’re providing the tutoring service? Just want to be sure I’m doing the right thing in case things get tricky and the dad asks why we let mom take over. Anyone had a similar experience?

Sounds like a tough spot! I don’t think you need to worry too much. As a tutoring service, you’re not bound by the same rules as a school. If mom is willing to pay, then that should be fine.

Indra said:
Sounds like a tough spot! I don’t think you need to worry too much. As a tutoring service, you’re not bound by the same rules as a school. If mom is willing to pay, then that should be fine.

Thanks! That’s what I figured. Just wanted to double-check in case dad has an issue with it down the road.

@Vale
Totally understandable! If there’s a dispute, they can settle it between themselves or in court, not your problem.

I think you’re good here. You’re just offering a service, so you shouldn’t be involved in their custody issues. As long as the bills are paid, it shouldn’t matter who’s doing the paying.

Nico said:
I think you’re good here. You’re just offering a service, so you shouldn’t be involved in their custody issues. As long as the bills are paid, it shouldn’t matter who’s doing the paying.

Good point! I was thinking the same thing, just didn’t want to cross any lines.

@Vale
Exactly. If they have an issue, that’s something for them to work out.

If there’s no court order restricting who can manage the student’s activities, then you should be fine letting mom take over. You’re providing a private service, not a regulated education program.

Skylar said:
If there’s no court order restricting who can manage the student’s activities, then you should be fine letting mom take over. You’re providing a private service, not a regulated education program.

Makes sense! I haven’t heard of any orders or restrictions, so I guess that’s on them to tell me if there are any.

@Vale
Exactly. If something like that exists, they need to let you know. You’re not responsible for digging into it.

Honestly, even if dad does have concerns later, he’d probably have to take it up with mom or the court. You’re just here to provide tutoring services, not to get involved in custody disputes.

Brad said:
Honestly, even if dad does have concerns later, he’d probably have to take it up with mom or the court. You’re just here to provide tutoring services, not to get involved in custody disputes.

That’s reassuring to hear! I’ll stick to that if anything comes up. Thanks for the support.

@Vale
Totally! Just focus on helping the student, and let the parents handle their side of things.

You’re right to be cautious, but I think as a private tutor, you’re in the clear here. If mom’s covering the bill now and the student is with her, you’ve done your part. Let the parents handle the rest!

@Dez
Appreciate that! I’ll keep everything simple and leave the custody stuff up to them.

Vale said:
@Dez
Appreciate that! I’ll keep everything simple and leave the custody stuff up to them.

Smart move! No need to complicate things, especially with something like custody. Just focus on the tutoring!