You just found out from a group chat that your child made the honor roll, not from the school itself. If you’re divorced or in the middle of one, moments like this raise a real question: who actually gets to see report cards, attend conferences, and stay on the teacher’s email list once two parents live in separate households?

Does Joint Legal Custody Mean Equal Access to School Records?

In most Minnesota families, yes. Joint legal custody gives both parents the right to participate in major decisions about a child’s upbringing, and that includes education. Under Minnesota law, a parent with legal custody generally has the right to access school records, meet with teachers, and receive the same communications as the other parent, regardless of where the child primarily lives.

This access typically doesn’t depend on parenting time. A parent who sees their child every other weekend can still have full legal custody and, with it, the same right to report cards and conference invitations as the parent who has the child most of the week. Schools are usually required to send duplicate mailings, add both parents to email lists, and allow both parents to attend conferences separately if that works better for the family.

Even when one parent has sole legal custody, Minnesota courts often preserve the noncustodial parent’s right to receive educational records unless a judge has specifically restricted it, such as in cases involving safety concerns. Custody orders control this, not informal arrangements between parents.

What Should You Do If a School Isn’t Sharing Information?

Schools don’t always know the terms of a custody arrangement unless someone tells them. If you’re not receiving report cards, conference invites, or teacher emails, the fix often starts with the school office rather than the courthouse.

Here’s a practical approach:

• Give the school a copy of the relevant custody order or the parenting plan pages that address legal custody and information rights.
• Ask the school to formally add both parents’ contact information to the student’s file, including separate email addresses for report cards and portal access.
• Follow up in writing if a teacher or administrator says one parent instructed them not to share information. Schools generally cannot honor that request over a valid custody order.
• Document any pattern of withholding information, since repeated issues may become relevant if you need to return to court.

Most of the time, a short conversation and a copy of the order resolves things. Schools want to comply with legal requirements and usually update their records once they understand the custody arrangement.

When a Parenting Plan Needs to Address This Directly

Some of the most persistent conflict around school information isn’t about the law, it’s about the wording of the parenting plan itself. A well-drafted plan can specify exactly how educational information gets shared: separate portal logins, both parents listed as emergency and academic contacts, joint invitations to conferences, and a clear process if a school only allows one point of contact.

If your current parenting plan is silent on this, or if a school keeps deferring to one parent by habit rather than by order, that’s often a sign the plan needs updating. A modification to an existing court order can add specific language about educational access, which removes the guesswork for schools and reduces friction between parents going forward. Johnson/Turner has helped Minnesota families navigate custody and parenting time questions since 2003, and this kind of clarification is a common, straightforward addition to a plan.

For parents drafting a new custody arrangement, the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s parenting plan resources outline how legal custody and information rights typically get addressed, though every family’s situation calls for its own specific language.

Getting the Access You’re Entitled To

If you’re being left out of report cards, conferences, or school communications, you don’t have to accept that as the new normal. Understanding how Minnesota’s custody laws apply to your specific parenting plan is the first step, and a conversation with the school is often the second. When the issue keeps recurring, Johnson/Turner offers a free consultation to help you understand your options, including whether it’s time to formalize school access in your parenting plan, all under a transparent, flat-fee structure so you know your costs upfront. Schedule a free consultation with a Minnesota family law attorney to talk through what you’re seeing and what can be done about it.