Sports, lessons, clubs, and other activities are a major custody decision in Georgia, so your custody order decides which parent chooses them.
What the Statute Says
Extracurricular activities are one of the major decisions OCGA 19-9-6(5) places in legal custody, and unless the court orders or the parents agree otherwise, a parenting plan must allocate them to one or both parents. OCGA 19-9-1(b)(2)(E). Our post on joint legal custody explains how the final say is assigned.
A Final Say Over Activities
In Rembert v. Rembert, 285 Ga. 260 (2009), the parents had joint legal custody, and the father, as primary physical custodian, received final decision-making authority on all matters, “including the school they attend, membership in organizations, and other extracurricular activities.” The trial court also required him to discuss those decisions with the mother and take her views into account before making them, and the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed.
Signing Up Anyway
In Lowry v. Winenger, 340 Ga. App. 382 (2017), the father held final authority over the child’s extracurricular activities. After moving, the mother signed the child up for activities that conflicted with the father’s choices and failed to take him to the ones the father had scheduled. The trial court held her in contempt and, on this and other evidence, gave the father primary physical custody. The Court of Appeals affirmed the custody change.
Even though the mother had been the primary physical custodian, the choice of activities was still the father’s.
Paying for Activities
Who pays for activities is a child support question, covered in our post on summer camp, lessons, and Georgia child support.
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This post is a quick overview of the law and is not intended as legal advice. Please feel free to contact our office for a consultation if you have questions about this or any other legal aspects regarding your case!