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          Session of 1998
                    HOUSE BILL No. 2917           By Representatives Garner and Nichols           2-13             9             AN ACT relating to schools; imposing certain duties thereon with respect
10             to children in joint parental custody arrangements.
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12       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
13           Section 1. (a) When the court places custody of a child with both
14       parents on a joint-custody basis pursuant to an action under article 16 of
15       chapter 60 of Kansas Statutes Annotated , and amendments thereto, ei-
16       ther or both parents may notify the child's school of the custodial arrange-
17       ment ordered by the court. The notice shall be in writing and shall: (1)
18       Be mailed or personally delivered to the chief administrative officer of
19       the school; (2) identify the child by name and date of birth; (3) identify
20       both parents by name, residence address, and telephone number; and (4)
21       be accompanied by a certified copy of the order for custody.
22           (b) When either or both parents have notified a child's school of a
23       joint custodial arrangement as provided in subsection (a), the school shall:
24       (1) Make a reasonable effort to notify both parents of any medical emer-
25       gency involving the child; (2) invite and permit participation by both par-
26       ents in school activities of the child irrespective of the present domicile
27       of the child or the parents; and (3) mail to either or both parents, as
28       requested, report or grade cards, progress reports, notice of honors
29       awards, failure or downslips, school newsletters, parent-teacher confer-
30       ence notices and schedules, notices of any special needs of the child with
31       respect to education or discipline, and such other information as may be
32       necessary to the making of decisions in the best interests of the child.
33           (c) For purposes of this section, the chief administrative officer of a
34       school is, in the case of a public school, the superintendent of schools
35       and, in the case of a nonpublic school, the person designated as chief
36       administrative officer by the governing authority of the school.
37           (d) This section shall apply only to parents who have unsupervised
38       visitation rights.
39           Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
40       publication in the statute book.
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