WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of Florida issued an opinion on May 3, 2001, In re: Report of the Family Court Steering Committee (Case No. SC00-1410), and

WHEREAS, the Florida Supreme Court’s opinion indicates that Family Courts should strive to meet the needs of families and children involved in the court system by offering appropriate services and linkages to community service providers, and

WHEREAS, this Court believes that it would be in the best interest of children of divorcing parents to attend an educational program designed to assist children in coping with divorce;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Terence R. Perkins, Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, hereby order as follows:

1. All children, between the ages of six and seventeen, whose parents have filed a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage in St. Johns County, Florida, may be ordered to attend a course designed to assist the children of parents involved in dissolution proceedings. Classes must be a minimum of two hours in length and geared toward assisting children with issues related to their parents’ divorce.
2. Parents of minor children shall make arrangements to ensure that their children attend said course, if so ordered.
3. The course provider shall set the cost of the program, but no party shall be refused due to their inability to pay.
4. Costs shall initially be borne by the custodial parent, unless otherwise ordered by the court. The court may thereafter order costs to be redistributed.
5. Upon completion of the course, the course provider shall forward Certificates of Completion to the Clerk of Court’s office for inclusion in case files.
6. Nothing in this Order prohibits judges from ordering attendance at a Child Education Course in cases not subject to this Order.
7. Nothing in this Order prohibits judges from waiving the requirements of this Order upon presentation of a proper motion in individual cases.
8. Failure to comply with the terms of this Order may result in appropriate sanctions against the offending party.

TO BE RECORDED in St. Johns County, Florida.

DONE AND ORDERED in Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, this 2nd day of April 2015.