Rights and Duties

Conservatorship affects what rights and duties each parent will have. The rights and duties will either be exercised at all times or during periods of possession. Among others, some of the most common rights that must be determined are:

1. Which parent has the right to determine the domicile of the children and the geographic area within which the children’s domicile is restricted? The public policy of Texas to assure that children will have frequent and continuing contact with parents who have shown the ability to act in the best interest of the child, to provide a safe, stable, and nonviolent environment for the child, and to encourage parents to share in the rights and duties of raising their child after the parents have separated or dissolved their marriage. To ensure this, the court will establish a geographic area within which the children will live. 
2. Who will have the right to make psychological and psychiatric decisions?
3. Who will have the right to make educational decisions?
4. Who will have the right to make medical, dental, and surgical decisions involving an invasive procedure?
5. Who will have the right to consent to marriage or enlisting in the armed forces?

The rights and duties can either be exercised by each parent independently, jointed decided by both parents, or exclusively decided by one parent.