Hi everyone, I’m having trouble with finding what my school is asking for before I can start classes. I’m in a temporary guardianship. (You don’t have to go to court for this) My future school says I need a “court document” showing this. So, I called the court clerk. She said all the papers I need would be online. I’ve searched and searched and can’t find it. Help me please? I don’t know what to do anymore. I honestly think maybe the girl from the school I’ve been talking to doesn’t exactly understand the difference between temporary guardianship and legal guardianship. Thoughts?
You need to visit the court and have them show you where those documents are online.
There is a big difference between temporary & legal guardianship, and it makes a huge difference for financial aid purposes. Did you indicated on the FAFSA that you were in guardianship, and did that allow you to skip parent info? If so, you are expected to show proof that you are in legal guardianship. If you show proof of temporary guardianship, you will be asked to provide parent info.
I suggest calling the school and asking for your financial aid advisor (some schools assign by alphabet). Explain your guardianship situation. They will probably tell you to add parent info, rather than sending you off to find a court document that is just going to show that you are not eligible for independent status.
If you have extenuating circumstances that may merit a dependency override, you can explain these to your aid officer. They will advise you on how to file a request for the override, if it sounds like maybe you could be deemed independent by professional judgment. If the situation does not meet the criteria for a dependency override, you will need to provide parent info (change the “in guardianship” from yes to no on the FAFSA - you’ll be prompted to add the parent info & have a parent sign the FAFSA).
Are you under 18 years old?
I think the person at the courthouse may have thought you were looking for forms, blank forms, to start an action for guardianship. Rarely are court files about juveniles on line. They are confidential.
You need to know the difference between a court ordered guardianship, which usually happens when the state takes custody of you as a minor because your parents are unable to care for you, and a court approved guardianship, which might be an arrangement made between parties. The court approved might be because the parents have to be out of the country, or even because one of the parents needs to go into a treatment program for an extended period.
These papers would be in a court file, but your guardian should have them too. They’d need them to get you medical treatment, to register you for school, to sign for you to get a driver’s license or passport.
All guardianships are intended to be temporary but not all work out that way.
Is this about the school or about financing the school?
Who placed you in “temporary guardianship” and with whom are you placed. If this was a court ordered guardianship, your guardian should have all of the papers.
If this is a “go live with so and so”…that isn’t considered legal guardianship.
What makes you think this is a legal guardianship if no court papers were required.