Spring Break Vacation in the Texas Standard Possession Order

ODD AND EVEN YEAR SPRING BREAKS

The Standard Possession Order (SPO) states that on even numbered years the non-custodial parent possesses  the child from 6pm on the day school dismisses for vacation until 6pm on the day before school resumes. On odd years it’s reversed and the custodial parent gets the child from 6pm on the day school breaks for spring vacation until 6pm on the day before school returns. So let’s look at an example. Suppose a dad is the non-custodial parent and it’s 2018, an even year. Let’s also suppose this dad lives near Houston in Harris county, Texas. Let’s say his kid’s school district calendar says spring break is from Monday, March 12 to Friday, March 16. Under his Standard Possession Order, or even his extended/expanded possession order, this dad would get his child for spring break from 6pm on Friday, March 9 (the day school is dismissed for break), and he could keep his child all the way until 6pm on Sunday, March 18, 2018, the day before school returns, assuming school returns that next  Monday morning. So under this scenario, our non-custodial parent dad would have the child for 9 days from Friday 6pm to the following Sunday 6pm.

INTERSECTION WITH 1ST, 3RD, 5TH WEEKENDS

What about if the 6pm Friday beginning dad’s spring break vacation doesn’t land on a 1st, 3rd, or 5th weekend? It doesn’t matter. The spring break terms of the standard possession order trump the typical 1st, 3rd, or 5th weekend. So yes, this means a parent who gets spring break vacation with their child in an odd or even year gets extra days with the child, however the SPO schedule falls.

OVER 100 MILES APART

Lastly, remember this whole spring break odd or even years discussion assumes that the parents live within 100 miles of each other. Remember that if the non-custodial parent lives over 100 miles from the child, he does not get every even year, he gets every year for spring break to give him extra time with his child to compensate for the  long distance between him and the child.