minors + school enrollment, legal rights, kinship care and crossing state lines.
Hi all! I'm a long time lurker and first-time poster. First off, I'd like to say I love this place to death. Second, I checked the tags related to these topics, just to let you know; this way I can save both my time and yours. Disclaimer: English is not my first language, I apologize in advance for any possible mistakes.
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Going from state to state would not be an issue - state borders aren't guarded or anything, and most roads between them don't even have toll booths. Unless the mother actually filed a complain (reported the girl as running away), there's really nothing anyone can or will do about it.
Once they get into Oklahoma, marrying the two characters together would solve a lot of those legal problems. If, for plot reasons, you can't...
The only thing I can think of is for #4, which is basically how much you can fudge the school's policies. Sometimes, when a kid enrolls for school, the school will want the parents to be there, but other times (especially with older kids, i.e. seniors) they don't mind just handing the family the paperwork and letting them fill it all out and bring it back (note, this is only for regular public schools - alternative, charter, ect., the family will have to be there at some point of the enrollment for the kid).
If you can have the bit with A just taking the paperwork home, she can basically just forge the paperwork if she does nothing else in legal terms. It wouldn't be too difficult, either - and unless there's a problem, schools generally won't look into it.
That said, her pregnancy, for the school, will likely constitute a problem, and that, in itself, might prompt them to call her asking to speak to her parents or something.
And in that case, T's family can essentially take the role of a foster parent. But the girl would basically need to prove that she no longer has a home with her mother (which would likely mean them calling her mother, confirming that she is the mother, and seeing if yes, mom really did boot her out).
As for medical decisions - technically, no, T can't make any decisions, even if he is the father of the baby. The only way he can is if he marries her. His parents can in the role of foster parents if the take legal custody of her. That said, if there is absolutely no one else there, and the medical staff have to make a snap decision, they may be more inclined to listen to him. Hospitals in general are usually more likely to lean towards protecting the mother over protecting the baby, if they have to choose between the two (though in very conservative areas, the favor might shift more towards the baby).
That's all I've got.
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It wouldn't really work for plot (and characterization) reasons, unfortunately.
I guess I can work with her proving she no longer has a home, though, as much as that will deal with lots of paperwork and calls and whatnot.
Again, thanks for commenting! You helped me a great deal! :D
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