Kansas Court & Family Education Guide

Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in Kansas that involves anger management, parenting, co-parenting, or substance-abuse education.

What does Clearway offer?

People are sometimes ordered or referred to an educational program as part of a family-law, custody, probation, or other Kansas court-related matter. The type of program required can depend on the circumstances of the case and the exact wording of the court order.

Clearway Institute offers four self-paced online courses: anger management, parenting, co-parenting, and substance-abuse education. Not every course is appropriate for every court order, and completing an online course does not automatically mean a particular Kansas court, probation department, or agency will accept it — always read your order carefully and confirm the required program with the court, probation officer, attorney, or other referring agency when you're not sure.

Which type of class do you need?

Start with whichever matches your order or situation — each course page has the full curriculum before you enroll.

What if a Kansas court ordered it?

Kansas ties batterer intervention to its domestic battery statute, K.S.A. 21-5414. On a first offense the court may, at its discretion, order an assessment by a certified batterer intervention program and compliance with its recommendations as an alternative to jail. On a second or later offense within five years, the assessment and recommendations are required as a condition of release unless the court orders otherwise.

On the civil side, protection from abuse orders under K.S.A. 60-3107 can address temporary custody and parenting time and can require the defendant to seek counseling aimed at stopping the abuse. Orders are fixed for one to two years and can be extended. Requirements differ by court and order, so confirm exactly what your own order or sentence requires before enrolling in any course.

What's the difference between classes?

Parenting vs. co-parenting. Parenting covers general child-development, discipline, and communication skills, and comes up in a wide range of family cases. Co-parenting is built specifically for separated or divorcing parents — coordinating two households, handling custody transitions, and keeping kids out of the middle — and is the more common requirement in a custody or divorce order.

Anger management vs. a certified intervention program. Many states, Kansas included, treat general educational anger-management coursework as legally distinct from a state-certified batterer intervention, family-violence intervention, or abuser-treatment program ordered specifically in a domestic-violence case — see “What if a Kansas court ordered it?” above for how that distinction works here. If your order names a specific certified program by name, an educational anger-management course usually isn't an automatic substitute — check with your court.

Where can I verify requirements?

The most reliable answer always comes from whoever issued your order — the court clerk, your probation or parole officer, your attorney, or the agency that referred you. Below are free, Kansas-specific places to start if you need legal help, counseling, or crisis support along the way.

Legal reference material

For anyone who wants to read the underlying statutes for themselves, here is the reference material this guide is based on — Kansas civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.

Civil & family law

Criminal law