Prior to the pandemic, Basic Parenting Education courses were offered in-person and online, and Second-Level courses were only available in-person. Second-Level courses were to be in-person in order to successfully meet the course objectives, which require interaction between the participants and the course instructor. The objectives of the Second-Level course include: identify the “why” and “how” to develop provisions for safety and transition plans; identify the potential harmful impact of domestic intimate partner abuse and unresolved parental conflict on the child; learn effective communication techniques and protocols; and become aware of resource and referral information for victim, perpetrator, and batterer services.

In March of 2020 with the looming pandemic, the State Court Administrator approved a request from ODR to allow Second-Level parenting education courses to be offered virtually in a synchronous format. While self-paced webinars for a Second-Level course continued to be prohibited, a synchronous format allowed the instructor and the participant(s) to interact online, while also adhering to all stated objectives for the course.

For 2021, the parenting education course format options were updated and expanded to make permanent the change that was made in response to the pandemic. The parenting education provider application now requires the provider to indicate the format for their courses. Specifically, if they are offering the Basic “Classroom” course, is it an in-person and/or virtual using an online meeting platform such as Zoom, and/or as a self-paced webinar course. For the Second-Level course, is it offered in-person and/or virtually using an online meeting platform such as Zoom whereas the participants and the instructor are able to interact. Self-paced webinars for a Second-Level course will continue to be prohibited.

The Judicial Branch’s online listing for Parenting Education lists two types of courses – Classroom and Online. For Classroom providers, each listing indicates if the provider offers the course as an in-person and/or remote classroom. The Online providers are those that offer Basic as a self-paced webinar course.

With the Second-Level course now available in a virtual classroom format, Nebraskans across the state will continue to have access to this valuable course.

Kelly Riley | Director | Office of Dispute Resolution | 402-471-3730