Rule 9-204.Educational seminar
Last amended January 1, 2020 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 9-204
Amendment History
Maryland publishes each rule’s adoption and amendment record as a bracketed “Credits” note beneath the rule, giving the date of each Rules Order and the date it took effect. It is reproduced verbatim below.
[Adopted March 5, 2001, eff. July 1, 2001. Amended June 6, 2016, eff. July 1, 2016; Nov. 19, 2019, eff. Jan. 1, 2020.]
Plain-English Summary
The seminar is designed to minimise the disruptive effects of separation and divorce on children, and the court may order the parties to attend where the county's case management plan allows or requires it.
The enforcement provision is the notable one. If a party ordered to attend does not, the court may not use its contempt powers to compel attendance or to punish the failure — but it may consider the failure as a factor in determining custody and visitation. Three parties cannot be ordered to attend at all: one who is incarcerated, one who lives outside Maryland where no comparable course is available, and one who establishes good cause for exemption. A committee note adds the limit the statute places on that last exemption: it may not be granted on evidence of domestic violence, child abuse or neglect.
The seminar runs to six hours, in one or two sessions. Its topics are prescribed: the emotional impact of divorce on children and parents; developmental stages and how divorce affects children at each; changes in the parent-child relationship; discipline; transitions between households; skill-building in communication, explaining divorce to children, problem-solving, conflict resolution, coping, helping children adjust, avoiding inappropriate interactions, and using the Maryland Parenting Plan Tool; and resources available where there is domestic violence, child abuse or neglect.
Scheduling protects the parties from each other. The provider must arrange sessions so that parties in cases where violence, abuse or neglect is alleged do not attend at the same time, and so that any party who does not wish to attend alongside the other does not have to. The fee may be compelled by order and apportioned between the parties, or waived for good cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be held in contempt for skipping the parenting seminar?
No. The rule forbids the court from using contempt to compel attendance or punish a failure to attend — but the court may consider that failure as a factor in determining custody and visitation.
How long is the seminar?
Six hours, in one or two sessions.
Who cannot be ordered to attend?
A party who is incarcerated, a party who lives outside Maryland in a place where no comparable seminar is available, and a party who establishes good cause for exemption.
Will I have to sit in the same room as the other party?
Not if you do not want to. The provider must schedule so that any party who does not wish to attend at the same time as the opposing party does not have to — and must separate the parties where domestic violence, child abuse or neglect is alleged.
Can the fee be waived?
Yes. Payment may be compelled by order and assessed among the parties as the court directs, and the court may waive the fee for good cause.