ABA Meets in Atlanta in February, Targets Juvenile Court Issues

By |

When the American Bar Association meets in Atlanta the hot topics will include restorative justice and alternatives to detention for kids.  The Midyear meeting runs February 9 – 14 at the Marriott Marquis. One event takes place at Frank McClarin High School in College Park, where judges and lawyers will talk to 300 high school students about fair and impartial courts. They’ll use the assault charge against MTV’s Teen Mom to launch the discussion. Sharon Hill of Georgia Appleseed and Judge Steve Teske from Clayton County Juvenile Court will talk about new initiatives to keep kids in school and out of court. The ABA will consider two resolutions related to at-risk kids.

Teach For America wins $100 Million Endowment

By |

Teach for America, a training program that recruits college grads and trains them to teach in challenging urban and rural schools, has won over some major donors.  Eli Broad is pledging $25 million; matching donations are coming from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Robertson Foundation and Steve and Sue Mandel, according to the Los Angeles Times. While it’s a huge gift, it totals only 2% of Teach for America’s $200 million budget.  According to Philanthropy News Digest, TFA hopes to attract other donors over time to help expand the endowment. TFA has more than 8,200 members working in 39 communities across the country.  Typically, teacher rookies go through an intense training program, then go to work in urban public schools and charter schools for two years. A total of 195 TFA teachers are currently working in Atlanta Public Schools. According to their website, School superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall says, "I’m always impressed with them.

Icy Crash Leads to Arrest of Teenage Driver

By |

An Acworth girl who hit an icy patch and lost control of her car faces tragic consequences.   When 17 year old Alexandra Covett skidded into another car, the crash killed her friend in the passenger seat, 18 year old Karli Jobling of Kennesaw. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Covett is now charged with second- degree vehicular homicide.  And because she is 17, Cobb police are charging her as an adult.

While we don’t know all the circumstances of the case yet, a legal blogger points out that Covett could end up with a criminal record because of ice on the road.

House Minority Leader: Alternative Sentencing for Kids

By |

We’re asking lawmakers to weigh in on issues affecting children and the juvenile justice system in Georgia. We’re kicking off this JJIE.org interview series, with some insight from Representative Stacey Abrams (D-DeKalb) on the challenges ahead for the Department of Juvenile Justice,  now charged with helping troubled children amid severe budget cuts. State Representative Stacey Abrams

Newly-appointed Minority Leader
Sits on the Juvenile Justice Sub-Committee of the Judiciary  Non-Civil Committee

What do you consider some of the main pressing issues facing juvenile justice in Georgia? I am very interested in working with the new Commissioner Amy Howell as I was with the former commissioner on issues of juvenile justice because it is an important issue. How we deal with our children speaks to the stability of our communities and to so many larger structural issues in our state.

Should Teachers Carry Concealed Guns in School?

By |

Most people would call this a terrible idea that’s fraught with danger.  But a Nebraska lawmaker has just filed a bill to give school districts the option of allowing teachers to carry concealed guns.  State Sen. Mark Christensen says teachers with gun permits and proper training might deter a tragedy. As the Christian Science Monitor reports, this idea follows two school shootings in the last three weeks:

An Omaha high school senior killed an assistant principal and wounded a principal, before shooting himself. A Los Angeles student with a gun in her book bag accidentally wounded two other kids. The only school system in the country that has a concealed weapons policy is in rural Harrold, Texas.  School Superintendent David Thweatt says police in his county are 30 minutes away, and his tiny school system cannot afford School Resource Officers.   Their policy requires extensive training, and the use of certain types of bullets that cut down on ricochet and collateral damage. Forty-three states, including Georgia, prohibit guns in K-12 schools.  And the idea of arming teachers  is not popular with experts.  School security consultant Ken Trump warns that concealed weapons would not make schools safer.  Daniel Vice from the Brady Center says guns in the classroom would be extremely dangerous and the risk of accidents is too high.

Inside an Underage Drinking Party

By |

If you’d like to know what happens at a teenage drinking party when the parents aren’t around, check out the latest event from the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce.  The Taskforce Youth Council plans to stage a mock underage drinking party inside a Marietta home.  The kids are prepared to show you what goes on, and answer questions. The event is free, and only for adults, on the evening of Saturday, February 12.  Registration required, click here for more info.

Homeless in Georgia: New Plan to Count Homeless Young People

By |

More people in Georgia are homeless, including families and young people. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports 20,360 people in Georgia had no home in 2009, up 7% from the year before.  Even more alarming is the number of people doubling up, or living with friends or family because of economic hardship:  272,305 people. That’s right- more than a quarter million of your friends and neighbors have doubled up in Georgia, and that number is 10% higher than the year before. The Alliance reports there are also 728 homeless young people who’ve aged out of foster care and are on the streets alone.

Random Drug Testing for 6th Graders

By |

Children as young as 11 face random drug testing in Belvidere, New Jersey, and the news has people talking across the country. The Board of Education approved the plan for Oxford Street School on Wednesday, and apparently many parents support the idea, even though no drug or alcohol abuse has ever been reported there. The program is voluntary  - both parents and children must sign up.  If a child tests positive for drugs, he or she will get counseling.  School officials promise no suspensions and no police reports.  Principal Sandra Szabocsik  thinks it will be a deterrent, telling WCBS-TV, "We're hoping that the students, if they're at a party or someone's house or just hanging out somewhere, that they'll say 'I don't want to get involved in drinking or using any drug because tomorrow could be a drug testing day,”

Random drug testing in schools is nothing new.

Millions of Friends to get AMBER Alerts on Facebook

By |

Facebook will now distribute AMBER Alerts to 140 million users in the U.S.  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Office of Justice Programs announced the new partnership at the Washington, D.C. office of Facebook. It gives law enforcement a new tool to quickly spread the word about kidnappings and missing children to more people than ever across the entire country. Click here to watch the news conference

AMBER Alerts also go out to broadcast and print media, the trucking industry, wireless phone companies and Internet service providers.  The AMBER Alert program has helped rescued 525 children over the years.

DJJ Escapes Draconian Budget Cuts, But Still Faces New Belt Tightening

By |

Governor Nathan Deal’s first State of the State address is making headlines for his promise to end teacher furloughs, prioritize K-12 education, and rescue HOPE scholarships.  A close reading of his new budget plans should also give the 4,200 employees of the Department of Juvenile Justice a little breathing room, but not much. As we reported last week, the agency has already lost more than 20% of its funding in the last 3 years, and doing more with less.  While the cutting continues, it won’t be as severe as it might have been.  Here are the numbers for both the amended 2011 budget and the 2012 budget:

The amended FY2011 budget calls for 4% in reductions, totaling $10.5 Million. Eleven full time positions will be sliced agency wide, but nine of those are currently vacant. Youth Detention Centers face about $3.3Million in cuts, including:

Hiring freeze to save $1.25 Million.