The NCJFCJ has published this guide as part of a larger project addressing school discipline referrals to the juvenile justice system. The project aims to reduce the number of referrals to the juvenile justice system for school-based behaviors through the establishment and collaboration of judicially led court/school partnerships. The practice guide is intended to provide the multi-system collaborative in each of the 16 demonstration sites with thorough and thoughtful guidance on implementing judicially led collaborations to address “school pathways to the juvenile justice system.” The structure, directions, and recommendations throughout the guide are the product of several months of consultation and collaboration with juvenile and family court judges and other juvenile justice and school system experts. The processes described emulating those of successful collaboratives in jurisdictions across the country, including Georgia, Connecticut and California.
Selected sites were assigned to a Site Facilitator team recruited by the NCJFCJ due to their knowledge of school-court issues and/or experience with team facilitation and strategic planning. Each selected site is receiving at least one onsite visit to help identify problematic issues with school referrals to the court system and to facilitate strategic planning to address those issues.
The 16 sites participating in this project include:
- Tehama County Superior Court (Red Bluff, CA)
- Tippecanoe County Superior Court (Lafayette, IN)
- Hoopa Valley Tribal Court (Hoopa, CA)
- Muskegon County 14th Judicial Circuit Court (Muskegon, MI)
- Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Pasco & Pinellas Counties (Clearwater, FL)
- Kentucky Statewide Initiative with focus on Fayette & Campbell Counties (Lexington & Newport, KY)
- Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County (Memphis, TN)
- Fulton County Juvenile Court (Atlanta, GA)
- Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of El Paso County (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Middletown Superior Court (Middletown, CT)
- Middlesex County Juvenile Court (Lowell, MA)
- 26th Judicial District Court of Mecklenburg County (Charlotte, NC)
- Superior Court of Sacramento County (Sacramento, CA)
- Family Court of the State of Delaware (Wilmington, DE)
- Third Judicial District Court of Dona Ana County (Las Cruces, NM)
- Circuit Court for Prince George’s County (Upper Marlboro, MD)