{“featuredImages”:[],”content”:”
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) School-Justice Partnership Summit will be held on Sept.15 from 8 a. m. to 3 p.m. at Family Court Campus/Child Haven, 701 North Pecos, Las Vegas, Red Rock Training Room – 701 Building K2. The focus of the Summit will be developing effective methods to reduce school truancy and juvenile delinquency rates in Clark County. Effective programming for schools, school/police diversion programs, positive school climate, restorative practices, early warning systems, trauma informed classrooms and judicially led school justice partnerships will be the priorities of the day.
Truancy and school dropout are viewed as a gateway to crime and a lifetime of challenges. The Clark County School District is the fifth largest school district in the U.S., serving more than 300,000 students at 358 schools. The district reports alarmingly high dropout and teen pregnancy rates. “Everyday we see teens in court who started out skipping school and progressively go down the path to serious crime,” said Juvenile Court Judge William Voy. “This summit is a way to discuss best-practices that work to address the growing crisis of pathways to criminal activity with our community youth.”
Those who have been working this issue in the trenches will share their knowledge including: Judge Steven Teske, Clayton County, Georgia will present proven strategies used in Georgia to reduce truancy rates and the impact on referrals to the juvenile justice system including: Kevin Bethel, Retired Deputy Police Commissioner, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, currently of Center for Children’s Law and Policy; Theresa Bohannan, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and Kori Hamilton, Educational Specialist, National School Climate Center.
A panel discussion of Las Vegas leaders will discuss the efforts of community agencies to reduce truancy rates and juvenile court referrals with community leaders including: District Court Judge William Voy; Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson; Dr. Tammy Malich, Asst. Superintendent CCSD; Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani.
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is the nation’s oldest judicial membership organization and focused on improving the effectiveness of our nation’s juvenile and family courts. A leader in continuing education opportunities, research, and policy development in the field of juvenile and family justice, the 2,000-member organization is unique in providing practice-based resources to jurisdictions and communities nationwide.
“}