June 2021
Full Court Press is the newsletter of the University of Baltimore School of Law Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC).
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CFCC's Truancy Court Program Experienced Success Despite Covid-19 Pandemic |
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By Barbara A. Babb
CFCC’s Truancy Court Program (TCP) concluded the 2020-2021 academic year, and what a year it was! The TCP Team commemorated its 15-year track record of helping students stay in school and improve their academic performance. We also faced unprecedented challenges, including learning to navigate a virtual environment during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like so many others, we experienced our share of difficulties, but we also discovered many reasons to appreciate the resiliency of the TCP and the students and families served by the program.
This issue of Full Court Press shares what we have learned during Covid-19 and reflects on the success of the TCP through the words of Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yvette M. Bryant, who has volunteered with the TCP for more than five years. I hope you can learn about the TCP through her valuable insights.
Barbara A. Babb is the Founder and Director of the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts.
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How CFCC Adapted the TCP During Covid-19
During the 2020-2021 school year, CFCC’s Truancy Court Program (TCP) operated virtually in six Baltimore City schools: Furley Elementary School, Mt. Royal Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore Design School (Middle/High School), Academy of College and Career Exploration (ACCE Middle/High School), Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School, and The Belair-Edison Middle School.
Conducting the TCP Virtually
When the TCP operates in person, students meet together in one large room for a restorative circle with the TCP Mentor and University of Baltimore law students. TCP students leave the circle one at a time to meet individually with the TCP Judge, the TCP Coordinator, and school personnel. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have modeled this approach virtually through breakout rooms on Zoom. TCP students have remained together in the main Zoom room in restorative circles, while individual students have met with the TCP Team at the virtual “table” in a breakout room. Individual tutoring sessions also have occurred in separate breakout rooms.
While at times difficult because of connectivity issues and background noise, Zoom offered some unexpected and wonderful surprises. Because they were at home, TCP students were able to show the TCP Team personal items important to them. Parents often were able to participate fully in the TCP sessions from home or work. The virtual platform also provided a space for students to visit friends and family they were unable to see. These connections were central to our work this year in order for students to achieve academic success.
Lessons in Flexibility
CFCC Student Fellows (second- and third-year University of Baltimore law students enrolled in the CFCC Student Fellows Program course) who participated in the TCP this year had more flexibility. They were able to assist in multiple schools, as well as to increase the number of tutoring sessions. The virtual sessions also helped Student Fellows understand TCP students’ home circumstances better. For example, they were able to understand what it is like to be learning at home as the oldest of nine siblings. Read more about that here!
Flexibility also was required to celebrate TCP Graduations this year. CFCC staff hand delivered goody bags to all of our graduating students – just one more way to connect and to congratulate them on their hard work during this extraordinary time.
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Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yvette Bryant Reflects on Her TCP Experience
At CFCC’s 20th Anniversary Virtual Celebration, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yvette Bryant reflected on her five-plus years as a volunteer judge in CFCC’s Truancy Court Program (TCP). Judge Bryant was Judge-in-Charge of Baltimore City’s Family Division from 2009 to 2017 and continues to serve on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
My remarks will certainly be brief because you have gotten an overview of the Truancy Court Program. I became involved in 2010 simply because I was asked. It was important to me to become involved because, having served in both the general family court and the juvenile court, I began to see that education was certainly a key to getting some of these children moving forward and out of a system of dysfunction.
I went into the program expecting to see children who were just disaffected and disinterested in education, and what I found instead were children who were struggling with monumental roadblocks to success that most adults would not be able to handle. Things such as having to drop off multiple siblings at school before they could even get there themselves. Things like not having a place to sleep. Things like not being able to go to a dollar store to buy supplies for school. These children wanted to learn and were very engaged in the program.
I thought it was important for the judiciary to become involved because I wanted the children to see another side of the judiciary, the side that cares and has an interest in their success. Many of them have negative views of the court because of family circumstances and how the environment has impacted them.
There is a lightbulb moment with these children that makes the program just a joy in my heart. Sometimes, we are the first people in these children’s world to say, “You can,” instead of “You can’t.” We are the first people to say, “You are worthy and capable” instead of “You are incapable and you will never be anything.” I can’t begin to thank the program enough for the value it adds to the community.
These children are bright, and they are capable, but the environment, again, has dragged them into a cesspool, in some respects, and they just need a hand up. That is where the holistic and therapeutic approach has its most value. The staff worked tirelessly to address the children’s needs with whatever they need. The social workers, the attorneys, the tutors are all remarkably engaged with these children. They know them like the back of their hands. And sometimes for these children, the time around the table during the weekly session is the most attention they’ve received. And that is where they learn they matter, sometimes.
So, I want to thank the program for what it means to the City of Baltimore. I can’t begin to tell you how much of a difference you make. When that lightbulb goes off, there is no better feeling. That is the moment in which they say, “I can.” I have seen children go from straight D's to A's and B's in a matter of weeks, simply because of the work that goes on around the table, and I believe that it will continue to have that impact well into the future. I hope to be able to be a part of that as the future moves on. So, thank you again for your service, thank you, Professor Babb, for pulling me in. I really appreciate the time I have had to spend with the program.
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Star Player Award Goes to Furley Elementary Social Worker Carla Simon |
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Furley Elementary School Social Worker Carla Simon is the recipient of the 2021 Anthony “Bubba” Green Star Player Award.
This award, created by CFCC in 2019, honors the memory of Bubba Green, who served as the Truancy Court Program (TCP) Mentor for many years. The award is given annually to an individual associated with the TCP who best exemplifies Bubba’s commitment to tackle new challenges and persevere in the face of adversity.
Carla Simon works closely and continuously with the TCP staff to coordinate and implement the activities of the program. She communicates in detail the issues and needs of Furley students and families enrolled in the TCP. Ms. Simon always engages fully during the weekly sessions with the TCP Judge and the TCP team. Ms. Simon is an effective and dedicated TCP partner.
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As a part of University of Baltimore law students’ participation in the second semester of the CFCC Student Fellows Program course, two Student Fellows prepared fact sheets highlighting areas of family law. Digital copies are available for download below.
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Rates of domestic violence around the world have risen throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. CFCC Student Fellow, Neha Khan, created the following fact sheets that examine how technology affects domestic violence:
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CFCC Student Fellow, Jillianne Crescenzi, created "Therapeutic Jurisprudence in the Courts" as a quick guide for how anyone working within a family court system can practice from a Therapeutic Justice lens! Download it here.
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Visit CFCC's 20th Anniversary Wall |
Did you miss CFCC's 20th Anniversary celebration on April 8th?
If so, we invite you to visit CFCC's 20th Anniversary Wall, to view CFCC’s history and ongoing work through a collection of photos, videos, and articles. You will find a highlight of CFCC's Truancy Court Program for which we are also celebrating its 15th Anniversary.
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Authors Barbara A. Babb and Judith D. Moran envision the family court as a "care center" and make a compelling case that reforms to the family justice system are necessary to achieve positive, long-lasting outcomes for families and children.
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CFCC's Truancy Court Program Toolkit, Second Edition provides a step-by-step guide on how to start and maintain an effective truancy reduction program. The Toolkit can be adapted to suit individual schools or entire jurisdictions.
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About CFCC
The Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) promotes policies and practices that unite families, communities and the justice system to improve the lives of children and families and the health of communities. CFCC advocates the use of therapeutic jurisprudence, the understanding that the legal system has an effect on behavior, emotions and mental health.
CFCC is led by Barbara A. Babb, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law; Founder and Director of the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts; Director of the Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law program at the University of Baltimore School of Law; and Editor-in-Chief of Family Court Review, published by Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.
CFCC Staff and Contributors
Rebecca Stahl, CFCC Deputy Director; Michele Hong, CFCC Program Manager; Arion Alston, Truancy Court Program Mentor; Spencer Hall, Truancy Court Program Coordinator; Katrice Williams, CFCC Program Administrative Specialist.
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