Press Releases

Press Releases

Cane Ridge High School Launches Youth Court

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Apr 15, 2013

Student Court Will Hear Peers’ Truancy and Disorderly Conduct Cases

NASHVILLE, April 15, 2013 -- The Academy of Law at Cane Ridge High School is launching a youth court program, the Cane Ridge Restorative Court, in collaboration with the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA), Metropolitan Nashville Juvenile Court, Metro-Student Attendance Center (M-SAC), and the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Student Services department. The installation ceremony for student court members will be Tuesday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Cane Ridge High School auditorium.
 
The Cane Ridge Restorative Court is launching after a full school year of planning and training.  The TBA’s Tennessee Youth Court Program, through a grant from the Memorial Foundation, has been the leader in this collaboration.

“The Juvenile Court and M-SAC have worked hard to develop processes to move cases meeting certain criteria to the youth court.  For the remainder of the current school year, the Cane Ridge Restorative Court will handle truancy cases referred by M-SAC and the Juvenile Court,” said Lance Lott, Cane Ridge Academy Coach.  Four dockets are planned between April 18 and the end of May.

The Academy of Law at Cane Ridge High School is in its third year. Its mission is to provide an integrated project-based curriculum giving students the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for success in their post-secondary education experiences and in law-related careers.

M-SAC is operated by the Metro Nashville Juvenile Court in partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Metro Nashville Police Department with the goal of decreasing truancy rates in Nashville schools by addressing root causes.

The Tennessee Youth Court Program spans the state with 11 operational youth courts and five emerging courts in 15 counties. This juvenile delinquency prevention and intervention program, boasting a 93 percent success rate, is for first-time juvenile offenders who accept responsibility for low-level offenses. A jury of their peers determines the youthful offender’s sentence. Learn more about the program at www.tba.org/info/youth-courts.