Parent :  ” My child was arrested at school. The school searched him and made him confess. They did not notify me of what was going on.  He didn’t have a lawyer.  He’s too young to understand his rights.  This must be illegal! How can this happen?”

What you need to know:

Students in Texas, in general, do not have a right to privacy at school like a citizen would elsewhere.  Their lockers are not private, their backpacks are not private, their pockets are not private.  School staff can question them and call law enforcement.  If they believe a criminal act has occurred, law enforcement must take the child to a magistrate (usually a Justice of the Peace) to be informed of his/her rights.  At that time parents must be notified.  The magistrate can actually question the juvenile about the allegations after written notice of the child’s rights have…

Students have been jailed for water balloon fights in Wake County, NC. And 17-year-old high school senior Selina Garcia has been in adult prison there for three weeks now, following an altercation on a school bus. A coalition known as Dignity in Schools brought School Discipline Assessments for Wake County and another school system to the U.S. Capitol earlier this week seeking changes in school discipline policy and funding.

Learn more on the March 27 edition of the Education Town Hall. Guest: David T. Deal. The Education Town Hall airs weekly on We Act Radio, broadcasting from Historic Anacostia in Washington DC. Listen at 1480 AM in the DC area or via TuneIn. Pod cast available shortly after air time.

Also this week: Ward 6 Council Candidate Darrel Thompson on Education

The Centerforce Youth Court in Oakland offers youth offenders a different role in the courtroom.  The program offers an alternative to traditional juvenile justice for minor offenders, and teaches at-risk youth the basics of law.  Read an interview with a manager from Centerforce, on Youth Radio.

Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was right when she said, “there’s no place like home.” If you have ever traveled for more than two days, you understand what it’s like to long to rest on your own bed. When separated from family, children experience a sense of loss and confusion. Many arrive to their new foster home with little to no belongings. What was once familiar is now completely foreign.

Children in foster care face numerous barriers: a new home, new school and friends. In addition, they carry the loss of relationships and connections. As you can imagine, in order to help a child adjust, it’s important to be patient and understanding. Following are a couple of ideas on how to help a child adjust to a new placement:

• Reassure – Simply taking time to be talk helps reassure the child that your home is a place of…

In light of our last post on “ReMoved,” a film about foster care, we would like to share with you a foster care related event hosted by MOFAS.

On April 29, 2014, MOFAS will host “Creating Permanency for Foster and Kinship Families“, an event for parents, caregivers, and professionals. The event will discuss the challenges facing families caring for a child with difficult behaviours and offer techniques to develop solutions. For more information and contact info, see the link above.

Unfortunately, this is not an online event and is only offered in Minneapolis, so for those of you in the Minneapolis area: Enjoy!

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WANTS TO JOIN THE YOUTH UNITED WAY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM? 

WATCH OUR PROMOTIONAL VIDEO: CLICK HERE! 

TO JOIN YUW, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION IS APRIL 11, 2014!!