GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. -- Around 40% of all juvenile justice complaints in North Carolina begin in schools. Now officials from across the state are working to reduce that.
- Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper and Chief Justice Cheri Beasley announced the release of the School Justice Partnership.
- The program is a toolkit for schools and law enforcement to decide which student behavior cases should result in arrest and which deserve more minor punishments.
- Each county will have the ability to choose which cases qualify for which consequences.
Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper and Chief Justice Cheri Beasley announced the release of the School Justice Partnership.
The program is a toolkit for schools and law enforcement to decide which student behavior cases should result in arrest and which deserve more minor punishments.
"It makes sense that when we're able to divert cases out of the juvenile court or make it such that young people can have support through their schools and with law enforcement that we try to implement those programs," Chief Justice Beasley said.
Gov. Cooper cited New Hanover County, which already has a program in place. He says they've seen a 67% reduction in court referrals.
"I look at some of the lawyers, doctors, teachers and I wonder would they be there here if they had been arrested for something as simple as a school fight?" Guilford County Superintendent Dr. Sharon Contreras said.
Each county will have the ability to choose which cases qualify for which consequences.