Student Courts Purpose

Structure is needed for a well rounded community. It is important for our students to know the do’s and don’ts of the schools policy, to implant the structure of rules into our minds. The world we live in, the people who surround us, the ones we grow to know should be aware of the wrongs of life. In my opinion, student court inside of high school is an excellent start. What better way to express the consequences of the negative actions of a student than student court?
The purpose of Student Court is to relieve some of the time used by people in administration in handling minor disciplinary violations. The goal of Student Court is to actually help students achieve more responsible, healthy, and productive lifestyles. It also gives students knowledge of the legal and judicial system in the whole process. Student Court helps the student involved to realize how their behavior has negatively impacted the school, their classmates, the schools environment, as well as help them acknowledge that impact and want to make up for the situation. It also gives YHS high School students a high role in their own school environment by allowing them to decide each other’s fate when violating school policy. Ypsilanti High Schools student court doesn’t only give our students the chance to think about careers in law, but it allows them to see a better way of handling a problem. I myself participated in a few student court cases and in my honest opinion it’s a whole different process. From my experiences of being a juror, I feel that students involved as well as the respondent take it very seriously, after each question the respondent is asked, there is a thoughtful response. The experience also gave me a voice to speak my opinion and ask important questions.
I believe that the students who participate in student court are not only learning how to occupy their time and be more productive, responsible students, but they’re also learning how to take responsibility for their own actions. Another thing about student court is that it is all about restoring the relationships that were harmed instead of just punishing the students. Ypsilanti High Schools student court helps to give our students an opportunity to gain hands-on knowledge of the court system process. The History of YHS Student Court
The program started in January of 2011 at the Global Leadership and Public Policy Academy and Improvisational Academy for the Arts at Ypsilanti High School. Cooley Law School and Dean Joan Vestrand have partnered with the Ypsilanti Public Schools to create the Ypsilanti High School Student Court. Vestrand created the Ypsilanti High School Student Court based on her position as a judge for a teen court in Lansing that handles violent crime cases committed by teens. Vestrand worked on setting up the court in Ypsilanti High School by using a template of some sort from the Lansing Teen Court, and then introduced it to YHS administrators. Vestrand had assistance from Mike Botke, the director of the teen court in Lansing, and members of the Moot Court Club and Mock Trial club on Cooley’s campus. It took all the season of Fall to create the priciple for the program to bring to a high school setting.

The Student Court was once ran during school from 12:47 p.m. to 2:22 p.m., but is now held from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Each case can take up to 30 minutes with a minimum of six and a maximum of eight jurors. Students have the choice of whether to participate in the case or not but are excused from serving if they know the respondent in any case. Juries can hand down verdicts such as community service, a formal apology to offending, restitution and personal or family counseling.

The principles’ of Ypsilanti High School provide the law students of Cooley with student violation cases, they then act as the accountability mentor and support the respondent through the whole case until its completion. Cooley students also serve as the judge and jury overseer. The role of the student jury in Ypsilanti High Schools Student Court is the Deliberation Process. The students then have to consider the true facts and circumstances of the case, who was affected or harmed by the defendants’ actions as well as what the defendant chose to about the course of his/her actions. The jurist job is to also deliberate and come to a conclusion on a disposition, a consequence, that is fit to the circumstances of the case that will help the defendant learn from what they have done. Accountability also has to be done in the Deliberation Process, which involves each participant in the jury to hold the defendant accountable for their actions by increasing their understanding of the harm they had caused, also giving them an opportunity to mend the problem.
Conclusion
Student Court has been the most substantial, learning experience during the process of completing my Senior Project. I feel as though it is one of the most beneficial ways of structure in Ypsilanti High School. It provides the students that participate with more of a healthy, productive education by straying them away from bad behavior inside of school. Student Court helps to display the negative impacts of the students consequences on their schools environment, their classmates and their own community. One of the most decent ways of structure for Ypsilanti High School, Student Court will continue to provide high school students a chance to be heard.

Works Cited
Administrator. "Ypsilanti High School Court Is in Session." Ann Arbor USA Blog RSS. N.p., 15 May 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
Glaspie, Samantha E., Ms. "YPSILANTI: High Schools Launch Student Court Program with Help of Cooley Law School." Heritage Newspapers. Malissa Martin, 14 May 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
Mathis, Judge Jo. "Cooley Law Students Help Teens Run Their Own Court in Ypsilanti Washtenaw County Legal News." Cooley Law Students Help Teens Run Their Own Court in Ypsilanti Washtenaw County Legal News. Detroit Legal News Publishing LLC, 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
McLemore, Jessica. "United Parents Newsletter." United Parents Newsletter. Ypsilanti High School, Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
"Student Court / Overview." Student Court / Overview. Schoolwires/Collaborative College, 1 Aug. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.