Alongside educational and judicial stakeholders, Chatham County Schools created and signed a Justice Partnership agreement, with the goal of implementing effective strategies to address student misconduct.
Produced in collaboration with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney and District Court system, the CCS Justice Partnership was signed on Jan. 30 by members of the Chatham County Board of Education, Chatham Board of Commissioners Chairperson Karen Howard, Sheriff Mike Roberson, District Attorney Jeff Nieman, Judge Samantha Cabe, Judge Todd Roper, Public Defender Woodrena Baker-Harrell, Chief Court Counselor Amanda Farris and other local officials.
“This is an opportunity to enhance our community collaboration even further and keep youth in schools receiving their education,” Farris told the News + Record. “When school misconduct is addressed in a timely manner and in a tiered approach it can reduce suspensions and help students succeed. I believe this is the goal of the school system and all agencies who are partnering in this initiative.”
Like other similar agreements signed across the state, Justice Partnerships work to reduce the number of suspensions, expulsions and referrals to the justice system.
According to the N.C. Judicial Branch, School Justice Partnerships (SJP) aim to keep students out of the court system and in the classroom by finding alternative pathways for behavioral and social issues. The North Carolina Judicial Branch launched a statewide goal in 2017 to create similar partnerships in all 100 counties in the state. Chatham is the latest to sign its partnership, joining more than 40 counties.
“Chatham County Schools has had a long-standing commitment with the court system and juvenile justice to provide additional support for students,” said Gary Leonard, chairperson of the school board. “The district, law enforcement and the judicial system have a shared interest in and responsibility to work to reduce student suspensions, expulsions and referrals to the justice system.”
Last school year, Juvenile Justice diverted or closed 58 Chatham County school-based complaints after ensuring appropriate resources were in place and approved 28 complaints for court, Farris said.
“The SJP is an opportunity to reduce the number of referrals that Juvenile Justice receives on the low-risk youth and serve those youth in schools and through community programs, rather than in the courts, in a timely approach,” she added.
A 2021 study from the Center for Court Innovation found an initial school suspension increased the likelihood of subsequent arrests, failure to advance academically and failure to graduate. Students of color were overrepresented in those measures. Black students made up 45% of all students with a formal disciplinary incident, despite comprising just 29% of the overall population in the study.
Research from the N.C. Judicial Branch also shows negative impacts from suspensions and expulsions on learning outcomes, attendance and future behavior. A 2020 study of seven N.C. districts with SJPs showed an average of 20% decrease in “school-related offenses,” meaning any offense by a student that involves school property, another student, staff members or at a school-sanctioned event.
Statewide, school-based offenses have increased by 10% in North Carolina since 2017, according to data from the N.C. Judicial Branch. In schools with SJPs, however, those offenses have decreased significantly. Three counties — Person, Warren and Gates — have seen more than an 80% decrease in offenses.
“Working together using effective strategies, we can change outcomes for less serious behaviors that will preserve safety and order in our schools while helping our students and the community,” Leonard said.
The signing of the agreement in CCS is timely. A 2022 report from the National Center for Education Statistics found 87% of public schools nationwide reported COVID-19 negatively impacted student socio-emotional development during the 2021–22 school year. Similarly, 84% of public schools agreed or strongly agreed that students’ behavioral development has also been negatively impacted.
Implementing SJPs is a priority of local leaders, law enforcement and court officials, and has been prioritized by Gov. Roy Cooper.
“Our communities must engage with kids to help keep them in school and out of jail,” Cooper said in a statement in 2019. “I have directed the Juvenile Justice Section of the Department of Public Safety to help with implementing School Justice Partnerships across North Carolina.”
In August 2019, Cooper’s administration and the N.C. Office of the Courts created a toolkit to help districts across the state implement SJPs. The toolkit is built on the idea that most student misconduct is best addressed through classroom, in-school, family, and community support strategies. It finds maintaining a positive climate within the school serves as better support for students than involvement of the justice system.
Nieman, the district attorney for Chatham and Orange, agreed. He said signing the partnership was an important part of “a statewide effort to reduce criminal justice involvement among youth and keep kids in school.”
Praise for the agreement also came from local law enforcement.
“The school system, the Sheriff’s Office, and the court system have a duty to protect all students from violence,” Roberson said. “I’m glad to work with the school system and through our School Resource Officers to better serve and do what’s in the best interest of the students in the county.”
Farris added she believes the partnership will allow for increased support between the Juvenile Justice program and local law enforcement through consultations and recommendations on community programming to reduce criminal referrals for students.
Farris said the Chatham SJP plans to meet soon to discuss next steps for the SJP and identify areas of focus. For more information about SJPs visit www.nccourts.gov/programs/school-justice-partnership.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Amanda Farris as Judge Samantaha Cabe. The photo caption has been updated to reflect that Ms. Farris is in the photograph. The News + Record apologizes for this error.
Reporter Ben Rappaport can be reached at brappaport@chathamnr.com or on Twitter @b_rappaport