It’s back to school time and Multnomah County juvenile probation officers are making sure that youth in trouble with the law make it back to class, stay out of trouble and succeed.
On Monday August 30, 2010, the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) sponsored a Back to School Night for youth who are on juvenile probation and their parents. Over 150 people attended the event, including 52 youth on probation.
The goals of the night were to get at-risk youth excited about returning to school and give them the support they need to keep attending. Research shows that a youth’s success in school is a key predictor to success on probation and avoiding future criminal activity. For parents, DCJ was creating a safe and secure environment where they could ask questions and obtain the information they need to navigate a complex school system. Guest speakers included: Judge Nan Waller; Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith; Joan Williams, Stuart Jackson and Fred Boggan from Portland Public Schools; Ed Knowles from David Douglas Schools; James Hui, Director of Secondary Education from Gresham-Barlow Schools; Michelle Markel from Parkrose Schools; and, Rick Bowman from the Reynolds Schools.
Throughout the night, Juvenile probation officers (formally known as court counselors) also distributed school supplies and served pizza to families.