We speak with Melissa Svigelj-Smith, graduate fellow at University of California at Santa Cruz, about her experience teaching high school students awaiting case outcomes at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center. Meaningful communication with students’ schools about records and students’ social emotional needs was often very difficult. Ms. Svigelj-Smith talks about the ethical dilemma of wanting to advocate for improved resources for students without wanting more money to go into a system that kids should not be in in the first place. And in many cases, in Cleveland and throughout the country, prosecutors charge children as adults depriving them of any access whatsoever to educational resources.
Overview
00:00-00:45 Intros
00:45-04:01 Young people at the juvenile detention center
04:01-05:30 Structure of the educational program
05:30-07:51 School of One
07:51-11:51 Communication with high schools about student needs
11:51-13:40 Offering social emotional support within the detention center
13:40-14:37 Cultural responsiveness; effects of Ohio’s high-stakes testing
14:37-16:24 Interactions with students’ families
16:24-17:02 Transitions back to high schools
17:02-17:47 Mentorship
17:47-22:00 Ethical issues
22:00-25:13 Ending adjudication of young people to adult jails
25:13- Outro
Soundtrack by Poddington Bear
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