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A Justice System of Their Own

As sponsor of the student court, I give students the initial training for their service on the Review Board. After this orientation, students train other students throughout the school year to do different jobs in our student justice system.

If a student wants to leave the Review Board or is voted off by the rest of the board, I select someone to take his or her place. Reasons for being voted off the board include poor grades, chronic discipline problems, and violations of the Review Board Creed - in particular its confidentiality requirements. (See the accompanying sidebar for the text of the Review Board Creed.) Dismissed board members who show improvement in problem areas may be voted back onto the board.

How the Review Board works

The Review Board meets every school day during a 40-minute counseling period that has been built into the daily schedule at Lassiter. Students are referred to the board by teachers for minor infractions of the school rules (e.g., being at one's locker at the wrong time, being unprepared for class, showing disrespect, being tardy).

The student appears before the Review Board, having signed a referral to the board from his or her teacher and having agreed to abide by the board's verdict. I attend all proceedings in my capacity as sponsor to ensure that all students' rights are respected-those of board members as well as those of the accused. Any student found guilty of an infraction is assigned a probation officer who oversees the student's "rehabilitation."

The Review Board is staffed by students who serve in the following capacities:

• The chairperson calls the meeting to order and presides over the proceedings.
• The bailiff reads referrals to the board, sees that the proceedings don't run overtime, and leads the board members in reciting the Review Board Creed at the beginning of each meeting.
• A staff of four secretaries is responsible for keeping accurate records of all students who appear before the board; for taking minutes of each meeting; for reading the previous day's minutes to the board; for drawing up passes that, along with the sponsor's signature, enable a student who has appeared before the board to return to class; for calling roll; and for keeping track of the attendance of board members.
• An usher escorts defendants in and out of the hearing room and makes sure that unauthorized persons do not enter the room while a hearing is in progress.
• A keeper is responsible for staying with and supervising defendants who are waiting outside to appear before the board.
• Two or three runners make sure all students who have been referred to the board are at their hearing at the appropriate time. The runners bring the students from class, one at a time, to appear before the board. The defendant stays outside with the keeper until his or her case is called.
• Probation officers are responsible for ensuring that students found guilty of an offense are completing their punishments; the probation officer reports to the board daily on students' progress.
• Board members represent all homerooms on the team. With the exception of the keeper, whose duties keep him or her outside the hearing room, all 40 board members, even if serving that day in another capacity such as secretary or usher, hear the case and vote on the verdict.

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