By Guest Authors Leslie Starr Heimov and Susan Abrams Unified Family Court Connection | Fall 2020 While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought much of the world to a halt, child welfare professionals and juvenile courts around the country have struggled to balance the critical need to function with the risks of the virus.…
By Guest Author Ramona A. Gonzalez Unified Family Court Connection | Fall 2020 The courts in the United States were forced to close their doors this year for all but emergency cases as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread across the nation with more than six million confirmed cases and over 184,000 deaths by September 1, 2020.¹…
By Guest Author Annette Burns Unified Family Court Connection | Fall 2020 Little did family law attorneys know earlier this year that their counsel tables would be reduced to a 14-inch screen on a dining room table and everything about the practice of law would be reexamined, and altered to keep everyone healthy in the…
COVID-19 and the subsequent transition to distance learning across Baltimore City has created one of the most extreme and pervasive barriers to school attendance ever confronted by CFCC’s Truancy Court Program (TCP) Team. Without the ability to meet in person with students and families, the team has pivoted to virtual assistance and support. In recognition of the…
By Katherine S. Davis As I spread out the books on the desks for the 5th graders to look over during CFCC’s Truancy Court Program (TCP) session, I was sure of one thing – before I got very far, Malik* would be by my side eagerly looking for a new book to take home. This slight-framed,…
In 2020, the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) celebrates two important milestones: the 20th anniversary of the founding of CFCC and the 15th anniversary of the Center’s largest community-based program, the Truancy Court Program. If you would like to follow this year-long celebration of CFCC’s impact and receive updates on…
It has become a commonly known concept that our brains do not completely develop until we are in our early to mid-twenties. Every state has a law recognizing that children below a certain age cannot consent to sex. Most states prevent minors from marrying, at least without parental permission. Education is compulsory until at least…
By Christelle-grace Lowe, CFCC Student Fellow (2016-2017) Zero tolerance policy is a disciplinary approach that allows school authorities to expel students from school without a thorough analysis of the reasons for the behavior that led to the expulsion. For example, under some zero tolerance policies, students found with weapons, alcohol, or drugs are automatically suspended…
By Hope Keller, Director of Communications The University of Baltimore’s Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts held its Eighth Annual Urban Child conference, “Education and the Urban Child,” on April 7, 2016. Keynote speaker James Cole Jr., general counsel of the U.S. Department of Education, discussed the importance of taking…