Our middle school client was in juvenile detention when we first met. Though he had an extensive disciplinary history at several schools, his family was eager and determined to support him in accessing educational opportunities to, one day, achieve his goal of high school graduation. His recent juvenile justice involvement and behavioral challenges made it difficult for schools to give him a fair chance without “judging a book by its cover”.

We listened carefully to the family’s priorities, and quickly understood that, though the court favored a residential school option, our client and his family want to stay together.

We advocated for our client in juvenile court and at his first IEP after leaving juvenile hall. We strategically assured the school district of our client’s new convictions and academic goals as well as his success as a “model student” within juvenile hall.

The school district was impressed with his progress and eager to support a student with the dedication to “turn his life around”. We continue to support him and his family in finding him a school placement and connecting him to all the resources available for a student as capable as he is.

In the future, he hopes to become a juvenile defense attorney to help kids who “are going through tough times” like he has.

Winter 2025 Clinical Team: Sara Sarmiento and Jiou Choi