Director of Education Advocacy for the EdLaw Project at YAD, Marlies Spanjaard, joined a panel of other juvenile justice experts at a Legislative Briefing hosted by State Representative Kay Khan (D-Newton) and Senator Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) on September 19, 2017, at the State House.
The panel addressed an audience of mostly legislative aides and other staffers who were interested in becoming better informed about Rep. Khan and Senator Spilka’s Juvenile Omnibus bills. Atty. Spanjaard concentrated her remarks on disturbing school assembly and why the current law should be amended. She offered examples of the types of incidents that cause our clients to be charged with the offense as well as even more serious charges, such as the client who, after throwing Doritos at a teacher, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Others on the panel included Rebecca Pries of Mass. Alliance for Juvenile Court Clinics, Ben Struhl of The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, and Lisa Lambert of Parent/Professional Advocacy League who focused their remarks on diversion, raising the minimum and maximum age of juvenile jurisdiction, and parent-child privilege.