Belmont juvenile court provides programming for local schools
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BELLAIRE -- Albert Davies, judge for the Probate and Juvenile Division of the Belmont County Court of Common Pleas, discussed the programs available for Bellaire students at the Bellaire Board of Education meeting Monday.
Davies said the juvenile court has been busy kicking off several educational programs.
"A new school year is one of our busier times. Our virtual learning classroom that we operate in partnership with the school districts begins, as does our alternative school, which is a school program that we provide for schools that have suspended students," he said.
Davies said that the Parent Project also begins at the start of the school year, providing parents with advice and guidance. Crossfit for Change, a program that strives to engage probation officers with teens they work with through weekly workouts, also started early in the school year.
"A new school year provides your students the opportunity to join the Belmont County Schools Staying Cleaning Club," Davies noted.
Davies said all of these programs benefit the health, welfare and education of the youth in the community.
He said the virtual learning classroom helps students who struggle in a traditional classroom setting, noting that the program is still held in a physical classroom at Belmont-Harrison Joint Vocational School with a teacher on hand to answer questions or give the students guidance, but the students mostly work independently on a computer.
Davies said the program had 42 students last year, and 10 of those students graduated last year.
"We only had three students who did not complete the program, so that's a completion percentage of 89 percent," he said.
Davies said that about 30 students are in the program this year, and about half of them are seniors.
According to Davies, the virtual learning classroom will offer unique classes and programs for students.
"We have a mental health counselor there doing coping skills, having a coping skills group. The Belmont County Health Department is there doing life skills, and the OSU Extension is there doing a nutrition class," he said.
Davies explained that the court's alternative school program provides a place for schools to send their suspended students for the period of their suspension. The program is also held at the JVS. He said students work on their assignments during the program.
"This past school year, we had 402 suspensions that came through. The average length of the suspension was four days, and the average age of the student was 15, and that was a ninth grade level," he said.
Davies said the top three most common reasons for suspension were vaping and using dab pens, disrespectful or inappropriate behavior and fighting.
"We are trying our best to come up with new programs to address the vaping situation because it's just amazing how many folks don't have all the information about how harmful vaping is. It can lead to obviously drug use with drugs being vaped, and also nicotine, which nicotine is, I tell the kids, that's one of the most addictive drugs that we have in our country," he said.
Davies also said that he anticipates that the Staying Clean Club, which discourages students from drug use, will have approximately 2,000 student members.
"Last month, we had the car show, which raised about $40,000 for the club," he said.
Davies said this was the club's seventh year hosting the car show, and over the years about $275,000 has been raised for the club from the car show alone. He said all of the money raised goes back into the club and helps pay for drug testing kits and incentives for the students.
He said the juvenile court also brings motivational and inspirational speakers to the schools. Davies said that many of the speakers previously struggled with addiction before turning their lives around.
He said that on Nov. 2, Derek Clark, known as the "Rapping Dad," will be coming to the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling to speak to high school and possibly some middle school students from Belmont County schools.
"Derek's story is about trauma and abuse, and about mental health issues. ... Derek's life is another amazing story about recovery and overcoming some very difficult challenges in life," Davies said.
"Man, can he really, really rap, and now he does presentations and motivational speeches, where he incorporates his rap songs into his presentation. The lyrics are clean and the songs are about his life situations and how he overcame them all," he said.
For more information about Clark, visit iwillnevergiveup.com.