March 11, 2005

Legal Studies Academy

Exposing students to different angle of legal system

By Andrea Boyd Ball
Times Intern

The media often paints a picture of teenagers as disrespectful, driving recklessly or skateboarding everywhere they shouldn’t.

David Rosenblatt, lead teacher for the Legal Studies Academy, poses with Silver Creek sophomore Jami-Lin Batoon, who took the Law and Society class.

Teens simply feel they’re being hassled by grown ups and picked up by the authorities for no reason other than existing. Either way, teens too often end up seeing the legal system from the defendant’s side of the table.

Silver Creek High School instills a different philosophy through the Legal Studies Academy (LSA), a magnet program within the East Side Union High School District.

The idea is to teach youth about the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, while enhancing their critical thinking skills. The anticipated outcome is creating citizens who can better resolve conflicts and engage in more reasoned discussion about society and democracy.

“The program is about socialization, preparing students so they can function in society,” said David Rosenblatt, lead teacher for the Legal Studies magnet program and mock trial team coach.

For all ESUHSD students
Magnet programs allow any student within the district to participate in a specific course of instruction regardless of the official attendance boundaries of that school.

The Legal Studies Academy is a four-year academic program that allows students to meet their high school graduation requirements while attending classes enriched with information about the law and civil discourse.

For example, during a U.S. history class, a colonial unit might include learning about the Salem Witch Trials by holding a mock trial rather than simply listening to a lecture or reading about it. An English teacher in the Legal Studies Academy may have students read literature that focuses on the rights of persons within a democracy.

The LSA curriculum provides students with a practical education about the law and democracy using techniques that encourage cooperation and emphasize personal responsibility.

There are two very popular components among students in the program. The first is the Law and Society class, where students study the details of the law through active participation in mock trials. In the second, the Forensics class, students learn the science of collecting, examining and interpreting evidence for presentation in a court of law.

SCU provides profs
Santa Clara University Law School works cooperatively with the academy through its Street Law Program by providing second- and third-year law students the opportunity to teach law-related subjects twice per week to the Law and Society class.

An additional bonus to the program and school is the authentic courtroom Rosenblatt built over summer. Students may use it for both mock trials and as a peer court where minor on-campus student offenses can be heard.

The Legal Studies Academy’s Forensics class taught by Mark Okuda is another benefit to students. This class provides students hands-on experience examining physical evidence related to a crime, including fingerprints and proper DNA collection techniques.

Student interest in forensics has grown to such a degree that ESUHSD awarded the status of magnet program to an expanded Forensic Science curriculum this semester.

Applications
Getting into the program is as simple as submitting an application to Silver Creek. During the freshman outreach period, Silver Creek representatives visit East Side feeder schools explaining all the curriculum options, including the Legal Studies Magnet Program and offering applications for admission.

Students who apply to the program may be interviewed by Rosenblatt to help him determine collective career interests and bring in appropriate resources as the budget allows, but almost no students are turned away from the program.

Once in the academy, students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average, which is monitored regularly. Those who struggle with the curriculum may opt for tutoring before more drastic steps are taken.

Junior Philip Cauley and sophomore Ronnilynn “Jami-Lin” Batoon are two students in the Legal Studies Academy who recently served as co-defense lawyers in a mock burglary case. While Philip aggressively cross-examined the witness, all the students in the courtroom were engrossed in the exchange.

Afterward, when asked about his keen interest in the program, Cauley said, “I’m going to pursue a career in law enforcement in the military.”

Jami-Lin said she thought the Law and Society class would help her in applying to college.

The Legal Studies Academy is jointly funded by a Specialized Secondary Program grant from the California Department of Education and ESUHSD. Program staff is uncertain whether budget cuts at the state or local level will impact the program during the next academic year.