INDIANAPOLIS - It's as real as it gets at one IPS magnet high school. Students are there to learn about the law, and they're doing it in a very realistic setting.
It's just another day in court at Shortridge Magnet High School. On this day, a student stands trial for bullying, accused of insulting two female classmates and a teacher.
Nigel Long is the prosecutor in the case.
"Is this really the kind of student we want at Shortridge, somebody who picks on someone?" Long asked.
DaeVon Mann is a defense attorney.
"It is very real. We get to decide if this person stay in school or gets expelled. So that's real. Period," said Mann, a sophomore.
Even the teacher in the case. takes the stand to testify against the student "because it was a repeated offense to one of the girls, it seemed more of a bullying than a teasing or harassing charge."
Shortridge put this program together to give its students a real-life sense of what its like in the courtroom. It's not a mock trial. The outcome is real.
Just like a real trial, the victim in the case is called to testify.
"He was making fun of me in gym. And he said I was fat and I just needed to go home," she said.
The accused also takes the stand.
DaeVon Mann asks tough questions: "You know why you're here, correct? Can you please tell me why? You say you were talking about things because you thought it was funny? How would you feel if someone was talking about you to make somebody else laugh?"
Jurors deliberated for about 15 minutes and delivered their verdict.
"We decided to have him give a written apology," one of the jurors explained.
The jury also ordered community service, and attendance at a future session on bullying.
Students say not only is this version of school justice eye-opening, but it is guiding them to a future in the legal profession.
Got an idea for our series? Email Bruce Kopp.
