Nationwide — A Michigan judge has sentenced an African American teenage girl named Grace to Juvenile Detention for not completing her online coursework when her school switched to remote learning because of the pandemic. Ironically, Grace and her mom live in a predominantly white community in the Detroit suburbs where a disproportionate amount of Black youth are often sent to the juvenile justice system.
According to ProPublica, Grace who has ADHD, had been on probation but had not broken any laws since being released. However, the judge still ruled that she had violated probation because of the missing homework assignments.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” her mom has said.
Many attorneys and advocates in Michigan agree. Most say that they have never heard of another case involving “the detention of a child for failing to meet academic requirements after schools closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Even Ricky Watson Jr., executive director of the National Juvenile Justice Network is confused. He comments, “Who can even be a good student right now? Unless there is an urgent need, I don’t understand why you would be sending a kid to any facility right now and taking them away from their families with all that we are dealing with right now.”
Meanwhile, Grace’s mom is working hard to get her daughter released, but so far, with little success.