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New academy aims to reach students in Florida juvenile detention system

A juvenile resident sits in a classroom at the Department of Juvenile Justice's Metro Regional Youth Detention Center in Atlanta.
David Goldman
/
AP
A juvenile resident sits in a classroom at the Department of Juvenile Justice's Metro Regional Youth Detention Center in Atlanta.

Florida Virtual School will hire 190 teachers, paraprofessionals and school counselors to staff a new academy for at-risk youth in Florida’s juvenile detention system.

The new hires will staff the Florida Scholars Academy, a program for at-risk youth served by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

The in-person academy will be available to kids at all 42 DJJ residential commitment programs in the state. Classes will start July 10.

READ MORE: Florida prison reform could help people adjust to life after incarceration, reports say

Teachers interested in applying for the open positions must have a highly qualified teacher status, and be available to provide in-person instruction at DJJ facilities Monday through Friday.

Florida Virtual School said the goal of the program is to empower the more than 1,200 students in juvenile detention and to reduce recidivism rates.

“No matter the circumstances that led these students to be assigned to Department of Juvenile Justice residential commitment programs, they deserve a high-quality education,” said the Superintendent of Florida Scholars Academy, Julian Cazañas Jr.

“Our educators will meet every student where they are, providing them with the tools and skills needed to change the trajectory of their lives.”

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan found education programs like this one in prisons can reduce recidivism by 14.8%.

Read the full Mackinac Center for Public Policy study here.To apply for the open positions, click here.
Copyright 2024 WMFE

Danielle Prieur
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