Giving a Judge New Information
On the morning of a court appearance involving one of her cases, a CASA takes a call from a school psychologist about one of the children involved in the case. The school, the custodial parent, attorneys and all other parties involved in the case had anticipated that the child, who has significant learning needs, would be accepted at the special school. The psychologist’s call alerts the CASA that finding an appropriate placement in a school that can better meet his needs is an issue that isn’t resolved. A few hours later the CASA is able to inform the judge, “CASA learned this morning the special school can’t accommodate his needs.” The judge’s attention turns immediately to the attorneys in the courtroom. The judge tells them discussions about the case will resume in a month. The judge wants information at that time because the child’s “educational plan is still in question.”
