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Angelina Garcia, a second grader at a Detroit public school, had accrued 29
unexcused absences when her mother received a letter from Angelina’s school
inviting her to attend truancy prevention mediation as an alternative to the
school’s filing a truancy petition with the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney.
Mrs. Garcia arrived at the school on the morning of the mediation feeling angry
and frustrated. She quickly let the mediators, the school principal, and
attendance coordinator know that she was not about to send her daughter to
school if it meant jeopardizing her safety. Upon further questioning by the
mediators, the mother, through her tears, explained that she had been raped by a
neighbor as a young girl while walking in her neighborhood and that her goal was
to protect her only daughter at all costs. The mother explained she had a
serious health condition that meant she could not get out of bed on some days
due to unbearable pain, and on those days she could not walk her daughter to
school. She was a single mom with no car, and the neighborhoods that Angelina
has to traverse to get to school are dangerous due to high gang and criminal
activity. They lived too close to the school to qualify for school bus
transportation, but their home is a 6-7 block distance from the school
nonetheless. So, on the days when Mrs. Garcia was unable to get out of bed,
Angelina stayed home, rather than walk to and from school alone.
The school staff, upon hearing Mrs. Garcia’s concerns in the mediation
conference, began brainstorming to find a way to get Angelina to school every
day. The attendance coordinator offered to look into finding another family in a
nearby neighborhood who might be able to help with transportation, but because
of the mother’s fears and concerns about sending her daughter off with strangers
from the neighborhood, this was not an acceptable solution. The principal then
contacted the school administration to obtain a special waiver for bus
transportation for Angelina. The principal discussed the impact the absences
were having on Angelina’s academic progress and she also talked with Mrs. Garcia
about the safety measures the school takes with children during the school day,
how they are supervised at recess, during before and after school programs, and
about her concerns that Angelina may feel over-protected by her mom as she
grows. Mrs. Garcia agreed and began to cry again. The family was offered the
option of parenting counseling by a social service agency partnering with the
Wayne Mediation Center truancy prevention mediation program, which Mrs. Garcia
agreed to contact if she feels the need to talk to someone about her fears and
concerns for her daughter in the future.
Although the names of the parties were changed in the above example, this was
an actual case that was mediated in Southwest Detroit by Wayne Mediation Center
mediators. Family and school problems benefit from the use of mediation for
several reasons. Mediation provides a “safe” and neutral forum for parties to
air their frustrations and concerns and to hear those of others. Mediation is
able to address issues quickly so that problems are not left to “fester.” In the
case of truancy issues, the school, parents, student are partners in finding a
solution to the problems preventing attendance, saving important days, weeks,
even months of learning and educational opportunities that would otherwise be
missed.
$55 can cover the cost of staffing several truancy mediations.
Roger and Samuel came to the Center by way of referral from a Wayne County
judge. Samuel was being charged for reckless use of a firearm. This dispute
started over a parking space. Roger asked Samuel to move his car from in front
of Roger’s house and when Samuel refused the two began to argue. The argument
ended when Samuel pulled out his gun and fired a shot in the air. When the
parties arrived at mediation neither were confident that they would reach an
agreement.
Roger and Samuel grew up in the same neighborhood. They had never been
friends but knew of each other. Ten years prior to the mediation they had an
altercation that forged a grudge between the two ever since. For the past ten
years then, whenever they crossed paths there was ‘bad blood.’ Tension between
the two only escalated with time. At mediation they were able to discuss the
past incidents. It was important to them that they share that they were no
longer the person they were ten years ago. Each apologized for their part in
their troubled past.
Additionally, they found out that each valued their family above all else.
They each had straightened themselves out and were raising families. Nothing,
they said, was more important to them than caring for and protecting their
families. They did not leave best friends but they left understanding that they
had similar values and similar priorities. Without this mediation however, said
one of the parties, the next time we met someone was probably going to get hurt
or killed.
At the end of the mediation the men shook hands and agreed to move forward in
mutual respect.
$117.00 covers one party’s costs for many types of mediations. Your donation
supports our efforts in offering professional mediation as an alternative to
other more adversarial forms of conflict management for those who otherwise
would not have this opportunity.
Sam, an 11-year old boy, had lived in the same foster home for 4 years. At
the time his foster mother first considered adoption, Sam objected and said he
wasn’t ready to be adopted. His foster mother decided to give him time, respect
his wishes, and let Sam know he was welcome to live with her as long as he
wanted and that she wouldn’t force him into a relationship he wasn’t ready for.
Nonetheless, Sam’s case was on a track toward permanency and the purchase of
service agency began to search for other adoptive placements when the foster
mother indicated she was not willing to adopt him at that time. Sam’s maternal
aunt was located. She had lost track of Sam before his parents’ rights were
terminated. When Sam’s aunt discovered that he was eligible for adoption, and
learned that his foster mother was refusing to adopt Sam, she filed a petition
to adopt him. Around that time, Sam decided adoption by his foster mother would
be okay, so she also petitioned for adoption. Both homes were approved, and
Michigan Children's Institute (MCI) was charged with choosing between the foster
home where Sam had lived so long and the relative aunt with whom he had had a
relationship when he was younger. During this process, the foster mom and aunt,
who were now engaged in a ‘competition’ for Sam, became quite critical of one
another, even though they had never met. The aunt was convinced that Sam’s
foster mom didn’t really want him enough to adopt him, but had filed her
petition out of spite only after she heard about the aunt’s intent. The foster
mom wondered why the aunt hadn’t expressed interest earlier but decided to come
forward in the eleventh hour when Sam was about to be adopted by his foster mom.
The case was referred to mediation with MCI willing to accept any decision the
foster mother and aunt made with the hope that the situation might improve
enough that Sam could have future contact with these two women who both cared
about him.
The adoption worker and additional workers from two agencies attended the
first meeting, along with the foster mother and aunt. There were three meetings
before the case was resolved but between meetings, Sam met with his aunt and
foster mother for dinner in a restaurant and again at his foster home. The aunt
quickly realized that Sam was happy, well cared for, and really wanted to stay
in his foster home. Both the aunt and foster mother came to understand that the
assumptions they had initially made about one another were not accurate and that
each had good, loving reasons for their eleventh hour decisions to file adoption
petitions.
By the second meeting, the aunt and foster mother were riding together to the
mediation. By the third meeting, they had met with Sam and his therapist prior
to the mediation, and the aunt had let Sam know that she would withdraw her
petition, because she wanted to do what would make him happiest and she also
made sure he understood that she was not turning her back on him and that she
would always be available for him and would always consider him a member of her
family too.
At the final mediation session, they made a good faith, non-enforceable
agreement that it was in Sam’s best interest to continue Sam’s relationship with
his aunt and arranged a plan for scheduling for future visits with Sam and his
aunt and included her in plans for Sam’s upcoming birthday celebration. The aunt
agreed to withdraw her petition and Sam was adopted by his foster mother.
$475 would support all services to this child from referral to our intensive
intake by a trained professional through to the mediation(s).
Mediation can change lives and the Center’s mediations affect the lives of
those in your own community. Your donation will help support a process that
works to resolve the actual issue in dispute. Because of this, mediations create
permanent solutions and furthers peaceful resolution more than any other type of
resolution process. |