TRUANCY INTERVENTION PROJECT
TIP Celebrates Its 10,000th Case
by Caren Cloud Truancy Intervention Project Georgia ccloud @ truancyproject. org
Now in our 25th year, TIP recently reached its milestone 10,000th case. In recognition of her passion for advocating for youth and her past work with TIP the case was offered to, and accepted by, Mary Alexander Myers.
Mary Alexander is an associate at Jones Day and a five year Truancy Intervention Project volunteer. At Jones Day, Mary Alexander’ s practice focuses on a range of cybersecurity and data privacy matters. She counsels clients on data privacy issues, outsourcing transactions, technology, and other related matters. Mary uses those same counseling skills to advocate for and advise her TIP clients to increase their opportunities for success. She has also been instrumental in helping TIP recruit quality volunteers from the Jones Day ranks and Atlanta legal community.
Among her previous cases was one with a particularly successful outcome. Priscilla Jones * was charged with truancy and referred to the
Truancy Intervention Project in 2013. TIP volunteer attorney Mary Alexander agreed to work with the high school sophomore and, after meeting with Priscilla and talking with school personnel, Mary Alexander realized that returning to the traditional school environment would only worsen the young woman’ s struggles. After researching alternatives, Mary Alexander successfully advocated for Priscilla and won the juvenile court’ s acceptance of a somewhat novel solution-enrollment for Priscilla in a public, on-line high school. Priscilla is now successfully working toward her high school diploma and is employed part time at a local business. In 2014, Priscilla’ s case was closed and according to Mary Alexander,“ She is a happy and successful student again with a real vision for her future.” A future, it turns out, in which she wants to be a journalist.
Thanks again to Mary Alexander Myers and Jones Day for their investments of time and talent over the years! * Not real name
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34 February 2017