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A student court is a group of students who act as the judicial branch of a student government organization. They investigate and punish their fellow students for policy violations and conflict resolution. The role of the student court varies depending on the policies established by the individual school. They can be seen at all levels of education and are especially common in schools that run along military lines. The members of the student court are selected on their merits and known for impartiality, ability to evaluate and interpret evidence, and willingness to enforce the letter of the law.
A student court is a group of students comprising the judicial branch of a student government organization. Not all student governments have a student court, and the role of the student court varies depending on the policies established by the individual school. Student courts can be seen at all levels of education, from elementary school to college, and are especially common in schools that run along military lines, as peer courts are especially popular in military justice systems.
Members of a student court may be elected by fellow students or appointed by school officials or other branches of student government. In both cases, they are selected on their merits, with members of a student court known for impartiality, ability to evaluate and interpret evidence, and willingness to enforce the letter of the law. Student courts may meet regularly to discuss various judicial matters or may be convened for specific cases.
Student courts are designed to investigate their fellow students and to punish them appropriately. The idea behind a student court is that a student body should be as self-regulated as possible, and rather than allowing punishments to be imposed by external parties such as school employees, students should be able to investigate and punish each other from within the student government framework. This independent model of student government is designed to closely mirror actual government outside the school and to promote direct student involvement in issues that impact the school.
Investigations of Honor Code violations and violations of other school policies may be conducted by a student court, with the defendant often being able to hire an attorney to help him or her navigate the justice system. Student courts also engage in conflict resolution, working to achieve amicable solutions to differences of opinion. Many of them also interpret school policies and statutes, making judgments that can be used to enforce policies consistently. Issues such as bullying, cheating, abuse, and a wide variety of other policy violations can all be handled in student court.
In a case that could be brought before a student court, a high school athlete could be accused of cheating on a science test. The student court will hear the evidence in the case and decide whether or not the athlete is guilty and, if so, what punishment should be meted out. The student court might have the power to suspend the athlete from school, force the athlete to miss several games, or, for example, kick the athlete off the team.
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