Yes. Sign on to the website to access Courts Connected. This content is only for courts, and will soon feature a live Forum for courts. Once you're logged in, select Courts Connected > "Volunteer" for the Judges in the Classroom registration form.

Your choice! Sometimes teachers want lessons they've had before, or topics covered that support their curriculum. Request forms ask teachers to provide some information about the content they seek. Judges should talk to the teacher to help prepare for the visit. This helps determine the best lesson. Coordinators can help by making suggestions, too. Over time, they begin to know these lessons well. Here are some of our most popular lessons, by grade span: Elementary: No Animals Allowed Middle School: No Vehicles Allowed | Voting Rights High School: Voting Rights | Riley v. CA

Of course! Simply fill out the request form for it to appear in our system, or if you have access to the dashboard, you may input it there. If you put in general terms, we'll be able to figure it out. There's space for explaining in greater detail if you want to include the program.

We collect data on this unfortunate experience, so keeping your data in the dashboard updated is important so we can try to remediate the ghosting issue in the future. Some courts have decided to reject requests from repeat "ghosters"! After one initial attempt via email or text message goes unanswered for a few days, try again with a last call message. Sample: Hello: We notified you recently about a judge stepping forward to visit your classroom. We haven't received your confirmation. Our judges have demanding schedules, therefore must schedule their outreach accordingly. It is an important function of our court to meet students and teachers in our community, so if you're able to host this visit, please notify us within 48 hours or we'll need to move on to another opportunity.

This program is free for California public schools K-12.

Yes, our judges visit charter schools, continuation schools, afterschool programs (on a public school campus), credit recovery schools, and juvenile court schools. However, it is up to each court to determine the types of classrooms they visit, and the number of visits they're able to do each year.

You may contact the court directly for special circumstances or events that are outside a public school. Many courts do accept these requests, depending on their resources.

When you submit a request, the court in your county is notified. Court processes for coordinating their outreach efforts vary. Don't hesitate to send us an email at judicialoutreach@jud.ca.gov if your request hasn't been responded to. Once a match is identified, you will get an email or text message (depending on your preference). Please respond at your earliest convenience. It is important you confirm the date and time quickly, otherwise the resource may be assigned to another request. Some courts give one week for teachers to respond before moving on to another match.

Email POD staff at judicialoutreach@jud.ca.gov or call us at 415-865-4546. Thank you!

Of course! Our judges support a variety of scenarios, but it depends on the court. Go ahead and submit details in the request form.

Lessons are available on the Lessons Library page. You may download and use it for instruction purposes or select one for a Judges in the Classroom visit.

They currently live on the California Courts Newsroom but will soon move over to the Power of Democracy website.