Kids Court Academy
This year will be the fourth year of the Kids Court Academy! The Kids Court Academy (KCA) will be a series of online workshops and experiences for middle and high school students to learn about civil rights and engage in deep discussions with their peers from around the state.
More information about the Kids Court Academy can be found here.
Kids Speak and Kids Court
Kids Speak
Prior to the pandemic, the CT Kids Court Essay Competition would kick off in May with Kids Speak, an event held at the University of Connecticut school of law. Kids Speak provided an opportunity for students to participate in group exercises, improvisations, debates, and to hear from a panel of experts on diversity issues, educational equity, anti-bullying, and school climate. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Kids Speak will not take place in 2024. The Kids Court Competition will proceed without a kickoff.
Kids Court
Kids Court will provide an opportunity for students to write a short essay on one of six civil rights topics. Students are not required to participate in Kids Speak in order to compete in the Kids Court Essay Competition. Students with the top essays from Middle School and the top essays from High School will be selected as finalists to present their papers remotely before a panel of judges on June 5, 2024.
This year's topics are:
| Topic: | Description: |
| #RacialJusticeEmbraceEachOther | Fighting against discrimination in all forms. How do we achieve racial equality for all races and ethnicities? |
| #VotingRights | Who should have the right to vote and why? |
| #EducationAchievementGap | Why is there a disparity in academic achievement and what can we do about it? |
| #HousingWhereDoIFitIn | What can we do to address housing access for all people, including immigrants, undocumented and marginalized people? |
| #LGBTQ+AndYou | How can we protect the LGBTQ+ community in schools? |
| #OuchBullyingHurts | How can we safely handle bullying in schools or virtually? |
The scoring rubric for the essays can be found here.
More information about the Kids Court Competition and how to submit an entry can be found here.
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