Bellevue School District v. E.S.

Juvenile Law Center submitted an amicus brief in the Washington Supreme Court in the case of Bellevue School District v. E.S., supporting the Washington Court of Appeals ruling that a student has a due process right to counsel at the initial hearing of a truancy proceeding under juvenile court jurisdiction.  

Juvenile Law Center’s amicus brief highlighted the prevailing trend among states to secure counsel for children in truancy proceedings and argued that the complex sociological causes of truancy, as well as the potential collateral consequences of adjudication, require representation by counsel in truancy proceedings.

The Washington Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals.