Summer Internship with Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

About MA Appleseed:
The Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice seeks a law student intern for the Summer of 2012. We welcome applications from law students with creativity and personal initiative who are interested in developing systemic responses to pressing issues in Massachusetts. The position will involve legal and factual research and writing. The summer intern will be supervised directly by the Executive Director. The summer intern will work closely with the Center’s staff, board members, volunteer lawyers and other activists. The internship runs for ten (10) weeks. A selected student will be supported by a stipend from the Elisabeth M. Todaro Fund.

Current Projects:
The MA Appleseed’s current projects and priorities include: Education and School Discipline Our signature project is entitled “Keep Kids In Class,” whereby we examine the intersection of school discipline, zero tolerance and youth entering the juvenile justice system. The goal is to mitigate the effects of school discipline proceedings on drop-out rates and its connection with juvenile delinquency. We will be publishing a report within the next few weeks entitled, “Keep Kids In Class: New Approaches to School Discipline,” in conjunction with a conference. We are actively developing new projects to build on the conclusions and recommendations that grow out of this important work. Education of Homeless Children The federal McKinney-Vento Act entitles children who are homeless to a free, appropriate public education. The Act requires that schools remove any barriers to their enrollment, attendance, and success in school. Specifically, school districts are mandated to waive residency requirements, to eliminate requirements to produce medical records, such as immunizations, or academic records prior to enrollment, and to pay for transportation costs. MA Appleseed is developing a new project involving Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. Unaccompanied homeless youth are adolescents who are homeless for the purposes of McKinney-Vento and not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. This includes, but is not limited to, children and youth who are living in runaway shelters; living in abandoned buildings, on the streets or in other inadequate accommodations; staying on the couches of friends or relatives; or denied housing by their parents. While the number of homeless youth is growing, unaccompanied homeless youth are often under-counted and under-reported. MA Appleseed co-authored legislation intended to raise awareness of this problem and create a forum within which to develop strategies to assist this group of youth. The legislation is focused on housing stability, educational stability and developing best practices. MA Appleseed is one of seventeen public interest law centers nationwide in the Appleseed pro bono justice center network. MA Appleseed promotes equal rights and opportunities for Massachusetts residents by developing and advocating for systemic solutions to social justice issues. MA Appleseed does not provide direct legal representation to individuals. Applications. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We will conduct interviews during the first half of February 2012.


To apply please visit the CSO Simplicity Site, Job ID 7107