Appeals court judge engages with students in virtual civics discussion

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Appeals court judge engages with students in virtual civics discussion

1 May 2020

$Judge Alok Ahuja speaks with virtual Lee\'s Summit middle school class April 2020$

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. – Judge Alok Ahuja of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, used Google Meet to speak about the role of government during the COVID-19 pandemic with 44 seventh-graders in Susanne Mitko’s class at Bernard C. Campbell Middle School in Lee’s Summit. Ahuja discussed the power of the government in regard to quarantines; restrictions on businesses, schools and places of worship; and the possible use of tracking devices on phones. Ahuja also addressed the role the courts and the cooperation among the federal, state and local governments.

Students were able to share their opinions through an anonymous survey before the presentation, visual responses to the judge’s questions, and an online discussion board after the talk. Ahuja also spoke virtually with students in Sarah Courtney’s social studies class at Lee’s Summit North High School.

The presentations were part of the “Have Gavel, Will Travel” initiative of the Supreme Court of Missouri’s civic education program.

(Article originally published in the Campbell Middle School newsletter.)

For more information about the activities of the Supreme Court of Missouri’s Committee on Civic Education, please visit News & Media.