Protecting Their Futures: Seneca Valley Students Get Schooled in the Law

Seneca Valley eighth grader Evan Maurer used to think playing “ding dong ditch” or throwing spitballs were among many harmless teen pranks that would only get someone a slap on the wrist.

That’s until School Resource Officer Hunter Ryan of the Jackson Township Police Department and Juvenile Probation Officer Mike Trego visited his class for three days in the Seneca Valley Middle School this semester.

“I was really surprised that you could be charged with harassment or disorderly conduct for doing that,” Evan said.  “If you could get in a lot of trouble for the small things, it makes you think about how much trouble you could get in for the really big things.”

In fact, the three-day program, called 2 Smart 4 Trbl focuses on big things, small things, and many in between. 

All 600 eighth graders in the middle school take part in the program in their homeroom class. The students begin by watching a video with teen actors getting involved in various unlawful activities—without actually trying to get into trouble.

“In a split second these kids can change their future,” Ryan said. “One bad decision can ruin their life.  That’s not an exaggeration, and that’s what we’re trying to get them to understand.”

And that’s where the name of the program comes from; 2 Smart 4 Trbl focuses on a myriad of ways middle and high school students can get a record, harm their reputations, and in some cases, damage the rest of their lives... simply by not playing it smart or not paying attention.

“We’ve got a lot of great kids,” Trego said. “But they don’t understand that just because they didn’t set out to cause trouble doesn’t mean they can’t get into trouble—serious trouble.”

By the third day of the program, Ryan was quizzing the students about what some might consider typical teen mischief. The students were quick to answer with their new-found insight on felony criminal mischief, underage drinking and license suspensions. 

It was clear the students had clearly grasped the material, but Ryan wanted to drive home the message.

“We’re not here to scare you or give you a doom and gloom situation,” he told the students. “We’re here to give you real world scenarios. You need to be on guard. Your friends will be the first to throw you under the bus. Going to a party this weekend? If there’s drinking or drugs, everybody gets charged. No matter who’s drinking, everyone gets charged.”

And if arrested and taken to jail, the students shouldn’t expect an easy trip just because they’re not 18 years old. Trego informed them what it’s like to be held in juvenile detention.

“So maybe you think that it’s not really jail. Well, when you’re in detention, you might get a three-minute shower,” he told students.  “You are told when to go to bed and when to wake up.  It’s not comfortable. It’s not nice. It’s not fun. It’s not easy.”

Both officers said many students got the message—stay away from drugs, alcohol, violence, or anything else that could become a bad situation in a hurry.

But those students didn’t all feel the same way about social media. Officer Ryan had some stern warnings for students who sent texts and used Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

“You guys think you can hit delete and it’s gone,” he told the students. “It’s not. Once you post it, it’s there forever. There are people who have jobs where all they do is uncover things people want to hide or delete from the Internet.”

Ryan said colleges, organizations and employers are all increasingly doing social media background checks.

“Imagine an employer Googles your name and a post or an embarrassing pic shows up,” he said.  “Forget the military. Forget that scholarship. Say goodbye to that job.”

After graduation, eighth grader Maggie Fitzpatrick wants to get into law enforcement.  She said she thought she knew a lot about the law—until she took part in the program.

“It seems like the smallest thing can have all these charges,” she said. “Something everyone laughs at in a movie is actually a really big deal. You could be a convicted felon for life for some of these things.”

When the class was finished, Ryan and Trego collected the evaluations and read the comments given by students. A few students asked for more content from the police officers could add for the next time. 

“When everyone says they’ve learned something—big or small—it makes us feel like we’re getting through,” Ryan said. “If we can keep just one of these kids from heading down the wrong path, we’ve been successful. I think we’ve helped many kids.”

-- Article and photo submitted by Seneca Valley School District. Have news you'd like to share with Patch readers? Email Editor Jessica Sinichak at jessica.sinichak@patch.com or visit our Pics & Clips Gallery. 

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