by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
As the spring draws closer, the attention of most high school seniors is focused on placement test scores as they prepare to move on to college. Some of them will also be studying about credit scores with the help of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA).
The organization is taking the message of “Credit Abuse Resistance Education” to eight schools in Duval County with the help of a staff of volunteer law students, attorneys and judges.
“It is rather difficult for young people to realize what the consequences of overspending can be,” said Duval County Judge Roberto Arias, who is a certified instructor with the program. “For example, what happens a lot of times if you don’t pay one credit card on time then all your other credit cards usually have provisions in their contracts that allow them to increase their interest rates to the maximum amount after they find out you missed a payment on another card.”
Arias decided to get involved with the program because he is a father of high school-aged kids and he saw the credit offers start to come in the mail for his kids. And, many of the cases that are coming into his courtroom involve people who don’t understand credit.
“One of my daughters is a senior in high school and she is already getting credit card applications in the mail,” said Arias. “Among the people I see in court, there is a lack of responsibility. Working with the JALA CARE program is my way of educating the young people, so they can make responsible decisions. There are consequences to all the decisions we make and I try to teach that, be it in court or in a classroom.”
Arias will be involved with teaching the JALA Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) program at Andrew Jackson High School in February.
Instructors are required to attend one two-and-a-half hour training session. The dates of the February sessions have yet to be determined.
Once volunteers have completed the training they help put the lesson plans together for the two, 90-minute periods during high school economics classes.
The curriculum includes predesigned lesson plans, in-class worksheets, group exercises and take-home handouts. Topics covered include credit cards, credit score, debt, interest payments, loans, financial traps, goal setting, saving, budgeting, reducing debt and financial terms.
Foley & Lardner attorney Dayna Duncan has been an instructor with the CARE program during its two-year history and has developed a PowerPoint presentation to help relay the information to the students.
“I would tell other attorneys that it’s a great program to get into our local high schools and teach students valuable lessons about credit abuse and credit pitfalls,” said Duncan. “The students need to understand the consequences of good and bad credit decisions and how those decisions will impact their lives for years to come. We, as adults, have the knowledge to share with these students before they turn 18 and start loading up on credit card debt. Our knowledge can help guide their credit decisions and help them make more responsible financial decisions.”
The goals of the program are to: “Teach students about the consequences of abusing consumer credit. Demonstrate the time and difficulty required to repay debt incurred through unwise spending habits. To educate students on the many personal and professional consequences of bad credit and other financial problems. Teach budgeting and saving skills.”
The program has been taught to students at Jackson, Raines, Ribault, Forrest, Lee, Parker, Englewood and Fletcher through a partnership between the Fourth Judicial Circuit, Jacksonville Area Legal Services and the Duval County School Board.
Program volunteers not only benefit from the experience of enlightening students, but they also qualify for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and pro bono credits.
For more information on the program contact Atheia Inman at 356-8371 x372 or April Charney at 356-8371 x352. The JALA office is located at 126 W. Adams St.
356-2466