LA City Officials, LAUSD Launch Program To Keep Students Out Of Court

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles city officials teamed up with the Los Angeles Unified School District to launch a new program Monday that aims to reduce juvenile misconduct on Metro buses.

The Transit Juvenile Diversion Program puts schools in charge of disciplining students who smoke, eat, drink, litter or avoid paying fares.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Transit Services Bureau, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LAUSD and the Los Angeles School Police partnered on the project to keep students in the classroom and out of the criminal justice system.

"So let's be clear: Pay your way and don't eat or drink on the bus. But as long as students are in school rather than the legal system, they can learn," LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy said.

There have been more than 4,000 juvenile citations so far this year.