The Bexar County College Bound Docket is empowering foster youth with support through college.
Miranda 'MJ' Jones and DeAnne Roberts don't know one another, but they have two crucial things in common. A Bexar County courts program helped them transition into college after foster care. And they have begun anew.
Jones, 28, became a San Antonio police officer in March. Roberts, 18, marked her first day of college at the University of Texas at San Antonio on Aug. 26. Jones and Roberts credit the Bexar County College Bound Docket, a specialty court that started in 2019 to help teens aging out of foster care get a college degree or job training. It's run by the Bexar County Children's Court. The idea for the College Bound Docket originated with Peter Sakai, the current Bexar County judge, whose 26 years as district court judge included working at the Bexar County Children's Court, Peggy Eighmy, first lady of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Marina Gonzales, former CEO of Child Advocates San Antonio . The College Bound Docket is part of the Bexar County Fostering Educational Success program, or BCFES, which began as a pilot project funded by a $3.5 million appropriation from the 2019 Texas Legislature. Several Texas lawmakers, including state Sens. Pete Flores and José Menéndez, and state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, rallied together to sponsor it. The program has grown with additional funding from the city, state and federal governments, as well as private donors. Today, it's a collaborative effort between the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Bexar County Children’s Court, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, the Alamo Colleges District and Child Advocates San Antonio, among a long list of other agencies, organizations and nonprofits. The College Bound Docket receives about $50,000 per year in funding from the BCFES program. In collaboration with UTSA, Texas A&M-San Antonio, the Alamo Colleges District and the Bexar County Children’s Court, BCFES has served more than 1,200 teens and young adults who have spent time in foster care. Jones and Roberts endured childhoods in homes so traumatic, Child Protective Services removed them from their parents and placed them in foster care. In 2011, Jones was 14 and living in Tyler when a judge signed an emergency removal order to remove her and her two younger siblings from their home. There had been a series of police calls to the home for domestic violence and substance abuse. Jones and her siblings were put in foster care and then with an aunt who died of a drug overdose in 2020. Roberts has been in and out of the Child Protective Services system since she was five. Her mother, who struggled with drug addiction, died in September 2021 of sepsis following an infection brought on by dirty needles. Roberts' grandparents adopted her and her two siblings in December. Support they never had Many of the youth who were placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect were also exposed to domestic violence or substance abuse. Children who spent time in foster care are high risk for homelessness and mental health issues. More than 80% of 17- and 18-year-olds in foster care say they want to attend college, but only 20% enroll and only a fraction of those earn a bachelor’s degree, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. But programs such as BCFES and the College Bound Docket provide a new beginning, as they offer teens aging out of foster care the support they never had. Teens are referred to the College Bound Docket, a voluntary program, by judges and court staff. Teens start the program in the 10th grade. Their first goal is to graduate from high school. During their junior year, the focus shifts to preparing for their next steps. A judge and three court staffers monitor grades, help schedule SAT exams and college tours and submit financial aid applications. Along the way, Bexar County Associate Judge Charles Montemayor, who presides over the College Bound Docket, takes special care in making the teens' experience a nurturing one. There's a more relaxed look and feel to his courtroom when he holds the quarterly sessions with the teens in the program. He takes off his black judicial robe to proudly sport his Southern Methodist University necktie. And he's not behind his bench. Instead, he sits with the teens at a table set in front of it. Together, they set goals. He wants to hear from them what they want to accomplish in life. And he works with their foster parents, peer advocates, mentors and other organizations to help make it happen. Together, they find solutions for each obstacle that comes up. Megan Piel, associate professor in the Department of Social Work at UTSA, helps measure the BCFES program's progress toward increasing college access, retention and graduation rates for students who spent time in foster care. The higher education institutions that partner with BCFES have waived more than $19 million in tuition and fees, which is required by state law. Since the College Bound Docket's inception, of the 81 teens who have graduated from high school, 66 have been accepted to college. Three participants, including Jones, have received college degrees. A total of 87 students in the program are enrolled in colleges and universities. Jones and Roberts said the College Bound Docket helped them to not lose hope. 'It's taught me to just stay motivated and continue to create goals for myself and pursue them,' said Roberts, 18. 'Even if you feel alone, they are there for you and there's resources to guide you through college.' 'I never stopped' Jones' time in foster care was harrowing. She was undergoing therapy to process the trauma, but says she still considered suicide. She had tried to attend college but couldn't afford living expenses and tuition. Jones who entered the program later than typical participants, at age 23, was a member of the first College Bound Docket class. It was a turning point for her. Jones was getting help from a social worker in Houston whose sister is Barbara Schafer, the Bexar County court administrator who coordinates and helps manage the College Bound Docket with Montemayor. Shafer helped Jones get into the program, even letting her live with her for a short time. In 2022, Jones graduated with a psychology degree from UTSA. 'It took me eight years to get a bachelor's degree, but I never stopped,' she said. Jones also gave back to the program by working as a mentor. 'She had that lived experience, and she did amazing things,' Schafer said. 'These kids found this connection with her.' Schafer said attending Jones' college graduation was surreal. 'Her transformation from struggling to thriving would not have been possible without the support, money and time investment,' Shafer said. After earning her degree at UTSA, Jones was accepted into the San Antonio Police Academy. She said she wanted to be a police officer because an officer who removed her and her siblings from their home in Tyler was kind to her. She had been taught to avoid the police, but this officer wanted to make sure she was safe. 'He took the time to talk to me,' Jones said. 'He pulled me aside and said, 'You can talk to me.' It made a difference.' Jones strives to make a difference as an officer. She aspires to work in the San Antonio Police Department's Mental Health Unit. Maybe one day, she'll become a counselor or therapist. And she'd also like to once again serve as a mentor for College Bound Docket teens. 'You made it' At a special graduation ceremony in June, held in the double-height courtroom of the Bexar County Courthouse, Montemayor and members of his staff celebrated 17 program graduates. The 13 present for the ceremony wore black caps and gowns and marched to 'Pomp and Circumstance,' before accepting their certificates. Montemayor was emotional and proud as he acknowledged the trauma, sacrifices and hard work each one of them endured. 'You made it,' he said. 'What inspires me is that you refused to accept the role of a victim. You refused to let it define you.' Roberts refuses to allow her troubled background to define her. A 2024 Steele High School graduate, she was in the National Honor Society and took several advanced courses for college credit, allowing her to begin college as a sophomore. She plans to transfer to the University of Texas at Austin next year. She wants to become a therapist — and she wants to be a College Bound Docket mentor. She wants to help give back to the program that helped her get started. She wants others who came from troubled backgrounds to get the help she has received. Move-in-day on Aug. 15 before starting classes at UTSA was a profound experience for Roberts. 'It felt really good,' she said. 'It's a really big step.' Roberts credits the College Bound Docket for preparing her for this next part of her journey. 'They were that positive support that I needed,' she said. 'They made everything less scary.'
Child Protective Services Bexar County Children's Court BCFES CASA Bexar County Children's Court M University Alamo Colleges District Texas A&Amp Southern Methodist University Texas Legislature Department Of Social Work Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board University Of Texas At Austin San Antonio Police Department San Antonio Police Academy Mental Health Unit Steele High School National Honor Society Jones Deanne Roberts Charles Montemayor Barbara Schafer Peter Sakai Marina Gonzales Megan Piel Trey Martinez Fischer Miranda ``MJ'' Jones Peggy Eighmy Pete Flores Shafer Roberts M José Menéndez Bexar County San Antonio Texas Tyler Bexar County Courthouse Montemayor Houston Bexar County College Bound Docket Child Advocates San Antonio Bexar County Fostering Educational Success SAT Pomp And Circumstance
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