Sample letter to Court requesting deferral from Jury Duty – SY Support

Date (current date)
Salutation:
Make sure you use title given on your jury summons, for example:
‘Clerk of Court’, ‘Court Clerk’, ‘Jury Commissioner’, etc.
(For example, Ms. Jane Jones, Clerk of Court)
-OR-
If you are addressing a judge, use ‘The Honorable’ before his/her first and last name
(For example, The Honorable John Smith)
Address:
Name and address of court
City, State ZIP

Subject: Juror number # (___) requests deferral from Jury Duty service.

Body of Letter:
Dear Sir or Madame (or name if you know it, i.e., Judge Smith, Ms. Jones),

I am requesting a deferral from Jury Duty for the (month/year) term because I am a full-time paraeducator at a public school and my absence during the school year would be detrimental to the student(s) I serve for the following reasons (use whatever applies to your work situation, and/or modify to suit your circumstances):

· The student I work with has intensive needs and requires special care. There is a lack of qualified substitutes available that are adequately trained to provide the level of care and assistance this student requires on a daily basis.

· The student I work with has special needs that require specialized skills and training in order to implement the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). There is a lack of qualified substitutes available that are adequately trained and skilled to provide the level of service this student needs.

· I serve as a Licensed Practice Nurse for a school district who manages student with (insert condition(s)) that require my care. Although my position is overseen by a licensed School Nurse, this School nurse is assigned to another school during my scheduled shifts, so could not cover for me during my absence. It has also been very difficult for our school district to secure qualified nurse substitutes for my absences, which would leave these students at risk if I were to serve jury duty during the school-year.

· The students I work with have special needs. There is a shortage of qualified substitute paraeducators in our school district that would be able to fill in during my absence. As a result, my absences often go unfilled, which means students do not get the level of service they need to be successful in the classroom when I am out.

Please put my name back in the lottery, as I will be glad to serve on a jury should I be called during non-school times.

I appreciate your understanding of my situation, and await your response to my request. Please contact me at (work email) or at the address below with your decision, or if you have any further questions.

Thank you,

Your name & juror identification number
Address
City, State ZIP
Phone