Q: My daughter just received a summons to jury duty this fall. She is supposed to report to a court in lower Manhattan. But she goes to college at Binghamton! How is she supposed to serve on a jury while enrolled in a college many miles and hours away? She can't miss all those classes!

A: Jury duty is a responsibility that must be taken seriously -- but the court system will not expect your daughter to miss classes in order to serve.

People are frequently excused from jury duty, or have their duty delayed, because of school, work, or family obligations. This can often be arranged with the court over the phone or in writing.

The one thing your daughter cannot do is to ignore the summons! She must respond. Send her the summons and tell her to contact the court with the juror number that is printed on it. She will have a chance to explain her situation.

This is something she must do; you cannot call for her. The court will ask her about her future schedule and when she might be available later. She can certainly postpone duty until the summer when she is home on vacation.