An Ohio mother was sentenced to ten days for sending her daughters to a neighboring school district, which was much better than her home school district.
From ABC News: Kelley Williams-Bolar was convicted of lying about her residency to get her daughters into a better school district.
"It's overwhelming. I'm exhausted," she said. "I did this for them, so there it is. I did this for them."
Williams-Bolar decided four years ago to send her daughters to a highly ranked school in neighboring Copley-Fairlawn School District.
But it wasn't her Akron district of residence, so her children were ineligible to attend school there, even though her father lived within the district's boundaries. The school district accused Williams-Bolar of lying about her address, falsifying records and, when confronted, having her father file false court papers to get around the system.
Williams-Bolar said she did it to keep her children safe and that she lived part-time with her dad....
The district hired a private investigator, who shot video showing Williams-Bolar driving her children into the district.
The school officials asked her to pay $30,000 in back tuition.
Williams-Bolar refused and was indicted and convicted of falsifying her residency records.
She was sentenced last week to 10 days in county jail and put on three years of probation.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/ohio-mom-jailed-sending-kids-school-district/story?id=12763654&page=1
I am torn on this. First, obviously what Williams-Bolar did was illegal. She did not pay taxes in the community where she sent her children to school, so she was stealing services. Much in the same way a person steals cable TV.
She could have avoided the convictions if she paid the Copley-Fairlawn School district $30,000. But if she could afford $30,000, she probably could have lived in that school district.
So, yes, she is guilty but what really got her in trouble was to piss off the education community. Copley-Fairlawn could have handled this quietly and let the kids go to their schools under an arrangement like having Williams-Bolar volunteer in the schools, but I don't think this was offered.
Copley-Fairlawn also could have allowed the kids to go to school under some kind of scholarship, but that didn't happen.
And it did not cost Copley-Fairlawn $30,000 to educate the kids- it's not like the district had to hire a teacher for the kids, so it really didn't cost the district a penny to educate those kids, unless there were some supplies involved. Further, I am sure the district got some money from the State of Ohio for educating her kids, so the school district probably made some money off the kids.
This also could have been avoided if there was school choice in Ohio. If there were a law that allowed kids to attend any public school in the state, this would not even be an issue. But the educational bureaucracy doesn't want this, especially poor performing school districts.
But, in the end, Williams-Bolar broke the law and ended up stealing an education for her kids. She had to spend 10 days in jail for her kids. Education bureaucrats must be grinning from ear to ear.
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I recently found out that my x used his fiance's mothers address to put our two children in the Summerlin School District with out notifying me, that in-fact it was not his district. I knew something was off last year in May, when I called zoning and talked to the zoning officer whom gave me a two completely different schools for his address.I thought I had just gotten it wrong. Come to find out, I requested a copy of the enrollment paperwork to confirm my address and phone number. It was then I found out that the address he used was his fiance's moms address who lied in a notarized statement that they were living with her.What parents don't seem to understand, that in a case like mine.. the grades and personal information of my children was being physically mailed to a address in which I had no control.I don't mind my children receiving a great education, but I do mind my children and I possible being tied to a illegal act.If there was a inter district transfer approval, that would be different.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean Summerlin as in Las Vegas? If that is the case, it's not that big of deal because it is all CCSD.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, yeah, I understand the divorce part and different school districts. I've been there and done that. It's tough.