Ohio woman jailed for sending her kids to school in different school district

[Anonymous]

She lied and committed fraud--plain and simple. I'm sure there are good, hard-working people who scrimped and saved move to that particular school district specifically because their schools are good. So it's not fair if other people use fraudulent means to gain access to the same resources.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It wasn't the kids' father. It was HER father, the kids' grandfather. If she wanted the kids going to that school then she should have lived with her father, or given him legal custody of the kids. She was stealing. She was teaching her kids that if they don't like the rules/laws then they don't have to follow them. Yes, I think the punishment was harsh; but she was given a chance to pay the back tuition and she refused.

Stealing? It's public school. Give me a freaking break! Her father pays taxes, her relatives pay taxes. This is story is crazy. Yes, god forbid she send her kids to a good public school. Only the upper class should have that right.

[Anonymous]

The kids weren't living with THEIR father. The mother said they were living with HER father which was a lie. Private detectives were hired and followed the woman and her children back to THEIR home not in the school district. She lied. She broke the law. If she wanted her kids to go to that school district she should have moved in with her father.

[Anonymous]

There are lots of people doing that around here; Not that many PG schools are all that but for some they are better than the public in DC and PG schools are overrun with kids who are really residents of DC. My own husband did this when he was a high school athlete so he could play for a certain school. The coaches were well aware. He was a PG resident (a neighborhood not far from the border of DC) and went to high school in DC.

[Anonymous]

PP here, I also have a rental property in PG that tracks to a local magnet program and have had tenants whose neices and nephews are using their address to go to school there.

[Anonymous]

Frankly I think it is obscene that how much house your parents can afford determines the kind of education you will get. Kids should be able to go wherever they want to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Frankly I think it is obscene that how much house your parents can afford determines the kind of education you will get. Kids should be able to go wherever they want to go.

Thanks for adding this. People are looking at this like it's a black-and-white issue of "You're teaching your kids to lie!!!" and "Just work hard and save money so you can afford to move to a better district!" The issue can be much more complex than that.

This is not my situation, will never my situation, and I don't personally know anyone who has done it. But I can acknowledge that it's easy for me to say I wouldn't do it just because I know it's something I'll never be faced with.

[Anonymous]

Every state should adopt choice like Delaware did. In Delaware you can attend any school in the state as long as the parent is willing to drive the child to school. All states should adopt policies like this one.

[Anonymous]

Frankly I think it is obscene that how much house your parents can afford determines the kind of education you will get. Kids should be able to go wherever they want to go.

Agreed. And i find it insane that they are putting her in jail for this - it should be a fine or something but jail time is just plain nuts.

[Anonymous]

What if you actually rent a place to use the address and pay the rent and utilities but keep your home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But a felony? Now she'll have to mark that little box on job applications every time. And she's also lost her right to vote. That seems ludicrous to me.

No way, need to make an example so people will think twice about it.

You probably wouldn't think it was so wrong if you were a parent in that district who DIDN'T get inbounds and had to find other school choices because this woman's child was going to school there. Then maybe you decided on private and were spending $20,000 a year for your child.

Or, maybe her child pushed the school over the age to add another class - another class, another teacher. More rooms are needed so renovations were needed. Now taxes go up in that district.

Felony? Yeah....that sounds just about right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. Jail? Why not community service or something that will benefit society. Treating her like a hardened criminal is .....criminal in view. What are the Ohio taxpayers paying to throw her in jail? It's ridiculous.

It's not just "jail", she's been convicted of a felony! This is the most ridiculous felony conviction that I've seen in a LONG time. I cannot believe that in America we still cannot choose what public school our kids attend. If too many students have requested to attend one school, the district needs to see what is working to ensure all schools and students have the same opportunities.

The fact that this is a felony sickens me.

The mom in question was in school to become a teacher, now she will never be able to work as one with a felony conviction under OH law. The judge noted that was part of her "punishment". Anyone shocked that the kids are black and were in a predominantly white school district? She was also fined $350,000.

[Anonymous]

No, I am not shocked at all. I think she was made an example by the overzealous prosecutor was because of her race. Hmm, I guess there were no white children out of bounds attending the school. Bullshot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Frankly I think it is obscene that how much house your parents can afford determines the kind of education you will get. Kids should be able to go wherever they want to go.

Agreed. And i find it insane that they are putting her in jail for this - it should be a fine or something but jail time is just plain nuts.

This is why education reform is doomed. Education is not just successful teachers, but successful peers and mixed income, class and race schools are the only way to get there. However that means an awful lot of well off folks will have to stop flinching if there is a kid that is clearly from the inner city sitting next to their dear child.

[Anonymous]

She lied and committed fraud--plain and simple. I'm sure there are good, hard-working people who scrimped and saved move to that particular school district specifically because their schools are good. So it's not fair if other people use fraudulent means to gain access to the same resources.

Then, by your logic, if the kid can't go to school where the father lives (on the father's tab) the father does not need pay any alimony or child support. There is no marital or fudiciary relationship.

[Anonymous]

She lied and committed fraud--plain and simple. I'm sure there are good, hard-working people who scrimped and saved move to that particular school district specifically because their schools are good. So it's not fair if other people use fraudulent means to gain access to the same resources.

A simpleton