School residency cheaters investigated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Requiring home visits is not a good idea. Our school encourages them, but I question the burden/safety issues it presents for the overworked teachers. They also allow "home visits" at local parks or cafes. Also, as a formerly struggling parent and living with spouse and kids in a D.C. studio apartment, I was ashamed to have guests come over. The struggle is real and you want to encourage a partnership with parents.

From a teacher's perspective, home visits are useful because it helps to build a sense of community. It can be super helpful to have additional information about the student's home life, because that can help you best meet their needs. And, by actually making the effort to come to the home it can make parents (some of whom might not have been all that involved, or comfortable being involved) more comfortable with the teacher. Doing it as a residency check would totally torpedo that. And, FWIW, the fact that some people aren't comfortable having the teacher in their home because of the reasons listed above is the reason that it can be done in places other than the home.

But--I know registrars can also make home visits to check residency. This is totally separate from the teacher's home visit, and the teacher does not attend, which is as it should be. And honestly, I think they should do more of them. It's not going to be the first step in the process.

From working with foster care systems, group homes, child welfare agencies, CASA , and news in general, I wonder if some home visits would be dangerous for teachers. But I guess because it is voluntary, that would weed out the parents who might cause harm. Unlike social worker visits which are mandatory and rarely (but does occur) result in a violent situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not hard to show where you live. Come to my house. I'll show you my messy house, all my clothes, paperwork, ask the neighbors if I live here and so on.
Never seen people put up such a fuss and fight if they are not cheating.

This is how I feel. It's not hard to prove your residency. So report if you know of someone, and they can put to rest any confusion or questions. It shouldn't be a big deal to prove.

Actually, it is hard to prove residency. When I met my husband, he owned the house we lived in and had all the utilities in his name. Though we filed joint taxes as a married couple and my drivers license and registration carried my name and address, it was insufficient for registering my child. Very insufficient. We're three years in to public schooling in DC and each year, the schools we've attended have been hard core about seeing the person whose claiming guardianship and residency IN PERSON when they register a child.

If it's fair to resort to stereotypes - and it seems the "articles" and thousands of DCUM posts on the subject make stereotypes very fair - then I have to believe that the people with means to skirt this system are more likely well-off white people taking advantage of highly-regarded charter schools and DCPS west of the park. Yet these "reporters" couldn't be bothered with JKLM or Creative Minds, where there are certainly affluent white people "scamming our schools." Not to mention principals and parent teacher organizations looking the other way. These people are just not being followed home or having their government documentation researched and posted online.

Show of hands/posts, how many here are irked by their wait list number for Eagle Academy or Ludlow-Taylor?

I mean, if you don't see this sham excuse for journalism as a bigger problem in the interest of our kids, then I'm just frankly worried for our kids. I have resided and paid taxes in the District of Columbia for close to 30 years. But thinking about some nutcase vigilante targeting my kid for "investigation" because he's a brown kid getting out of the car of my MD-residing SIL who sometimes helps with childcare makes my blood boil.

And you go, Oh! If you're following the law you have nothing to worry about. Just answer the questions imposed on you and you're good to go! But the blatant racial bias expressed here and in the articles means I have a hell of a lot to worry about. Some fucking kook stalking kids outside of their school, taking photographs and posting them online? How is it that THAT fact doesn't disturb people?

A DC resident scheming to get into a JKLM school by falsely claiming an in-boundary residence is still boundary fraud, but out of state fraud takes it to a different level. At least in the first example, the scammer is a DC resident and presumably paying taxes in DC.

You do see likely examples of out of state residency issues in certain Upper NW elementary schools, as well as Deal and Wilson (as the kids feed there). It's probably less in those schools that have relatively few lottery spots and where it's harder for non-residents to fly below the radar. Last year there was an apparent case of residency fraud in the Janney district, which is such a close-knit community that the fraudsters were quickly discovered and their kids removed. When you have a school where substantial number of students live in various wards around the city, someone committing residency fraud is just not going to be noticed as much because the community is more diffuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the forms of proof is a paystub which shows D.C. taxes being taken out. I think the majority of the uproar is about people who buy big mansions in MD, expensive cars, have an income, and yet take advantage of the D.C. public school system. Those who are FARMS, assuming your family includes 6 children or less with an income of 33k or less (http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines). Anyone making 34k or more should submit a paystub or proof of owning their own business. If they do not have proof of income because they are not paying taxes, working side jobs, etc., then they should apply for FARMS. If there is FARMS/Tax fraud, then that is on them if they are willing to go to such extremes. The paystub will get a big swath of out of city people who use D.C. because it is convenient on their way to work.

I don't know about all federal government agencies, but DoD refuses to put your home address on your pay stubs.

Not the address, just the part that shows income tax is being paid to D.C. If you reside in D.C., you have to pay income tax.

For any employer than has a self-service HR system it is beyond easy to go into it, change your address for a couple pay periods to one in the District. For those two pay periods you will have paid taxes to DC withheld, but then as soon as you've registered your child, you can switch it back.

Pay stubs can be just as easy to fake if you are motivated as anything else.

Perhaps, but then the scammer parents are into a different level of fraud (with more possible criminal charges).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the forms of proof is a paystub which shows D.C. taxes being taken out. I think the majority of the uproar is about people who buy big mansions in MD, expensive cars, have an income, and yet take advantage of the D.C. public school system. Those who are FARMS, assuming your family includes 6 children or less with an income of 33k or less (http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines). Anyone making 34k or more should submit a paystub or proof of owning their own business. If they do not have proof of income because they are not paying taxes, working side jobs, etc., then they should apply for FARMS. If there is FARMS/Tax fraud, then that is on them if they are willing to go to such extremes. The paystub will get a big swath of out of city people who use D.C. because it is convenient on their way to work.

I don't know about all federal government agencies, but DoD refuses to put your home address on your pay stubs.

Not the address, just the part that shows income tax is being paid to D.C. If you reside in D.C., you have to pay income tax.

For any employer than has a self-service HR system it is beyond easy to go into it, change your address for a couple pay periods to one in the District. For those two pay periods you will have paid taxes to DC withheld, but then as soon as you've registered your child, you can switch it back.

Pay stubs can be just as easy to fake if you are motivated as anything else.

Ah....yes. I had some sort of surepayroll.com service for a nanny once.

I was also wondering about how many individuals who worked and lived in D.C. would volunteer to be a parent for the purpose of residency? Well, at least the parents paid a little bit of DC taxes. Would that result in any sort of tax fraud investigation? People generally do not want to get into that sort of trouble. I guess DC schools need to coordinate with the dept of Tax to see who is claiming who as a dependent and if their primary residence is D.C.

Would larger employers and salaries be under a self-service HR system?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the forms of proof is a paystub which shows D.C. taxes being taken out. I think the majority of the uproar is about people who buy big mansions in MD, expensive cars, have an income, and yet take advantage of the D.C. public school system. Those who are FARMS, assuming your family includes 6 children or less with an income of 33k or less (http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines). Anyone making 34k or more should submit a paystub or proof of owning their own business. If they do not have proof of income because they are not paying taxes, working side jobs, etc., then they should apply for FARMS. If there is FARMS/Tax fraud, then that is on them if they are willing to go to such extremes. The paystub will get a big swath of out of city people who use D.C. because it is convenient on their way to work.

I don't know about all federal government agencies, but DoD refuses to put your home address on your pay stubs.

Not the address, just the part that shows income tax is being paid to D.C. If you reside in D.C., you have to pay income tax.

For any employer than has a self-service HR system it is beyond easy to go into it, change your address for a couple pay periods to one in the District. For those two pay periods you will have paid taxes to DC withheld, but then as soon as you've registered your child, you can switch it back.

Pay stubs can be just as easy to fake if you are motivated as anything else.

Federal pay stubs do not have home address on them. The federal government made an expensive and concerted effort to make all payments direct deposit about 10 years ago. I can tell you from experience that you cannot prove residency with federal pay stubs or W-2 forms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not hard to show where you live. Come to my house. I'll show you my messy house, all my clothes, paperwork, ask the neighbors if I live here and so on.
Never seen people put up such a fuss and fight if they are not cheating.

This is how I feel. It's not hard to prove your residency. So report if you know of someone, and they can put to rest any confusion or questions. It shouldn't be a big deal to prove.

Actually, it is hard to prove residency. When I met my husband, he owned the house we lived in and had all the utilities in his name. Though we filed joint taxes as a married couple and my drivers license and registration carried my name and address, it was insufficient for registering my child. Very insufficient. We're three years in to public schooling in DC and each year, the schools we've attended have been hard core about seeing the person whose claiming guardianship and residency IN PERSON when they register a child.

If it's fair to resort to stereotypes - and it seems the "articles" and thousands of DCUM posts on the subject make stereotypes very fair - then I have to believe that the people with means to skirt this system are more likely well-off white people taking advantage of highly-regarded charter schools and DCPS west of the park. Yet these "reporters" couldn't be bothered with JKLM or Creative Minds, where there are certainly affluent white people "scamming our schools." Not to mention principals and parent teacher organizations looking the other way. These people are just not being followed home or having their government documentation researched and posted online.

Show of hands/posts, how many here are irked by their wait list number for Eagle Academy or Ludlow-Taylor?

I mean, if you don't see this sham excuse for journalism as a bigger problem in the interest of our kids, then I'm just frankly worried for our kids. I have resided and paid taxes in the District of Columbia for close to 30 years. But thinking about some nutcase vigilante targeting my kid for "investigation" because he's a brown kid getting out of the car of my MD-residing SIL who sometimes helps with childcare makes my blood boil.

And you go, Oh! If you're following the law you have nothing to worry about. Just answer the questions imposed on you and you're good to go! But the blatant racial bias expressed here and in the articles means I have a hell of a lot to worry about. Some fucking kook stalking kids outside of their school, taking photographs and posting them online? How is it that THAT fact doesn't disturb people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the forms of proof is a paystub which shows D.C. taxes being taken out. I think the majority of the uproar is about people who buy big mansions in MD, expensive cars, have an income, and yet take advantage of the D.C. public school system. Those who are FARMS, assuming your family includes 6 children or less with an income of 33k or less (http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines). Anyone making 34k or more should submit a paystub or proof of owning their own business. If they do not have proof of income because they are not paying taxes, working side jobs, etc., then they should apply for FARMS. If there is FARMS/Tax fraud, then that is on them if they are willing to go to such extremes. The paystub will get a big swath of out of city people who use D.C. because it is convenient on their way to work.

I don't know about all federal government agencies, but DoD refuses to put your home address on your pay stubs.

Not the address, just the part that shows income tax is being paid to D.C. If you reside in D.C., you have to pay income tax.

For any employer than has a self-service HR system it is beyond easy to go into it, change your address for a couple pay periods to one in the District. For those two pay periods you will have paid taxes to DC withheld, but then as soon as you've registered your child, you can switch it back.

Pay stubs can be just as easy to fake if you are motivated as anything else.

true, but you can claim partial residency if you're willing to file two state returns. DC will prorate if you claim partial residency (and pay taxes) in another state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not hard to show where you live. Come to my house. I'll show you my messy house, all my clothes, paperwork, ask the neighbors if I live here and so on.
Never seen people put up such a fuss and fight if they are not cheating.

This is how I feel. It's not hard to prove your residency. So report if you know of someone, and they can put to rest any confusion or questions. It shouldn't be a big deal to prove.

Actually, it is hard to prove residency. When I met my husband, he owned the house we lived in and had all the utilities in his name. Though we filed joint taxes as a married couple and my drivers license and registration carried my name and address, it was insufficient for registering my child. Very insufficient. We're three years in to public schooling in DC and each year, the schools we've attended have been hard core about seeing the person whose claiming guardianship and residency IN PERSON when they register a child.

If it's fair to resort to stereotypes - and it seems the "articles" and thousands of DCUM posts on the subject make stereotypes very fair - then I have to believe that the people with means to skirt this system are more likely well-off white people taking advantage of highly-regarded charter schools and DCPS west of the park. Yet these "reporters" couldn't be bothered with JKLM or Creative Minds, where there are certainly affluent white people "scamming our schools." Not to mention principals and parent teacher organizations looking the other way. These people are just not being followed home or having their government documentation researched and posted online.

Show of hands/posts, how many here are irked by their wait list number for Eagle Academy or Ludlow-Taylor?

I mean, if you don't see this sham excuse for journalism as a bigger problem in the interest of our kids, then I'm just frankly worried for our kids. I have resided and paid taxes in the District of Columbia for close to 30 years. But thinking about some nutcase vigilante targeting my kid for "investigation" because he's a brown kid getting out of the car of my MD-residing SIL who sometimes helps with childcare makes my blood boil.

And you go, Oh! If you're following the law you have nothing to worry about. Just answer the questions imposed on you and you're good to go! But the blatant racial bias expressed here and in the articles means I have a hell of a lot to worry about. Some fucking kook stalking kids outside of their school, taking photographs and posting them online? How is it that THAT fact doesn't disturb people?

A DC resident scheming to get into a JKLM school by falsely claiming an in-boundary residence is still boundary fraud, but out of state fraud takes it to a different level. At least in the first example, the scammer is a DC resident and presumably paying taxes in DC.

You do see likely examples of out of state residency issues in certain Upper NW elementary schools, as well as Deal and Wilson (as the kids feed there). It's probably less in those schools that have relatively few lottery spots and where it's harder for non-residents to fly below the radar. Last year there was an apparent case of residency fraud in the Janney district, which is such a close-knit community that the fraudsters were quickly discovered and their kids removed. When you have a school where substantial number of students live in various wards around the city, someone committing residency fraud is just not going to be noticed as much because the community is more diffuse.

Not going to be noticed, or not going to be examined?

Oh, but of course, you are examining black or Hispanic kids who are seen getting out of luxury cars at your Upper NW school. Because that can't be right, can it? I mean, white people just don't do that kind of thing.

Right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the forms of proof is a paystub which shows D.C. taxes being taken out. I think the majority of the uproar is about people who buy big mansions in MD, expensive cars, have an income, and yet take advantage of the D.C. public school system. Those who are FARMS, assuming your family includes 6 children or less with an income of 33k or less (http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines). Anyone making 34k or more should submit a paystub or proof of owning their own business. If they do not have proof of income because they are not paying taxes, working side jobs, etc., then they should apply for FARMS. If there is FARMS/Tax fraud, then that is on them if they are willing to go to such extremes. The paystub will get a big swath of out of city people who use D.C. because it is convenient on their way to work.

I don't know about all federal government agencies, but DoD refuses to put your home address on your pay stubs.

Not the address, just the part that shows income tax is being paid to D.C. If you reside in D.C., you have to pay income tax.

For any employer than has a self-service HR system it is beyond easy to go into it, change your address for a couple pay periods to one in the District. For those two pay periods you will have paid taxes to DC withheld, but then as soon as you've registered your child, you can switch it back.

Pay stubs can be just as easy to fake if you are motivated as anything else.

Federal pay stubs do not have home address on them. The federal government made an expensive and concerted effort to make all payments direct deposit about 10 years ago. I can tell you from experience that you cannot prove residency with federal pay stubs or W-2 forms.

I am looking at my federal paystub and there is a line that says "DC Withholding"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not hard to show where you live. Come to my house. I'll show you my messy house, all my clothes, paperwork, ask the neighbors if I live here and so on.
Never seen people put up such a fuss and fight if they are not cheating.

This is how I feel. It's not hard to prove your residency. So report if you know of someone, and they can put to rest any confusion or questions. It shouldn't be a big deal to prove.

Actually, it is hard to prove residency. When I met my husband, he owned the house we lived in and had all the utilities in his name. Though we filed joint taxes as a married couple and my drivers license and registration carried my name and address, it was insufficient for registering my child. Very insufficient. We're three years in to public schooling in DC and each year, the schools we've attended have been hard core about seeing the person whose claiming guardianship and residency IN PERSON when they register a child.

If it's fair to resort to stereotypes - and it seems the "articles" and thousands of DCUM posts on the subject make stereotypes very fair - then I have to believe that the people with means to skirt this system are more likely well-off white people taking advantage of highly-regarded charter schools and DCPS west of the park. Yet these "reporters" couldn't be bothered with JKLM or Creative Minds, where there are certainly affluent white people "scamming our schools." Not to mention principals and parent teacher organizations looking the other way. These people are just not being followed home or having their government documentation researched and posted online.

Show of hands/posts, how many here are irked by their wait list number for Eagle Academy or Ludlow-Taylor?

I mean, if you don't see this sham excuse for journalism as a bigger problem in the interest of our kids, then I'm just frankly worried for our kids. I have resided and paid taxes in the District of Columbia for close to 30 years. But thinking about some nutcase vigilante targeting my kid for "investigation" because he's a brown kid getting out of the car of my MD-residing SIL who sometimes helps with childcare makes my blood boil.

And you go, Oh! If you're following the law you have nothing to worry about. Just answer the questions imposed on you and you're good to go! But the blatant racial bias expressed here and in the articles means I have a hell of a lot to worry about. Some fucking kook stalking kids outside of their school, taking photographs and posting them online? How is it that THAT fact doesn't disturb people?

I play the cards dealt. The racist vigilante stalking my kids outside their school dealt first.

Again - if there's anyone who can post pictures of these lowlifes that I can share with my kid's school, I'll be most grateful. We're longtime DC residents and taxpayers, but I'll be damned if I will accept this kind of harassment. It is far more egregious to me than people trying to do what's best for their kids - all the nonsense about "concerned and involved parents" is obviously a bucket of donkey shit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the forms of proof is a paystub which shows D.C. taxes being taken out. I think the majority of the uproar is about people who buy big mansions in MD, expensive cars, have an income, and yet take advantage of the D.C. public school system. Those who are FARMS, assuming your family includes 6 children or less with an income of 33k or less (http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines). Anyone making 34k or more should submit a paystub or proof of owning their own business. If they do not have proof of income because they are not paying taxes, working side jobs, etc., then they should apply for FARMS. If there is FARMS/Tax fraud, then that is on them if they are willing to go to such extremes. The paystub will get a big swath of out of city people who use D.C. because it is convenient on their way to work.

I don't know about all federal government agencies, but DoD refuses to put your home address on your pay stubs.

Not the address, just the part that shows income tax is being paid to D.C. If you reside in D.C., you have to pay income tax.

For any employer than has a self-service HR system it is beyond easy to go into it, change your address for a couple pay periods to one in the District. For those two pay periods you will have paid taxes to DC withheld, but then as soon as you've registered your child, you can switch it back.

Pay stubs can be just as easy to fake if you are motivated as anything else.

Federal pay stubs do not have home address on them. The federal government made an expensive and concerted effort to make all payments direct deposit about 10 years ago. I can tell you from experience that you cannot prove residency with federal pay stubs or W-2 forms.

I am looking at my federal paystub and there is a line that says "DC Withholding"

I'm looking at my federal pay stub and IT DOES NOT HAVE MY ADDRESS.

[Anonymous]

So if you are a Fed you need to choose another document from column A -- or 2 from column B becuase your paystub doesn't capture the required informatin.

I work for a nonprofit and we have a self-service payroll/HR system. Our paystubs do include our DC address and show that I had DC tax withheld (but not our SSN, thankfully). I use it when registering my child, with my salary redacted out.

Not a residency cheater - but I could do it by entering another address and switching it back later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of the forms of proof is a paystub which shows D.C. taxes being taken out. I think the majority of the uproar is about people who buy big mansions in MD, expensive cars, have an income, and yet take advantage of the D.C. public school system. Those who are FARMS, assuming your family includes 6 children or less with an income of 33k or less (http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines). Anyone making 34k or more should submit a paystub or proof of owning their own business. If they do not have proof of income because they are not paying taxes, working side jobs, etc., then they should apply for FARMS. If there is FARMS/Tax fraud, then that is on them if they are willing to go to such extremes. The paystub will get a big swath of out of city people who use D.C. because it is convenient on their way to work.

I don't know about all federal government agencies, but DoD refuses to put your home address on your pay stubs.

Not the address, just the part that shows income tax is being paid to D.C. If you reside in D.C., you have to pay income tax.

For any employer than has a self-service HR system it is beyond easy to go into it, change your address for a couple pay periods to one in the District. For those two pay periods you will have paid taxes to DC withheld, but then as soon as you've registered your child, you can switch it back.

Pay stubs can be just as easy to fake if you are motivated as anything else.

Federal pay stubs do not have home address on them. The federal government made an expensive and concerted effort to make all payments direct deposit about 10 years ago. I can tell you from experience that you cannot prove residency with federal pay stubs or W-2 forms.

I am looking at my federal paystub and there is a line that says "DC Withholding"

I'm looking at my federal pay stub and IT DOES NOT HAVE MY ADDRESS.

A problem if you are trying to prove boundary schools. Not a problem for D.C. charter schools. Sometimes mortgage companies require HRs to submit letters of proof. Maybe it needs to get that crazy.

[Anonymous]

Basically remove the rental agreements and utility bills from the list. Really, all that should be required is either the military form, government assistance, or "copy of Form D40 certified by the DC Office of Tax and Revenue"

http://osse.dc.gov/node/887022

One of the following items is accepted to establish DC residency:

A pay stub;
Supplemental Security Income annual benefits notification;
A copy of Form D40 certified by the DC Office of Tax and Revenue;
Military Housing Order;
An embassy letter;
Proof that a child is a ward of the District of Columbia, in the form of a Court Order; and
Proof of financial assistance from the DC Government, in the form of either a:
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) verification of income notice or recertification approval letter;
Medicaid approval letter or recertification letter;
Housing assistance letter from a housing shelter, including contact name and phone number or a letter from the Housing Authority; or
Proof of receipt of financial assistance from another DC Government program.
If none of the above items are available to verify residency, two of the following items are required:

Unexpired DC motor vehicle registration;
Unexpired lease or rental agreement;
Unexpired DC motor vehicle operator's permit or other official non-driver identification; and
One utility bill (only gas, electric and water bills acceptable).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not hard to show where you live. Come to my house. I'll show you my messy house, all my clothes, paperwork, ask the neighbors if I live here and so on.
Never seen people put up such a fuss and fight if they are not cheating.

This is how I feel. It's not hard to prove your residency. So report if you know of someone, and they can put to rest any confusion or questions. It shouldn't be a big deal to prove.

Actually, it is hard to prove residency. When I met my husband, he owned the house we lived in and had all the utilities in his name. Though we filed joint taxes as a married couple and my drivers license and registration carried my name and address, it was insufficient for registering my child. Very insufficient. We're three years in to public schooling in DC and each year, the schools we've attended have been hard core about seeing the person whose claiming guardianship and residency IN PERSON when they register a child.

If it's fair to resort to stereotypes - and it seems the "articles" and thousands of DCUM posts on the subject make stereotypes very fair - then I have to believe that the people with means to skirt this system are more likely well-off white people taking advantage of highly-regarded charter schools and DCPS west of the park. Yet these "reporters" couldn't be bothered with JKLM or Creative Minds, where there are certainly affluent white people "scamming our schools." Not to mention principals and parent teacher organizations looking the other way. These people are just not being followed home or having their government documentation researched and posted online.

Show of hands/posts, how many here are irked by their wait list number for Eagle Academy or Ludlow-Taylor?

I mean, if you don't see this sham excuse for journalism as a bigger problem in the interest of our kids, then I'm just frankly worried for our kids. I have resided and paid taxes in the District of Columbia for close to 30 years. But thinking about some nutcase vigilante targeting my kid for "investigation" because he's a brown kid getting out of the car of my MD-residing SIL who sometimes helps with childcare makes my blood boil.

And you go, Oh! If you're following the law you have nothing to worry about. Just answer the questions imposed on you and you're good to go! But the blatant racial bias expressed here and in the articles means I have a hell of a lot to worry about. Some fucking kook stalking kids outside of their school, taking photographs and posting them online? How is it that THAT fact doesn't disturb people?

A DC resident scheming to get into a JKLM school by falsely claiming an in-boundary residence is still boundary fraud, but out of state fraud takes it to a different level. At least in the first example, the scammer is a DC resident and presumably paying taxes in DC.

You do see likely examples of out of state residency issues in certain Upper NW elementary schools, as well as Deal and Wilson (as the kids feed there). It's probably less in those schools that have relatively few lottery spots and where it's harder for non-residents to fly below the radar. Last year there was an apparent case of residency fraud in the Janney district, which is such a close-knit community that the fraudsters were quickly discovered and their kids removed. When you have a school where substantial number of students live in various wards around the city, someone committing residency fraud is just not going to be noticed as much because the community is more diffuse.

Not going to be noticed, or not going to be examined?

Oh, but of course, you are examining black or Hispanic kids who are seen getting out of luxury cars at your Upper NW school. Because that can't be right, can it? I mean, white people just don't do that kind of thing.

Right?

You bet -- the residency status of any kids -- regardless of ethnicity -- who are regularly getting out of/picked up by MD plated cars at a DCPS or charter need to be looked at more closely.