School boundary abuse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd mind my own business. Why does it matter to you? It has no impact on you or your life. If you report, it is because you are bitter about your own life. Maybe you are angry how stretched your family is to live in the Woodson district. Maybe you are worried their kids are going to get something your kids can't get. Just don't. Focus on your own family and stop worrying about other people.

Isolationist philosophy, huh?

OP and other aren't necessarily "bitter" -- they just want to keep things fair. If this family values X school so much, then they should do what everyone else has to do to legally/legitimately attend X school. If we all just keep to ourselves, then we might have 5000 kids attending Langley or Woodson or several other high-achieving schools... but that's not the way it works. We don't have "open enrollment" and the family in question doesn't get to decide that they get open enrollment. We are a nation and a county of laws (and lawyers!!). We have laws and policies for a reason. They are not optional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd mind my own business. Why does it matter to you? It has no impact on you or your life. If you report, it is because you are bitter about your own life. Maybe you are angry how stretched your family is to live in the Woodson district. Maybe you are worried their kids are going to get something your kids can't get. Just don't. Focus on your own family and stop worrying about other people.

You must be violating boundary rules too.
It absolutely has an impact on the OP's life and on that of other kids legitimately enrolled at the school. It impacts them when classes get overcrowded. It impacts them when they don't make XYZ team or the school play because that kid took one of the spots. It impacts them when there aren't enough hardcopy textbooks to go around and they need one (happened to us). It impacts them when they allow only a portion of the students in a given grade to go on a field trip (as in Civics in our MS, when only half the kids taking this required course were allowed to go on the field trip to the Fairfax courthouse). It impacts them when students move around for various electives and suddenly find themselves with no desk to sit at (as happened to my kid during an "enrichment" type of period in ES. There were 32 kids in his class during the regular subjects and no room to add another desk).

Everyone knows that schools that are perceived as more desirable are overcrowded and have atrocious class sizes. People who cheat make it worse.

agreed.

[Anonymous]

Also agree that OP should contact the school however she feels comfortable--anonymously or not.

The schools cannot check out all addresses, but certainly do not want kids attending schools illegally. The child may not even live in FCPS. Like it or not, there is a fairness issue. I'm sure there are quite a few people abusing the system and it is right to call people on it.

There is also a safety issue. The school needs to know where to find the family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes. Would I want to be the one to report that and turn a kids life upside down with a parent possibly in jail? Probably not!!!!

The parent is making the risk to turn the kid's life upside down. Think about it, this is the same as stealing from the kids who are entitled to attend the school. And, the parent is not likely to go to jail. Are you sure you aren't the perpetrator in this case?

+100

It increases kids per teacher. We have a neighborhood school that is highly desirable so much fraud with addresses.

They hired an outside person to solely be the watchdog and so address verification.

Many families were booted---some in upper elem grades.

No sympathy for the liars and cheaters. We aren't talking 'disadvantaged' families either. They could pony up but want a bigger house in a lesser school zone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also agree that OP should contact the school however she feels comfortable--anonymously or not.

The schools cannot check out all addresses, but certainly do not want kids attending schools illegally. The child may not even live in FCPS. Like it or not, there is a fairness issue. I'm sure there are quite a few people abusing the system and it is right to call people on it.

There is also a safety issue. The school needs to know where to find the family.

Agreed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd mind my own business. Why does it matter to you? It has no impact on you or your life. If you report, it is because you are bitter about your own life. Maybe you are angry how stretched your family is to live in the Woodson district. Maybe you are worried their kids are going to get something your kids can't get. Just don't. Focus on your own family and stop worrying about other people.

Agreed. Unless your willing to report a friend who speeds, or shares a Netflix account, or pirates music, then why bother with this? Talk to the family directly about your concern if it bothers you so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd mind my own business. Why does it matter to you? It has no impact on you or your life. If you report, it is because you are bitter about your own life. Maybe you are angry how stretched your family is to live in the Woodson district. Maybe you are worried their kids are going to get something your kids can't get. Just don't. Focus on your own family and stop worrying about other people.

Agreed. Unless your willing to report a friend who speeds, or shares a Netflix account, or pirates music, then why bother with this? Talk to the family directly about your concern if it bothers you so much.

Wow, You must be a school boundary violator too. Hopefully some Woodson staff on this board and remind principle to check out this summer's new students registration to see how many are in fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know someone who rented an apartment near Woodson high school and used the rental lease to get the kids into Woodson high school then moved out of the Woodson boundary to a cheaper housing but still keep the kids in Woodson. Should this be reported? How to report this anonymously? Just thought this kind of abuse should be stopped but don't know how to report this. Will school take action if reported? Thanks!

Create an email account without your name associated with it and send an email message to the school principal.

What a cowardly thing to do.

Why? I think that's the appropriate thing to do. It doesn't matter who reported it.

Yes, it matters. Anonymous reports lack credibility and are too easily ignored. Attach your name to the complaint -- have some skin in the game and the same accountability you demand of others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes. Would I want to be the one to report that and turn a kids life upside down with a parent possibly in jail? Probably not!!!!

The parent is making the risk to turn the kid's life upside down. Think about it, this is the same as stealing from the kids who are entitled to attend the school. And, the parent is not likely to go to jail. Are you sure you aren't the perpetrator in this case?

+100

It increases kids per teacher. We have a neighborhood school that is highly desirable so much fraud with addresses.

They hired an outside person to solely be the watchdog and so address verification.

Many families were booted---some in upper elem grades.

No sympathy for the liars and cheaters. We aren't talking 'disadvantaged' families either. They could pony up but want a bigger house in a lesser school zone.

The school hired an "outside person"? Please explain. I've never heard of this - good for them.

I think you should have to provide several forms of proof of residence. A lease should be coupled with a car registration, or a utility bill - something like that.

[Anonymous]

I think you should have to provide several forms of proof of residence. A lease should be coupled with a car registration, or a utility bill - something like that.

Didn't OP say they had moved?

Also, even if you own a house in the district, if you do not reside inside the district you are considered out of boundary. And, I would report it. You are a taxpayer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know someone who rented an apartment near Woodson high school and used the rental lease to get the kids into Woodson high school then moved out of the Woodson boundary to a cheaper housing but still keep the kids in Woodson. Should this be reported? How to report this anonymously? Just thought this kind of abuse should be stopped but don't know how to report this. Will school take action if reported? Thanks!

Just curious - why do you care? As long as your own children are getting an education to your satisfaction, you should be content with that. Is this particular family a bad influence on your child(ren)s school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they really poor? Are you?

They are driving BMW so don't think ithey are too poor. But not sure. We were just neighbors for less than a month. They are just new immigrants who think they can abuse the system and get away. But it seems that they are getting away if nobody reports it.

Ah, I think I understand your motivation now...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know someone who rented an apartment near Woodson high school and used the rental lease to get the kids into Woodson high school then moved out of the Woodson boundary to a cheaper housing but still keep the kids in Woodson. Should this be reported? How to report this anonymously? Just thought this kind of abuse should be stopped but don't know how to report this. Will school take action if reported? Thanks!

hell yeah report it!

I teach at another FCPS high school, and I have had a couple of students who had to move mid-year because the school found out they were no longer in the boundary. I am not sure how they found out, but they did. That said, I am sure there are many more who the school doesn't know about - I have seen cars with Maryland tags dropping off students in the morning. Yes, I know it could be a relative who legitimately lives in Maryland giving them a ride to school, but I know some people are taking advantage of the system.

These people may live in VA but have their cars registered in MD. I know people do this, but am not sure why. So there may be a violation, but not of school boundaries.

Car tax. MD cars don't pay it and VA cars pay $$$. [/quote]

Yes, but property (i.e. home) taxes are much higher in MD than in VA so its a bit of a wash.

[Anonymous]

They are driving BMW so don't think ithey are too poor. But not sure. We were just neighbors for less than a month. They are just new immigrants who think they can abuse the system and get away. But it seems that they are getting away if nobody reports it.


Ah, I think I understand your motivation now...

Not OP, but I don't think it is racially motivated. It is resentment over being a taxpayer and having others take advantage of it. Like the families who come here expressly to get their kids in TJ. That's a pretty normal resentment--and I know of one who came here from the Midwest for that purpose. That was wrong, too.

[Anonymous]

We pay a lot to live where we do and have the benefits of that. If we could just pick where we want to live and schools independently then it would be nice, but that isn't the way the system works.

OP, definitely report.