Residency Fraud Hotline

[Anonymous]

Anybody know if the residency fraud hotline actually does anything?

I was shocked to see a few kids back at our neighborhood dcps school that I know for sure live in MD...I thought admin. knew it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anybody know if the residency fraud hotline actually does anything?

I was shocked to see a few kids back at our neighborhood dcps school that I know for sure live in MD...I thought admin. knew it too.

Hmmmm, only one way to find out. Call it yourself. If you are certain (or highly suspicious) that families are are attending DCPS in violation of the residency rules that for goodness sakes call. It is true that if non one with information actually calls it will not accomplish much.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. I actually thought the school's admin. was on it and I was really surprised today.

I will definitely call. Not sure what info I can give besides the child's name. I may try to snap a picture of a license plate if the opportunity presents itself.

Also, I wouldn't want to get our administrators in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. I actually thought the school's admin. was on it and I was really surprised today.

I will definitely call. Not sure what info I can give besides the child's name. I may try to snap a picture of a license plate if the opportunity presents itself.

Also, I wouldn't want to get our administrators in trouble.

I think reporting suspected cheaters is the right thing to do. however, my understanding is that mere evidence that a child is picked up by a MD car is not sufficient for a report, sounds like you need to have some more specific knowledge (like went to the child's home for a birthday/playdate and the home is in MD). you may want to read the guidelines for reporting possible cheaters on the DCPS web site

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am still confused by the premise of this. Who schemes to get INTO DC schools? People who live in PG county?

Go away.

The residency fraud applies to the public charter schools as well. I am an FCPS elementary school teacher who lives in DC. I would stack my kids' charter school against any FCPS school in a minute. What I hate is folks who do not live here and pay taxes to scam the system. I know of a few families that have tried this at my kids' school. They lived in MD, but the mom worked close by. If you do not live in DC, then you don't get to use the public schools here.

And as another poster said, there is FREE school for PreK 3 in many schools. All day. That's well over $10K in yearly savings in childcare costs.

Just out of curiosity, how do you feel about illegal immigrants receiving benefits, including free school?

Are you planning to report them too to the residency fraud hotline?

Just devil's advocate here as I don't have a bone in this fight...What is your criteria for not having a problem with this...because they don't pay taxes in DC either

if they are residents of DC no, if they are residents of MD or VA yes.

residents of DC have the right to go to DCPS, regardless of whether they actually pay taxes. the criteria is residency, so for me whoever resides in DC can go to DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. I actually thought the school's admin. was on it and I was really surprised today.

I will definitely call. Not sure what info I can give besides the child's name. I may try to snap a picture of a license plate if the opportunity presents itself.

Also, I wouldn't want to get our administrators in trouble.

I think reporting suspected cheaters is the right thing to do. however, my understanding is that mere evidence that a child is picked up by a MD car is not sufficient for a report, sounds like you need to have some more specific knowledge (like went to the child's home for a birthday/playdate and the home is in MD). you may want to read the guidelines for reporting possible cheaters on the DCPS web site

Check with the school or call the hotline and ask for the criteria. I have never heard that you need more than MD plates everyday, but don't rely on answers here, call the hotline and ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. I actually thought the school's admin. was on it and I was really surprised today.

I will definitely call. Not sure what info I can give besides the child's name. I may try to snap a picture of a license plate if the opportunity presents itself.

Also, I wouldn't want to get our administrators in trouble.

I think reporting suspected cheaters is the right thing to do. however, my understanding is that mere evidence that a child is picked up by a MD car is not sufficient for a report, sounds like you need to have some more specific knowledge (like went to the child's home for a birthday/playdate and the home is in MD). you may want to read the guidelines for reporting possible cheaters on the DCPS web site

Check with the school or call the hotline and ask for the criteria. I have never heard that you need more than MD plates everyday, but don't rely on answers here, call the hotline and ask.

Here is the online reporting form
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dHVXSUxuVE5aT1dvY3hPZkEwMnJfRHc6MQ
Quote:
License Plate #
An investigation cannot be started with a license plate alone, the name of the child or parent would also be necessary.

[Anonymous]

This happens in Arlington all the time too.

[Anonymous]

They could just wire their systems up to other systems in DC's government, to cross reference addresses where students reside according to enrollment forms with known residential addresses and numbers of units in DC, with filed DC tax returns, and so on. Most of the data needed to significantly reduce fraud in DC already exists, they just haven't bothered to integrate any of it.

[Anonymous]

Not true PP. I know someone who got caught precisely because of cross-referencing. It wasn't an MD person though, but someone who lived out-of-bounds for a particular school.

[Anonymous]

This happens a lot for the earlier grades PK3 - 3 and makes drop off and pick up for parents who work in DC easier. This is so unfair to those of us who pay taxes in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am still confused by the premise of this. Who schemes to get INTO DC schools? People who live in PG county?

The temptation should be obvious for any parent who works downtown-ish, with moderate income, whose school district in Md or Va does not offer free preschool (age 3) or free preK. Think of the literally thousands that family would save in babysitting or daycare costs over a two-year period.

And to your unstated point, it's not as if 4 yr olds are preparing for SATs, getting knifed in the stairwell or sitting among 14-yr old mothers with 2 kids already. Stakes are quite low in earliest years.

I didn't understand that this was really a bid for free babysitting. I thought we were talking academics here. People FLEE DCPS, not flock to them, so that was the source of my confusion.

Actually, if you are up on the local news and trends, people of higher SES aren't FLEEING DCPS; just the opposite: they are flocking towards DCPS and DCPCS - and actually staying for more years of elementary than ever before. DC's schools offer more choice and better offerings than those in PG county and people are using relatives' and employers' addresses and other means to secure a spot for their children in the DC schools.

+1 Agree. I know of a lady that had both of her girls in DCPS school and was using her parent's address, but she and her daughter's lived in Maryland.
It made it easier for her to pick up her children after school because she worked in DC. She played the system for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happens a lot for the earlier grades PK3 - 3 and makes drop off and pick up for parents who work in DC easier. This is so unfair to those of us who pay taxes in DC.

So true, my bank teller lives in PG County and her child attends a Charter school. She said it's free childacare and better for her communte.

[Anonymous]

A former colleague of mine did it for her son's entire elementary school education beyond first grade after they moved from DC to Ft. Washington MD. The concept of it being a crime and something to feel bad about was completely lost on her. She made her decisions based on the fact that the school (Amidon) was better than the school where they had moved, that it was more convenient for her commute, and that her son was comfortable there/had friends there. When it came time for middle school she pondered whether to keep him in the DC system or not and again made her decision as if she were choosing between two legitimate choices --no weight given to the illegal/unethical issues involved.

[Anonymous]

For all of you talking about this happening in the past, it can still be prosecuted. Just because the crime is not still taking place does not make it less worthy of reporting. Report it or else you become complicit in the fraud.