Boundary Cheaters

[Anonymous]

What should not be happening is for the onus to rat out cheaters to fall on parents.

I hate the witch hunt culture that develops around suspected cheating with those calling hotlines seldom knowing the full story. E.g. good friends of ours , longtime Upper NW residents and taxpayers, recently stayed in VA for a few months, in a relative's place, after a house fire in DC. They were hassling with their home insurer, unable to afford to rent locally while the damage was fixed. Sure enough, a couple fellow JKLM parents called the cheating hotline on them after their 8 year-old mentioned to friends that he was "living in VA." When DCPS contacted the principle to ask for an investigation, it all got sorted out. Needless to say the family is no longer dying to support the school, or DCPS.

DCPS needs to UP DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS TO HEAD OFF ADDRESS CHEATING (including by allowing parents to submit HUD mortgage documentation to register, as in the burbs), vs. by encouraging parents to tattle on others as a cost-saving measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cheating subject is a good topic to bring up to the Mayoral hopefuls. It should not be happening especially with the over-crowding at some schools.

Has anyone ever reached out to central office? If not, try it. They are non responsive on this topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My beef isn't with the few MD people (6th year at school and we know none) but with the downtown place kids who aren't IB but magically show up though they aren't IB or at a feeder. We were on Capitol Hill before moving and each year there are always a number of CH kids who magically appear at Deal. Of course their parents are connected via city people.

I thought Bancroft fed to Deal. And Bancroft isn't/hasn't been hard to get into in the past. So I wouldn't be alarmed at all if many CH families were attending Deal, legally.

I think the top PP is using CH to refer to Capitol Hill, and the bottom to Columbia Heights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My beef isn't with the few MD people (6th year at school and we know none) but with the downtown place kids who aren't IB but magically show up though they aren't IB or at a feeder. We were on Capitol Hill before moving and each year there are always a number of CH kids who magically appear at Deal. Of course their parents are connected via city people.

I thought Bancroft fed to Deal. And Bancroft isn't/hasn't been hard to get into in the past. So I wouldn't be alarmed at all if many CH families were attending Deal, legally.

I think the top PP is using CH to refer to Capitol Hill, and the bottom to Columbia Heights.

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My beef isn't with the few MD people (6th year at school and we know none) but with the downtown place kids who aren't IB but magically show up though they aren't IB or at a feeder. We were on Capitol Hill before moving and each year there are always a number of CH kids who magically appear at Deal. Of course their parents are connected via city people.

I know a family at Mann and Deal - not IB for either. You think they won the lottery for both?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:License plate numbers are not enough. You need names and addresses. If you just have license plate numbers, then you don't have evidence if cheating.

I turned in addresses too. Still nothing.

Me too. Nothing happened. Even sent a copy of the MD tax records stating that the property is owner occupied by both parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What should not be happening is for the onus to rat out cheaters to fall on parents.

I hate the witch hunt culture that develops around suspected cheating with those calling hotlines seldom knowing the full story. E.g. good friends of ours , longtime Upper NW residents and taxpayers, recently stayed in VA for a few months, in a relative's place, after a house fire in DC. They were hassling with their home insurer, unable to afford to rent locally while the damage was fixed. Sure enough, a couple fellow JKLM parents called the cheating hotline on them after their 8 year-old mentioned to friends that he was "living in VA." When DCPS contacted the principle to ask for an investigation, it all got sorted out. Needless to say the family is no longer dying to support the school, or DCPS.

DCPS needs to UP DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS TO HEAD OFF ADDRESS CHEATING (including by allowing parents to submit HUD mortgage documentation to register, as in the burbs), vs. by encouraging parents to tattle on others as a cost-saving measure.

How about cross checking income tax forms? That would root put a lot of cheaters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should not be happening is for the onus to rat out cheaters to fall on parents.

I hate the witch hunt culture that develops around suspected cheating with those calling hotlines seldom knowing the full story. E.g. good friends of ours , longtime Upper NW residents and taxpayers, recently stayed in VA for a few months, in a relative's place, after a house fire in DC. They were hassling with their home insurer, unable to afford to rent locally while the damage was fixed. Sure enough, a couple fellow JKLM parents called the cheating hotline on them after their 8 year-old mentioned to friends that he was "living in VA." When DCPS contacted the principle to ask for an investigation, it all got sorted out. Needless to say the family is no longer dying to support the school, or DCPS.

DCPS needs to UP DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS TO HEAD OFF ADDRESS CHEATING (including by allowing parents to submit HUD mortgage documentation to register, as in the burbs), vs. by encouraging parents to tattle on others as a cost-saving measure.

How about cross checking income tax forms? That would root put a lot of cheaters.

You can still own a property in another state and file taxes elsewhere. Live in MD and file your taxes in DC, with the address you use for residency verification. No biggie.

[Anonymous]

I worked in a charter in the admissions office. I can tell you that as long as all you need is the current flimsy "proof" of residency people will continue to commit residency fraud. People would tell us that they lived in MD but we could not do anything about it if they furnished the appropriate documents. Also the schools don't investigate residency fraud them selves. If a family is reported they are asked to provide documentation if they provide case closed. Sometimes a home visit is requested. For many they can use grandma or a friends house. Every home visit that we did at my school was done in the kitchen or living room. I don't recall anyone ever going into a bedroom on any visit.

[Anonymous]

One outside DC family is gone from our WOTP elementary school this year. So, suspect it takes time, but alerting school system can work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure there are dc people who cheat to get into VA and Montgomery Co. schools too. Probably a wash.

Yup, I know someone. MIL lives in Potomac,MD; family lives in NE. They drive across town to get their kids in very good schools there. Happens both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure there are dc people who cheat to get into VA and Montgomery Co. schools too. Probably a wash.

Yup, I know someone. MIL lives in Potomac,MD; family lives in NE. They drive across town to get their kids in very good schools there. Happens both ways.

But I doubt that nothing would be done about it if the cheaters were reported to the school.

[Anonymous]

Our HRCS had a large number of MD plates dropping off this morning. Really annoying given this school has one of the longest WL's in the district. I think parents need to make this cheating a political issue as part of the mayor's race, if anything is going to change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I think parents need to make this cheating a political issue as part of the mayor's race, if anything is going to change.

That is hilarious. There are tons more people in DC who will vote against someone threatening to root out address cheaters than those who will consider it a reason to vote for someone. There is no way this will become a major issue in the mayoral campaign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think parents need to make this cheating a political issue as part of the mayor's race, if anything is going to change.

That is hilarious. There are tons more people in DC who will vote against someone threatening to root out address cheaters than those who will consider it a reason to vote for someone. There is no way this will become a major issue in the mayoral campaign.

Major political issue -no. But if people mention it to the major candidates, it will get more attention