Attorney General files suit against 16 people for school residency fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

DP. It's cute that you think everyone can "plan ahead adequately" about the schools where they can afford to live.

So do we just open the borders then? If people like you think it's fine to educate MD kids on DC's dime, make it policy so that they don't have to cheat and lie! I think it's terrible that children see parents cheating and lying and are party to it.

This is the real question, and I would love to hear the response. Apparently, people think it's fine foe DC to pay to educate MD children. Is that right?

Sure, we could get some reimbursement from MD. I hear a lot about how "school choice" is going to save us all, so not sure why DC an MD can't work that one out, as opposed to suing moms on welfare for treble damages for the sin of trying to send their kids to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Funny how you said you were "well above the poverty level" though. Sorry but I just can't see prioritizing Maryland residents above DC residents who are below the poverty level. If we let all those Maryland kids in, it would be thousands of kids with no taxes to fund it.

Do you know what the poverty level is??? https://www.thebalance.com/federal-poverty-level-definition-guidelines-chart-3305843
The poverty level for a family of two is $16,910.

$16,910. So yes, the $59K I made last year is well above the poverty level, but doesn't do jack shit when you have a kid in the DMV.

You can live in DC making $59k.

Yes. 30% of 59k (commonly considered the threshold for housing affordability) is $1475 a month. Will you get a nice 2br for that price? no. will you be IB for great schools? no. But are there places you could live in DC and enter the lottery? Of course. There are a lot of people in DC living on a lot less and a boundary cheater's kid stole a spot from one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

Before moving here I was freshly divorced, homeless, and unemployed staying temporarily with a friend in Cecil County. After MANY months of searching in several states I finally got a job offer in DC and with extremely limited money took a small one bedroom apartment that I could afford. When I started to get back on my feet financially I looked for places in better areas/school districts and my rent would have TRIPLED for even a crappy 2 bedroom apartment in the city or Montgo.

Let me guess - you're a pro-lifer who then treats poor people like societal leeches when they fall on hard times, even temporarily. You and your judgement are what's wrong with this world and I'm done wasting energy on jerks like you.

Huh? Pro-lifer? Look, I'm sorry you fell on hard times, but most people who cheat are not necessarily in your circumstances, and I still don't accept that the *only* choice you had was to illegally send your child to school in DC. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive apts. in Silver Spring etc. that have higher-ranked schools than most of those in PG.

Did you even read??? I said that I DID NOT cheat and send my kid to a DC school as a Maryland resident. We're at an independent school where we receive financial aid and I pay a portion of the tuition. When we applied to DC schools I tried to pay the out of state tuition and no one knew what to do. So I kept my kid in daycare for an extra year while I found the private school that we're currently at.

Well okay, you weren't clear before. Actually, why are you even on this thread if you didn't cheat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in DC Medicaid and there is tremendous fraud by Maryland residents who claim to live in the District because our benefits are better (but the poor can't afford to live in DC).
Sometimes it feels like a full half of our members live in Maryland. However, it is really difficult to turn people in because their health hangs in the balance (and the city really doesn't seem to care because they receive a percentage of federal money for these people).
That said, we're talking millions vs. the thousands being defrauded by MD residents via the school system.

A couple of the cases here also include Medicaid, SNAP & TANF fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

Before moving here I was freshly divorced, homeless, and unemployed staying temporarily with a friend in Cecil County. After MANY months of searching in several states I finally got a job offer in DC and with extremely limited money took a small one bedroom apartment that I could afford. When I started to get back on my feet financially I looked for places in better areas/school districts and my rent would have TRIPLED for even a crappy 2 bedroom apartment in the city or Montgo.

Let me guess - you're a pro-lifer who then treats poor people like societal leeches when they fall on hard times, even temporarily. You and your judgement are what's wrong with this world and I'm done wasting energy on jerks like you.

Huh? Pro-lifer? Look, I'm sorry you fell on hard times, but most people who cheat are not necessarily in your circumstances, and I still don't accept that the *only* choice you had was to illegally send your child to school in DC. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive apts. in Silver Spring etc. that have higher-ranked schools than most of those in PG.

Did you even read??? I said that I DID NOT cheat and send my kid to a DC school as a Maryland resident. We're at an independent school where we receive financial aid and I pay a portion of the tuition. When we applied to DC schools I tried to pay the out of state tuition and no one knew what to do. So I kept my kid in daycare for an extra year while I found the private school that we're currently at.

So you did the right thing. So why would you defend people who are stealing?

You can have sympathy for people in need and still feel that it's wrong to steal.

[Anonymous]

The thief who are also "public servants" should immediately lose their jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

Before moving here I was freshly divorced, homeless, and unemployed staying temporarily with a friend in Cecil County. After MANY months of searching in several states I finally got a job offer in DC and with extremely limited money took a small one bedroom apartment that I could afford. When I started to get back on my feet financially I looked for places in better areas/school districts and my rent would have TRIPLED for even a crappy 2 bedroom apartment in the city or Montgo.

Let me guess - you're a pro-lifer who then treats poor people like societal leeches when they fall on hard times, even temporarily. You and your judgement are what's wrong with this world and I'm done wasting energy on jerks like you.

Huh? Pro-lifer? Look, I'm sorry you fell on hard times, but most people who cheat are not necessarily in your circumstances, and I still don't accept that the *only* choice you had was to illegally send your child to school in DC. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive apts. in Silver Spring etc. that have higher-ranked schools than most of those in PG.

Did you even read??? I said that I DID NOT cheat and send my kid to a DC school as a Maryland resident. We're at an independent school where we receive financial aid and I pay a portion of the tuition. When we applied to DC schools I tried to pay the out of state tuition and no one knew what to do. So I kept my kid in daycare for an extra year while I found the private school that we're currently at.

So you did the right thing. So why would you defend people who are stealing?

You can have sympathy for people in need and still feel that it's wrong to steal.

Because people who have actually walked the walk are likely to be sympathetic to others, and not have your rigid sense that someone who is trying to get a good education for their kid is "stealing."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

DP. It's cute that you think everyone can "plan ahead adequately" about the schools where they can afford to live.

So do we just open the borders then? If people like you think it's fine to educate MD kids on DC's dime, make it policy so that they don't have to cheat and lie! I think it's terrible that children see parents cheating and lying and are party to it.

This is the real question, and I would love to hear the response. Apparently, people think it's fine foe DC to pay to educate MD children. Is that right?

Sure, we could get some reimbursement from MD. I hear a lot about how "school choice" is going to save us all, so not sure why DC an MD can't work that one out, as opposed to suing moms on welfare for treble damages for the sin of trying to send their kids to school.

If you think about this for more than 30 seconds, you'll see how unworkable it is, and how it's not a solution to this situation.

But, more to the point - do you think the bus aid, since you are so fixated on her, should be allowed to keep her kid in a DC school? Should Maryland be forced to pay for it? What if PG county says no? And should she be permitted to keep her job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

Before moving here I was freshly divorced, homeless, and unemployed staying temporarily with a friend in Cecil County. After MANY months of searching in several states I finally got a job offer in DC and with extremely limited money took a small one bedroom apartment that I could afford. When I started to get back on my feet financially I looked for places in better areas/school districts and my rent would have TRIPLED for even a crappy 2 bedroom apartment in the city or Montgo.

Let me guess - you're a pro-lifer who then treats poor people like societal leeches when they fall on hard times, even temporarily. You and your judgement are what's wrong with this world and I'm done wasting energy on jerks like you.

Huh? Pro-lifer? Look, I'm sorry you fell on hard times, but most people who cheat are not necessarily in your circumstances, and I still don't accept that the *only* choice you had was to illegally send your child to school in DC. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive apts. in Silver Spring etc. that have higher-ranked schools than most of those in PG.

Did you even read??? I said that I DID NOT cheat and send my kid to a DC school as a Maryland resident. We're at an independent school where we receive financial aid and I pay a portion of the tuition. When we applied to DC schools I tried to pay the out of state tuition and no one knew what to do. So I kept my kid in daycare for an extra year while I found the private school that we're currently at.

So you did the right thing. So why would you defend people who are stealing?

You can have sympathy for people in need and still feel that it's wrong to steal.

Because people who have actually walked the walk are likely to be sympathetic to others, and not have your rigid sense that someone who is trying to get a good education for their kid is "stealing."

But these people ARE pretty different from you. By your account, you were upfront about not living in DC, and attempted to work out payment. You didn't lie and cheat by using a false address, like those being sued did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thief who are also "public servants" should immediately lose their jobs.

The MPD officer and CFSA social worker are especially egregious as these are jobs where you're frequently called upon to provide sworn testimony, with big consequences of what you say: someone could go to jail or lose parental rights. If I were a lawyer representing someone in a case where Smith or Broad-Smith was a witness, I'd have a field day. Their credibility is shot, so they aren't able to do a huge part of their jobs.

The MPD officer made $77,304 in 2018 and his wife made $110,725. Their combined salary was twice the area median income. There were undoubtedly kids waitlisted at the schools their children went to who were in greater need.

[Anonymous]

This issue is similar to illegal immigration to me

If I was in the situation would i do it yes

However it is against the law and corrective actions are justified and need to be taken

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

Before moving here I was freshly divorced, homeless, and unemployed staying temporarily with a friend in Cecil County. After MANY months of searching in several states I finally got a job offer in DC and with extremely limited money took a small one bedroom apartment that I could afford. When I started to get back on my feet financially I looked for places in better areas/school districts and my rent would have TRIPLED for even a crappy 2 bedroom apartment in the city or Montgo.

Let me guess - you're a pro-lifer who then treats poor people like societal leeches when they fall on hard times, even temporarily. You and your judgement are what's wrong with this world and I'm done wasting energy on jerks like you.

Huh? Pro-lifer? Look, I'm sorry you fell on hard times, but most people who cheat are not necessarily in your circumstances, and I still don't accept that the *only* choice you had was to illegally send your child to school in DC. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive apts. in Silver Spring etc. that have higher-ranked schools than most of those in PG.

Did you even read??? I said that I DID NOT cheat and send my kid to a DC school as a Maryland resident. We're at an independent school where we receive financial aid and I pay a portion of the tuition. When we applied to DC schools I tried to pay the out of state tuition and no one knew what to do. So I kept my kid in daycare for an extra year while I found the private school that we're currently at.

So you did the right thing. So why would you defend people who are stealing?

You can have sympathy for people in need and still feel that it's wrong to steal.

Because people who have actually walked the walk are likely to be sympathetic to others, and not have your rigid sense that someone who is trying to get a good education for their kid is "stealing."

It is unquestionably stealing, their motives notwithstanding. And your attempt to portray all these people as modern day Jean Valjeans is absurd. They weren't starving, and had schools they could go to. Pulling on heartstrings indicates that you don't have a reasoned argument as to why MD kids should be permitted to attend DC schools, or why parents who willfully lie to cheat DC shouldn't be punished.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Funny how you said you were "well above the poverty level" though. Sorry but I just can't see prioritizing Maryland residents above DC residents who are below the poverty level. If we let all those Maryland kids in, it would be thousands of kids with no taxes to fund it.

Do you know what the poverty level is??? https://www.thebalance.com/federal-poverty-level-definition-guidelines-chart-3305843
The poverty level for a family of two is $16,910.

$16,910. So yes, the $59K I made last year is well above the poverty level, but doesn't do jack shit when you have a kid in the DMV.

You can live in DC making $59k.

Make out a budget for me oh great guru!

$59,000 after taxes is more like $42,000 or $3500/month
Health insurance through work triples when you go from being a single person to a family - $1100 (but it's pretax, so I guess I win?)
Metro + parking - $258
Car insurance - $100
No car note because I'm driving a 2007 Civic
Gas - $140
Rent - $950
Groceries (with couponing) $250
Utilities (on a budget plan) - $100
Discounted Tuition - $430
Wifi - $50
Netflix - $12

This leaves $110/month and I haven't purchased any clothes for a GROWING KID, God forbid something break in my 12 year old car, and there's no room to save money or significantly contribute to a 529 or 401K. And the sporadic money from my ex-husband???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

Before moving here I was freshly divorced, homeless, and unemployed staying temporarily with a friend in Cecil County. After MANY months of searching in several states I finally got a job offer in DC and with extremely limited money took a small one bedroom apartment that I could afford. When I started to get back on my feet financially I looked for places in better areas/school districts and my rent would have TRIPLED for even a crappy 2 bedroom apartment in the city or Montgo.

Let me guess - you're a pro-lifer who then treats poor people like societal leeches when they fall on hard times, even temporarily. You and your judgement are what's wrong with this world and I'm done wasting energy on jerks like you.

Huh? Pro-lifer? Look, I'm sorry you fell on hard times, but most people who cheat are not necessarily in your circumstances, and I still don't accept that the *only* choice you had was to illegally send your child to school in DC. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive apts. in Silver Spring etc. that have higher-ranked schools than most of those in PG.

Did you even read??? I said that I DID NOT cheat and send my kid to a DC school as a Maryland resident. We're at an independent school where we receive financial aid and I pay a portion of the tuition. When we applied to DC schools I tried to pay the out of state tuition and no one knew what to do. So I kept my kid in daycare for an extra year while I found the private school that we're currently at.

So you did the right thing. So why would you defend people who are stealing?

You can have sympathy for people in need and still feel that it's wrong to steal.

Because people who have actually walked the walk are likely to be sympathetic to others, and not have your rigid sense that someone who is trying to get a good education for their kid is "stealing."

It is unquestionably stealing, their motives notwithstanding. And your attempt to portray all these people as modern day Jean Valjeans is absurd. They weren't starving, and had schools they could go to. Pulling on heartstrings indicates that you don't have a reasoned argument as to why MD kids should be permitted to attend DC schools, or why parents who willfully lie to cheat DC shouldn't be punished.

DC Pols literally gave away a public DC playing field to a private school. I'm definitely not getting exercised about moms sending their kids to DC schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean really, a false-claims act suit against a DC bus attendant who moved to MD? I get why these have to be done, but yeah ... harsh. I wish there were a better way. At a minimum, it seems really harsh to employ people in DC who can't afford to live here.

Come on, people are stealing 10s-100s of thousands of DC tax dollars for convenience and to game the system. I don't care what your income is- MD has the same services. It's not like they would go without.

It's not for convenience. Some parents are desperately trying to break the cycle of poverty and offer their kids a fighting chance.

When I first moved to the DMV the only place that I could afford was in PG County. When my child was ready for kindergarten, the local school options were horrific. Like 2+2=hot dog kinds of horrific. I began looking at charter and specialty schools, but they were only a notch above the other schools. I considered private, but got scared by the costs (before I knew that we would be eligible for FA), so we entered the DC lottery (with our real address and being completely transparent). We were admitted to a DC school and I began to inquire what I would need to do to pay the required tuition for out of state students. No. One. Knew. Not one staff member knew what to do. Because I didn't want to break the rules I ended up red-shirting my kid (August bday) and then I started talking to privates who helped me better understand that despite being well above the poverty level (although still poor in the DMV), I would still qualify for some financial aid. I pay what I would have paid if I was able to pay for the DC public school, but most people can't afford that.

Sorry, but that is a BS excuse. PG schools are no worse than the DC ones in this lawsuit. The difference is that DC offers free child care. Which we, DC residents, pay for, through taxes. It's expensive and not a social service for MD residents.

My life and the educational future of my kid is not a "BS excuse". I'm not sure which schools are listed in the lawsuit, but our options were schools that ranked #836 out of the 853 public elementary schools in the state of Maryland. It's my responsibility to give my child a fighting chance and while definitely ethically questionable, it's more like a case of a man with no money who steals bread to feed his family.

Are you sure that the *only* place you could afford to live was a place with horrible schools? Or was it that you didn't plan ahead adequately re: schools before you moved there?

Before moving here I was freshly divorced, homeless, and unemployed staying temporarily with a friend in Cecil County. After MANY months of searching in several states I finally got a job offer in DC and with extremely limited money took a small one bedroom apartment that I could afford. When I started to get back on my feet financially I looked for places in better areas/school districts and my rent would have TRIPLED for even a crappy 2 bedroom apartment in the city or Montgo.

Let me guess - you're a pro-lifer who then treats poor people like societal leeches when they fall on hard times, even temporarily. You and your judgement are what's wrong with this world and I'm done wasting energy on jerks like you.

Huh? Pro-lifer? Look, I'm sorry you fell on hard times, but most people who cheat are not necessarily in your circumstances, and I still don't accept that the *only* choice you had was to illegally send your child to school in DC. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive apts. in Silver Spring etc. that have higher-ranked schools than most of those in PG.

Did you even read??? I said that I DID NOT cheat and send my kid to a DC school as a Maryland resident. We're at an independent school where we receive financial aid and I pay a portion of the tuition. When we applied to DC schools I tried to pay the out of state tuition and no one knew what to do. So I kept my kid in daycare for an extra year while I found the private school that we're currently at.

So you did the right thing. So why would you defend people who are stealing?

You can have sympathy for people in need and still feel that it's wrong to steal.

I did in fact say that it is "ethically questionable". Everyone's situation is different. I'm sure that there are people who completely did the wrong thing with false addresses, etc, but I bet that there are some exceptions to that rule as well.

It doesn't mean that they didn't break the law, but on a grand scale it's low priority of DC problems.

In my non-DC tax-paying opinion of course.