My story: Accused of Residency Fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If OP lived in the District and someone followed her and took pictures wouldn't it prove she lives in the District even if it is an AirBnB?

OP evidently lives in-bound for the school, and the person followed her to the temporary AirBnB she was staying at that was in the District but not in the school boundaries. They reported her as lying about her IB residency, not about her District residency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If OP lived in the District and someone followed her and took pictures wouldn't it prove she lives in the District even if it is an AirBnB?

OP evidently lives in-bound for the school, and the person followed her to the temporary AirBnB she was staying at that was in the District but not in the school boundaries. They reported her as lying about her IB residency, not about her District residency.

who knows what happened, I suspect fake story anyway...the point is if you're not cheating you have nothing to be afraid of!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If OP lived in the District and someone followed her and took pictures wouldn't it prove she lives in the District even if it is an AirBnB?

OP evidently lives in-bound for the school, and the person followed her to the temporary AirBnB she was staying at that was in the District but not in the school boundaries. They reported her as lying about her IB residency, not about her District residency.

who knows what happened, I suspect fake story anyway...the point is if you're not cheating you have nothing to be afraid of!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, presumably the counselor and social worker would know what your family was going through because you would have/should have told them. In which case, when step one happened, OSSE contacted the school, the whole thing would have been explained and the investigation would have gone no further.

Did you not tell the school of your temporary change in address when it happened?

I disagree. OP removed her kids from the situation. She may have had private therapist for the kids. Certainly, she had financial means of living in an Air BNB for that long. No need to inform the new school unless there was a behavioral or academic concern. Even kids deserve a fresh start without preconceptions.

Not true. If OP was in-bounds at the school, and moved OOB, her kids can only stay with the principal's permission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, presumably the counselor and social worker would know what your family was going through because you would have/should have told them. In which case, when step one happened, OSSE contacted the school, the whole thing would have been explained and the investigation would have gone no further.

Did you not tell the school of your temporary change in address when it happened?

I disagree. OP removed her kids from the situation. She may have had private therapist for the kids. Certainly, she had financial means of living in an Air BNB for that long. No need to inform the new school unless there was a behavioral or academic concern. Even kids deserve a fresh start without preconceptions.

Not true. If OP was in-bounds at the school, and moved OOB, her kids can only stay with the principal's permission.

No, that's wrong on 2 levels: 1) OP did not move out, she was in temporary housing, and 2) even if she had "moved" the kids can stay by-right through the end of the year. It's only through the terminal grade in school, starting the following school year, that is at principal's discretion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If OP lived in the District and someone followed her and took pictures wouldn't it prove she lives in the District even if it is an AirBnB?

OP evidently lives in-bound for the school, and the person followed her to the temporary AirBnB she was staying at that was in the District but not in the school boundaries. They reported her as lying about her IB residency, not about her District residency.

who knows what happened, I suspect fake story anyway...the point is if you're not cheating you have nothing to be afraid of!

+1.

Even if we're taking OP at face value, there was reasonable doubt and she was cleared.

What's next, getting rid of the IRS and all police forces because sometimes they inconvenience some?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think posters are getting way spun up about this. OP is basically asking people to use some discretion and common sense. If you think someone is a residency cheater, report discretely to the school or school district through the proper channels. Don’t gossip about it or take it upon yourself to be a private investigator. Just report it and then go back to minding your own business.

Once you start gossiping, the OPs reputation is ruined no matter if she is innocent or not. How is she supposed to clear herself without talking about the trauma?

Not true. From the OP: "Before reporting suspected parents, please consider the hurt you may cause to those who truly don’t deserve it."

She's asking people to not report. That's crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think posters are getting way spun up about this. OP is basically asking people to use some discretion and common sense. If you think someone is a residency cheater, report discretely to the school or school district through the proper channels. Don’t gossip about it or take it upon yourself to be a private investigator. Just report it and then go back to minding your own business.

Once you start gossiping, the OPs reputation is ruined no matter if she is innocent or not. How is she supposed to clear herself without talking about the trauma?

She clears herself simply by staying in the school with her chin up. The gossipers will almost certainly get the message and lay off once they realized that their tattle campaign got them nowhere. She can even have a little fun looking known bitches in the eye and smiling.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

My biggest discomfort is that I was targeted and followed by another parent (or parents) in our community, not school staff and not OSSE. After being followed by the parent, the school initiated the inquiry. When I asked the school where the pictures came from (several in front of the OOB air bnb) the school responded that they were submitted anonymously.

I suspect it was due to the rental car I began using. It could
have also been a neighboring school family who noticed the
house dark for a few weeks. I am uncertain.

While it did not take much for me to verify that a crime had been committed in our permanent residence (along with the details of our unique circumstance), the discomfort that our family feels and lack of trust for the community remains.

I can only imagine the embarrassment that a homeless family or a family of less means would experience. No one talks about how school communities repair trust relationships after accusing another parent of fraud.

[Anonymous]

Do you not have any friends within the school? Do you not have playdates, birthday parties? Not on any committees or groups within the school where you'd get to know people a bit? People who know you would know that you've moved and/or are driving a rental car, or at least would know you well enough not to suspect you of fraud!!

How can you mourn the loss of community when it seems like you are completely disconnected from everyone at your school?

[Anonymous]

So many mean people in DC and surrounding suburbs OP.

I'm sorry you had to go through this, and then listen to people like the pp who try to politicize your situation or tell you you didn't spread enough info around about your situation.

Guess this is a lesson that one must talk to / meet with the principal over any even temporary changes in circumstances so the busybodies can be dealt with.

Can't wait until my dh and I can retire and get the heck out of here.

[Anonymous]

Here's another thing to be considered:

Kids in foster care have the right to continue attending school at their usual school even if placed outside their attendance area.

Schools cannot deny enrollment to homeless students, and a student who becomes homeless and is temporarily staying outside the attendance area is entitled to remain in the school.

And if a kid is in foster care or is homeless, it's nobody's business.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Do you not have any friends within the school? Do you not have playdates, birthday parties? Not on any committees or groups within the school where you'd get to know people a bit? People who know you would know that you've moved and/or are driving a rental car, or at least would know you well enough not to suspect you of fraud!!

How can you mourn the loss of community when it seems like you are completely disconnected from everyone at your school?

Yes, put the blame firmly where it belongs, on the victim. Posters in this thread are incredible and lead to days like this when I question why I run this crappy website.

[Anonymous]

It would be Schadenfreude if a self-styled investigator followed someone in a rental car to an airbnb and it turned out the reason was because the investigator's spouse was the person's AP.

[Anonymous]

I’m skeptical. Who rents an Airbnb — which like a hotel by definition is short term and highly temporary — in a different jurisdiction and promptly moves their kids to a new school made possible by that overnight accommodation?