Can we get a district wide residency check of all FCPS high schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS schools do residency checks each year. We send letters to our families that need to be returned. If the letters “bounce” or are not returned, we know there is something fishy.

Many parents who do this are gaming the system. They own property (a cheap condo or something) in the boundary of the school they want and rent it out. When investigated, they are easily able to produce a mortgage statement. Following up on each of these requires detective work (i.e. following a family home each day) and effectively ruins the relationship with a school and the family. It would need to be an external group with a lot of time and funding.

I have never received such a letter.

It’s just a letter from FCPS. The topic could be anything - assigned teacher, Schoology updates, SB changes, rezoning, etc. it could be a postcard flyer.

Never received one.

Multiple kids, 4 fcps schools.

I think you are making up stuff.

We’ve received mail from FCPS, so you must be the one making it up.

I receive mail from FCPS, but never anything that "needs to be returned." Or if I have, I definitely haven't returned it. I don't expect anything urgent to come through snail mail except maybe jury duty.

It’s marked on the envelope to return to sender if the person addressed to doesn’t live there.

FCPS requires all schools to do a mailing with that specific envelope by December 1. We send out a letter with a flier in it about something like parent conferences or an upcoming event. Within a few weeks, we get the mail back for anyone who doesn’t live at the address in SIS, at least according to the post office. Then we contact the family and tell them to come in with proof of residency or their child/ren will be unenrolled within a few days.

It one of several ways we can catch families who do not live in our catchment area. Those families are told to register at their neighborhood school. And sometimes we come to learn that they don’t live in FCPS.

—an FCPS administrator

I can see it is an attempt but as you can see by mine and the other post, these letters and others are likely being delivered and people are tossing them. No one checks addresses and names that carefully anymore. We get our neighbors mail, people down the street, sometimes ours is not delivered. You can’t rely on the USPS for anything anymore. Our car registration went missing for weeks recently and we only knew it was supposed to come because of informed delivery. It showed up a month late. We’ve had bills show up on the scan and never arrive.

Of course. That’s why you’ll see in the last paragraph I noted it’s ONE of the ways we catch families who live in the catchment area. It’s not the sole method of determining bona fide residency.

DP. What are the other methods?

Basic “detective” work:

-Regular review of tardies
-Kids saying that they moved or live in MD or “far away”
-Kids who live right across from the school but get picked up from some random location and dropped off
-Reviewing the leases and see that it expired
-Noting MD tags
-Calling the parent in and having a direct conversation with them that we don’t believe they live here. It actually works more than you think.

I'm the PP who asked. Thank you. Is this standard FCPS protocol? I'm curious because my school has a lot of the issues you describe and very little seems to be done.

+1

I assumed that no one actually cares much about the individual cheating. At least at the elementary level, kids don't even try to hide it. It seems like if schools wanted to do something, they would.

[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:FCPS schools do residency checks each year. We send letters to our families that need to be returned. If the letters “bounce” or are not returned, we know there is something fishy.

Many parents who do this are gaming the system. They own property (a cheap condo or something) in the boundary of the school they want and rent it out. When investigated, they are easily able to produce a mortgage statement. Following up on each of these requires detective work (i.e. following a family home each day) and effectively ruins the relationship with a school and the family. It would need to be an external group with a lot of time and funding.

I have never received such a letter.

It’s just a letter from FCPS. The topic could be anything - assigned teacher, Schoology updates, SB changes, rezoning, etc. it could be a postcard flyer.

Never received one.

Multiple kids, 4 fcps schools.

I think you are making up stuff.

We’ve received mail from FCPS, so you must be the one making it up.

I receive mail from FCPS, but never anything that "needs to be returned." Or if I have, I definitely haven't returned it. I don't expect anything urgent to come through snail mail except maybe jury duty.

It’s marked on the envelope to return to sender if the person addressed to doesn’t live there.

FCPS requires all schools to do a mailing with that specific envelope by December 1. We send out a letter with a flier in it about something like parent conferences or an upcoming event. Within a few weeks, we get the mail back for anyone who doesn’t live at the address in SIS, at least according to the post office. Then we contact the family and tell them to come in with proof of residency or their child/ren will be unenrolled within a few days.

It one of several ways we can catch families who do not live in our catchment area. Those families are told to register at their neighborhood school. And sometimes we come to learn that they don’t live in FCPS.

—an FCPS administrator

I can see it is an attempt but as you can see by mine and the other post, these letters and others are likely being delivered and people are tossing them. No one checks addresses and names that carefully anymore. We get our neighbors mail, people down the street, sometimes ours is not delivered. You can’t rely on the USPS for anything anymore. Our car registration went missing for weeks recently and we only knew it was supposed to come because of informed delivery. It showed up a month late. We’ve had bills show up on the scan and never arrive.

Of course. That’s why you’ll see in the last paragraph I noted it’s ONE of the ways we catch families who live in the catchment area. It’s not the sole method of determining bona fide residency.

DP. What are the other methods?

Basic “detective” work:

-Regular review of tardies
-Kids saying that they moved or live in MD or “far away”
-Kids who live right across from the school but get picked up from some random location and dropped off
-Reviewing the leases and see that it expired
-Noting MD tags
-Calling the parent in and having a direct conversation with them that we don’t believe they live here. It actually works more than you think.

I'm the PP who asked. Thank you. Is this standard FCPS protocol? I'm curious because my school has a lot of the issues you describe and very little seems to be done.

“Protocol?” There’s no specific protocol that principals should help supervise the cafeteria, but I do it most days because it helps maintain order and builds relationships with students. Doing the “detective” work regarding residency? I just see it as part of my job to protect taxpayer’s money. It’s one of the hundred balls I’m juggling at any given moment.

No doubt, it’s easier at the elementary level. Note that when we uncover a residency violation, we include any middle and high school siblings in the correspondence and copy the administrators and the registrars.

Just because you see MD tags doesn’t mean the school isn’t trying or that the family isn’t already being investigated. OR that the family really does live in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the “homeless” kids at hayfield get booted out now? I hope so

Their parents should be given a choice: pay up the $19,000 to let their children stay in FCPS for the remainder of the year or go back to whatever out of boundary area they came from and pay the prorated amount it cost to educate them from late August until their official withdrawal date.

And yes, there should be annual residency checks at all FCPS schools. It's wild that people can show a lease or house deed when they register a child for kindergarten and then it's basically an honor system for the next 12 years.

I want some accountability on those 31 kids who are not homeless and don’t live on hayfields boundary. Like- they need to not be at school anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS requires parents of kids who are going to the next level (5th grade and 8th grade) at least to resubmit all residency documents. While it isn’t every year, it would definitely weed out some kids.

Yup. When Arlington first did this a few years ago they discovered some schools really weren’t really overcrowded.

Arlington also has 15% of the student body of FCPS, so it’s a more manageable operation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS schools do residency checks each year. We send letters to our families that need to be returned. If the letters “bounce” or are not returned, we know there is something fishy.

Many parents who do this are gaming the system. They own property (a cheap condo or something) in the boundary of the school they want and rent it out. When investigated, they are easily able to produce a mortgage statement. Following up on each of these requires detective work (i.e. following a family home each day) and effectively ruins the relationship with a school and the family. It would need to be an external group with a lot of time and funding.

I have never received such a letter.

It’s just a letter from FCPS. The topic could be anything - assigned teacher, Schoology updates, SB changes, rezoning, etc. it could be a postcard flyer.

Never received one.

Multiple kids, 4 fcps schools.

I think you are making up stuff.

We’ve received mail from FCPS, so you must be the one making it up.

I receive mail from FCPS, but never anything that "needs to be returned." Or if I have, I definitely haven't returned it. I don't expect anything urgent to come through snail mail except maybe jury duty.

It’s marked on the envelope to return to sender if the person addressed to doesn’t live there.

FCPS requires all schools to do a mailing with that specific envelope by December 1. We send out a letter with a flier in it about something like parent conferences or an upcoming event. Within a few weeks, we get the mail back for anyone who doesn’t live at the address in SIS, at least according to the post office. Then we contact the family and tell them to come in with proof of residency or their child/ren will be unenrolled within a few days.

It one of several ways we can catch families who do not live in our catchment area. Those families are told to register at their neighborhood school. And sometimes we come to learn that they don’t live in FCPS.

—an FCPS administrator

I can see it is an attempt but as you can see by mine and the other post, these letters and others are likely being delivered and people are tossing them. No one checks addresses and names that carefully anymore. We get our neighbors mail, people down the street, sometimes ours is not delivered. You can’t rely on the USPS for anything anymore. Our car registration went missing for weeks recently and we only knew it was supposed to come because of informed delivery. It showed up a month late. We’ve had bills show up on the scan and never arrive.

Of course. That’s why you’ll see in the last paragraph I noted it’s ONE of the ways we catch families who live in the catchment area. It’s not the sole method of determining bona fide residency.

DP. What are the other methods?

Basic “detective” work:

-Regular review of tardies
-Kids saying that they moved or live in MD or “far away”
-Kids who live right across from the school but get picked up from some random location and dropped off
-Reviewing the leases and see that it expired
-Noting MD tags
-Calling the parent in and having a direct conversation with them that we don’t believe they live here. It actually works more than you think.

The ES I teach at does this. We identify 1-2 families every few years, but we’re not a desirable school.

[Anonymous]

The school I work at catches atleast 20 kids a year from Maryland, DC, Alexandria City and Prince William with the returned mail as a starting point. Then it is monitoring attendance, pick up/drop off times, etc.

[Anonymous]

Edison HS is known as the best HS in PG County.

[Anonymous]

Sounds good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS requires parents of kids who are going to the next level (5th grade and 8th grade) at least to resubmit all residency documents. While it isn’t every year, it would definitely weed out some kids.

Yup. When Arlington first did this a few years ago they discovered some schools really weren’t really overcrowded.

Arlington also has 15% of the student body of FCPS, so it’s a more manageable operation.

And much fewer admin staff than FCPS. Prioritize it and it can be done. What is the point of boundaries if you can just lie and go where you want?

[Anonymous]

There should be a way for the government to collect billing info from all the utility companies. It’s unlikely that someone would be paying electric and internet if they don’t actually live there. If the names don’t match, then those homes should get a closer inspection.

[Anonymous]

FCCPS requires residency verification every year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCCPS requires residency verification every year

Same with DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCCPS requires residency verification every year

Same with DCPS.

People sneak into DC public schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's "surprising" how many cars with Maryland plates are dropping kids off in the morning at some FCPS. I venture to say, not all these people with Maryland registered cars are simply avoiding paying a car tax.

I’ve seen MD plates dropping kids off at the bus stop as well.

I support residency checks, but they should be done In conjunction with the boundary review. One can walk and chew gum at the same time.

I knew someone who used her aunt’s McLean address to send her kids to elementary there, even though she lived in Lorton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There should be a way for the government to collect billing info from all the utility companies. It’s unlikely that someone would be paying electric and internet if they don’t actually live there. If the names don’t match, then those homes should get a closer inspection.

Unless they are renters, maybe. When I rented a house in McLean (and yes, I lived there), the utility bills were paid by the landlord.