How unethical is this? (School registration and DL)

[Anonymous]

Here's my situation. We have been trying to move from VA to MD in time for the new school year, when my kid will be entering K. A house contract fell through and we haven't found a place to rent or buy yet. We will wind up spending a LOT of time there in the next year since the MD district has announced DL for the first semester, so we want to wait for something we actually want to live in. After this spring and summer we are DONE being stuck in a crappy apartment with no laundry or yard because it was the only thing available.

But if nothing suitable appears in the next week, would it be horribly unethical to go stay with family who have temporary space to offer (out of the district), store our stuff and keep an eye out for listings, and register saying we are staying at a friend's address? Friend is willing to vouch and provide documentation. The alternatives are move into and out of a short term rental, or homeschool (which I'd consider, but I'm not sure where we'd even file the kid as a homeschooler!).

My gut says lying is unethical, do you agree or does DL make this a different situation? It is such a weird feeling to need to scramble to change your address so your kid can NOT go to school.

[Anonymous]

I don't totally follow your plan, but if you (even temporarily) are living with your friend in district X, you are living in district X and can register for school in district X. What would be unethical is to use your friend's address while not living with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't totally follow your plan, but if you (even temporarily) are living with your friend in district X, you are living in district X and can register for school in district X. What would be unethical is to use your friend's address while not living with them.

Yup, that's the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't totally follow your plan, but if you (even temporarily) are living with your friend in district X, you are living in district X and can register for school in district X. What would be unethical is to use your friend's address while not living with them.

Yup, that's the question.

It’s not just unethical, it’s fraud. People get prosecuted for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's my situation. We have been trying to move from VA to MD in time for the new school year, when my kid will be entering K. A house contract fell through and we haven't found a place to rent or buy yet. We will wind up spending a LOT of time there in the next year since the MD district has announced DL for the first semester, so we want to wait for something we actually want to live in. After this spring and summer we are DONE being stuck in a crappy apartment with no laundry or yard because it was the only thing available.

But if nothing suitable appears in the next week, would it be horribly unethical to go stay with family who have temporary space to offer (out of the district), store our stuff and keep an eye out for listings, and register saying we are staying at a friend's address? Friend is willing to vouch and provide documentation. The alternatives are move into and out of a short term rental, or homeschool (which I'd consider, but I'm not sure where we'd even file the kid as a homeschooler!).

My gut says lying is unethical, do you agree or does DL make this a different situation? It is such a weird feeling to need to scramble to change your address so your kid can NOT go to school.

A Kindergartener shouldn't be doing distance learning anyway. Just homeschool your child and then enroll them in 1st grade the following year.

[Anonymous]

Everything is going to be distance learning so who cares? Just register where you live, muddle through and supplement/homeschool and then transfer your kid when it makes sense. It's not like they're going to be bonded with their teacher/classmates after a few months of distance learning so that changing mid year will be traumatic.

[Anonymous]

Unethical and illegal. You are not going to be missing out by not participating in DL for K in MD until you find a house.

Homeschool or register wherever you are actually living for now. Once you find a place, your kid can transfer for the MD school district (which, realistically, will amount to switching zoom addresses).

[Anonymous]

Homeschool K.
Keep looking for a "good enough" house that you can make yours. Don't compromise on your #1 deal breaker (mine was busy street) and be willing to compromise on everything else. Stay with family and move by next year for Grade 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homeschool K.
Keep looking for a "good enough" house that you can make yours. Don't compromise on your #1 deal breaker (mine was busy street) and be willing to compromise on everything else. Stay with family and move by next year for Grade 1.

Perfect advice.

[Anonymous]

I'm also not following. You want to use your friend's address so your kid can distance learn in that district? Whatever rules I might be willing to break for my child, I really wouldn't want to put my child in the position of having to lie because of my choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's my situation. We have been trying to move from VA to MD in time for the new school year, when my kid will be entering K. A house contract fell through and we haven't found a place to rent or buy yet. We will wind up spending a LOT of time there in the next year since the MD district has announced DL for the first semester, so we want to wait for something we actually want to live in. After this spring and summer we are DONE being stuck in a crappy apartment with no laundry or yard because it was the only thing available.

But if nothing suitable appears in the next week, would it be horribly unethical to go stay with family who have temporary space to offer (out of the district), store our stuff and keep an eye out for listings, and register saying we are staying at a friend's address? Friend is willing to vouch and provide documentation. The alternatives are move into and out of a short term rental, or homeschool (which I'd consider, but I'm not sure where we'd even file the kid as a homeschooler!).

My gut says lying is unethical, do you agree or does DL make this a different situation? It is such a weird feeling to need to scramble to change your address so your kid can NOT go to school.

Yes, lying and unethical. And you know it.

Similar to these people who announce they're going to live somewhere else for the fall but continue to use the local schools.

[Anonymous]

Your plan is very complicated and has lots of potential pitfalls. You will be juggling three addresses. Who knows if you will even end up loving a house in a difft district? You will make you and your kids life unnecessarily complex and inconsistent. Use your current address school for DL and stay with friends for a break for long stretches. Move once, when you find the great house.

[Anonymous]

Op , Contact your child’s school from last year and let them know that you are homeless. If you have sold your house, and don’t have a new place to live, you are homeless. They need to treat you as homeless which means you can keep your child at their last place of school.

[Anonymous]

It’s called the McKinney Vento act, and since your child is just entering kindergarten, he doesn’t have a last place the school, but your last place you lived was whatever your address was. With the pandemic many people are losing their housing and even if you’re in a high income area your school should be familiar with the requirements for registering kids through the McKinney Vento act

[Anonymous]

Sometimes in life, you do what you have to do, OP, and take a calculated risk.

Get it?