Reply to Report Residency Fraud (non resident cheaters)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]But schools already do that! Each year you have to prove residency. This extra scrutiny is what can make people's lives hellish.
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Can we get some testimony from a person here who is a legal District resident who has had a "hellish" experience with the extra scrutiny? No?[/quote]

You haven't given a logical reason for the extra scrutiny, though. If schools have controls in place to prevent this, why take it upon yourself to do this--even though your kid maybe in at that school.

I'm not condoning cheaters, but what's your reason for being a 'bounty hunter'?  Schools already require people to prove residency, and if they are found in breach, are charged accordingly. Your time could be better spent, IMHO, fund raising and building up the school community. 
[/quote]
No bounty hunting needed. If anyone suspects that a child does not reside in DC, they can report it via the hotline or the form. DCPS and DCPCSB have contracted with investigators who do the legwork. If everything's legit, no worries.

We are talking about [b]people who have proven "residency" via the approved paperwork, but who are not actually residents[/b]. This is where the investigations happen; just because parents passed the screening in August doesn't mean they're not subject to investigation if there is reason to believe that they haven't been truthful.[/quote]

1. How do you, frankly, suspect someone is cheating without invading their privacy or breaking the law?
2. Could you be prone to suspicion, too, if someone notices that you take your child across district lines a few evenings?
3. How many of these investigations lead to an actual fraud? I suspect it's mostly a waste of time and money. 
3. How is your statement in bold even possible? hmm?

Your arguments for additional scrutiny don't hold water.[/quote]

1. You can suspect someone of cheating if, for example, their child tells you that they live in Maryland while you are on a field trip, or if you get invited to a child's birthday party in PG county, both of which happened to me. Some parents are extremely complacent.
2. I can't control what people think when I drive my DC-tagged car to Maryland, but I would not mind any sort of questioning and have, in fact, consented to a home visit
3. There was a recent report in the Ward 5 newsletter that mentioned about a dozen proven cases of fraud at a handful of schools, with about twice as many investigations still going on. Is that a lot? It seems like a lot to me. I am usually in favor of law enforcement, even if it does cost money.
4. It is actually very easy to "prove" residency if you get someone to put your name on a gas bill and get a DC drivers' license, or change your address on your paystub. That is what you need to do to satisfy some schools. However, even if you fake your documentation, you are still subject to the law, which means that you must prove that your child and a parent or guardian actually live in DC.

It's not that complicated, really. I am always bemused by the DCUM posters who rail that it is illegal for DC to try to enforce its laws, or who swear that there really aren't any address cheaters. It is a very real problem at some schools, and people are right to demand better accountability from OSSE. By the way, I did not report either the kid who told me their address was in MD or the parent who invited me to the party, so shame on me, I guess. It's hard to do to a fellow parent, and I hope that OSSE can push some accountability back to the schools versus requiring the parents to do it.[/quote]

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