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[quote=Anonymous]"Trends" from the OSSE report.

Our findings show that while many records upon first review appeared sufficient and adequate documentation of bona fide District residency, they were in fact problematic upon further examination.

The initial review of documents contributed to the findings reported in the 2017-18 enrollment audit that OSSE published in January 2018, which documented 74 identified non-residents at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. However, in the course of OSSE’s further, more in-depth investigation, many more records were deemed to be insufficient or potentially fraudulent, and additional students were determined to be non-residents.

Broadly, OSSE observed a high volume of student records at Ellington where the authenticity of the records and the veracity of the information provided is questionable, as compared with the same type of records at other schools. Additionally, the number of records that were incomplete or otherwise inadequate to verify residency indicates, at minimum, a significant lack of oversight and internal controls.

Schools bear the first and primary responsibility for collecting and approving the adequacy of residency documentation, which is a requirement for enrollment. Residency must be proactively proven each year; residency cannot be verified when there is a lack of sufficient documentation. Additionally, non-residents  admitted legitimately into a school are required to enter into a tuition agreement with OSSE. OSSE anticipates that after all due process rights have been exhausted, the total number of confirmed nonresidents could potentially decline from the current findings of non-residency if some families are able to produce sufficient documentation. However, the volume of errors suggests systemic non-compliance at the school.

The factors contributing to findings of student non-residency at Ellington are varied, but OSSE identified several trends among the 164 non-resident student files, including:

? Apparently [b]falsified or inauthentic documents[/b]. Files included documents such as leases, receipts of rental payments, and paycheck stubs that appeared to be falsified or fabricated. Credible evidence obtained during investigation further indicates that these families actually reside in other jurisdictions, while their enrollment and residency verification forms list DC addresses that do not belong to them.

? Apparently sufficient documents with specific indicators of non-residency revealed by investigation. Files contain enrollment and residency verification forms that are sufficient on their face, but further investigation revealed that the enrolling parents or guardians do not reside at addresses supplied. Credible evidence obtained during investigation revealed that these [b]parents or guardians have no connection to the addresses listed on their enrollment and residency verification forms, and that they actually reside in other jurisdictions.[/b]

? Enrolling parent’s use of a non-parent’s address to verify residency. Files listed a DC address for the enrolling parent or guardian to establish District residency, however, further investigation revealed that these individuals reside in other jurisdictions and [b]the addresses provided belong to family members such as a grandparents or aunts.[/b]

The remaining 56 student files that are still under investigation included documents that provided no conclusive indication of residency outside the District, but also generally did not comply with legal requirements. It is important to note that a finding of non-residency has not been made with regard to these files. Concurrent with the release of this report, OSSE has notified these families of the investigation and provided them with a final opportunity to verify District residency before making any findings of nonresidency.
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