Mom jailed for sending kids to wrong school district.

CleoKitty

Has anyone else followed this story?

https://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/26/mom-jailed-for-enrolling-kids-in-wrong-school-district/

I can't believe that she was even put on trial in the first place, much less convicted since the children's  grandfather DOES live in the district in which they went to school and that the children reportedly stayed with him much of the time. It's clear that the courts are making an example out of her to scare other parents into not attempting the same thing and I'm pretty sure that this wouldn't have happened to an upper-middle class white woman.

ETA: What bothers me the most is that this woman was working and going to school to become a teacher. She's about one semester away from graduating and now because of this felony conviction she will be unable to teach in her state (and likely find it difficult to teach in any state for that matter.) 

Discuss? 

Starr57

A fine, community service or probation, maybe. But JAIL??? Ridiculous! That mom was using her father's address as the permanent address to try to help her kids succeed. Nothing about that says crime to me. Sending her to jail is more damaging to her children than them being in the 'wrong' school district.

Andrewsgal

Once again I think there is more to the story then we are getting. No school district wants to go to court.

kelly&paul

I know a big part of it was the tuition money she was not paying by using her dads address. From what I understood, she could have sent her kids there but paid to do so. Regardless, I think this is way over the top and they are probably trying to make an example.

AnnapolisLari

That's ridiculous. People in Baltimore do that ALL THE TIME. I can't tell you how many of my students lived with their grandparents to avoid the Baltimore city schools.

I live fairly close to Akron. This is embarassing.

And a felony conviction preventing her from ever teaching and getting out of the public housing? WTF were those people thinking?

Zenya

Team "more to the story".

DandelionMom

The felony and all that seem way over the top.  I'm honestly surprised anyone can get away with enrolling thier kids in the wrong school.  Trying to enroll Gracie in kindergarten (and she's my 3rd kid going that has been enrolled in this school!) is more complicated than getting a mortgage. 

Zenya

Here is a comment on the CNN article:

The national media slant on this story is disgusting. This woman could have sent her girls to any number of excellent suburban schools that actually offer open enrollment. Copley-Fairlawn does not have open enrollment. If you want to go there, you need to live there or pay. The district offered this woman numerous options and she refused or ignored them. This woman was singled out because she was defiant and thought she could be yet another system, not because she is black. She broke the law. Her father broke the law. If she were doing it for her children, she would have sent them to a different school that allows students from outside the district without the tuition that she could not afford. BTW... I don't want to hear any more about the father's property taxes because he is delinquent. He hasn't paid his taxes, so it's a null point. 

 

That sounds more accurate to me. 

CleoKitty

This, IMO, is the "more" part of the story:

https://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/26/ohio-mom-kelley-williams-bolar-jailed-for-lying-about-kids-scho/

Four years ago, Williams-Bolar, 40, sent her girls, now 12 and 16, to the Copley-Fairlawn school district that was outside her Akron district of residence, reports said. Her father lives in the Copley-Fairlawn district, and she said she lived with him part-time after her home was burglarized and she wanted her children safe.

"When my home got broken into, I felt it was my duty to do something else," Williams-Bolar said, according to ABC.

But the district accused the aspiring teacher of lying about her address, falsifying records and having her father file false court papers to circumvent the rules, ABC said. The school asked her to repay $30,000 in tuition, saying her daughters were getting a quality education without paying taxes to contribute to the cost. She refused and was indicted.

Single mom living in subsidized housing couldn't possibly have had $30k, you know?

littlemermaid

 It was a felony because she falsified records and court documents:

The below is from one of the articles:

The school district accused Williams-Bolar of lying about her address, falsifying records and, when confronted, having her father file false court papers to get around the system.

AnnapolisLari

OK, now it makes more sense, but jail is still kind of over the top.

Starr57

AnnapolisLari:

OK, now it makes more sense, but jail is still kind of over the top.

This.

jettagurl

Of course she doesn't have $30K.  But, she chose to falsify records, she chose to not settle this out of court.  

I think jail is fine....sounds like she knew what she was doing, and this wasn't just a 'misunderstanding.'  If she felt so unsafe, why not just MOVE IN with her father.  Pow.  All settled.  

Just because she's a single mom living in the hood in subsidized housing, she doesn't have the right to send her kids wherever she chooses and not have any consequences.   She chose that home, and apparently chooses to stay.  

 

passar3588

I live fairly close to this district so I've followed the story. I don't agree with you. I'm not sure what it's like where you live, but it is VERY hard to pass a levy here. Because of that services have been cut - kids are now paying to play sports, parents have to drive kids to school because bus routes have been reduced dramatically, and class offerings have been reduced.  Each pupil costs a district money. If you do not pay taxes to live in that district you should not be going to school in that district. Period. It is hard enough to operate a district when you cannot pass a levy. It makes it even harder when you are paying for kids whose parents are not paying taxes there. It's simple economics.

Are they making an example of her? Probably. Do people get away with this elsewhere? All.the.time. However, that does not make it right and I think the message needs to be sent that you are not entitled to be educated wherever you want. 

Zenya

jettagurl:

Just because she's a single mom living in the hood in subsidized housing, she doesn't have the right to send her kids wherever she chooses and not have any consequences.   She chose that home, and apparently chooses to stay.  

100% agree. 

justEK

passar3588:

I live fairly close to this district so I've followed the story. I don't agree with you. I'm not sure what it's like where you live, but it is VERY hard to pass a levy here. Because of that services have been cut - kids are now paying to play sports, parents have to drive kids to school because bus routes have been reduced dramatically, and class offerings have been reduced.  Each pupil costs a district money. If you do not pay taxes to live in that district you should not be going to school in that district. Period. It is hard enough to operate a district when you cannot pass a levy. It makes it even harder when you are paying for kids whose parents are not paying taxes there. It's simple economics.

Are they making an example of her? Probably. Do people get away with this elsewhere? All.the.time. However, that does not make it right and I think the message needs to be sent that you are not entitled to be educated wherever you want. 

My thought when I read this, "Booyah!" I agree!

 

gracendantho26

She was wrong. It sucks that it came to this but it sounds like she was given several options and chose to ignore them. Personal responsiblity seems to be a hard one for people these days.

mika06

I believe the judge in the specifically said he wanted to make an example.

It definetely is wrong to put her in jail. I also know that in many districts in my area Bergen County NJ they make you pay tuition because as someone said funds are being cut programs are being cut etc. It sucks when you leave a school district that is not up to par and there is not much you can do with it (see the movie Waiting for Superman).

The governor of my state has also enacted a bill that will supposedly make it possible for you to pull your child out of a school that is doing poorly and move them to a better town but of course this will be subject to lotteries and waiting list so very much waiting to see how this alternative will work. I think your damned if you do and your damned if you don't.

ak1234

She was wrong, but the punishment is stupid.  So - she owes your school district $30000.  Fine.  How is she going to pay it now?  So now she and her kids, and her kids kids, and her kids kids kids will be on welfare, instead of her having a college degree and having a teaching job.

gdemars

I agree with bits and pieces of all the pp's comments.  But I used to teach myself but in Canada, where the school systems are very different.  People just don't send their kids to fancy private schools unless you live in a big city. 

I also can't help but blame her for her decision, wrong or not. She wanted a good education for her kids, perhaps to break that chain of poverty.  I think I remember reading that her kids are female teenagers. They are destined for the most part to be single mothers living in subsidised housing themselves now.  She was trying to better herself (probably so that she could afford to move to a better district) but now won't be able to since being convicted. 

It's sad but poor kids, in poor homes, end up in crappy schools with little opportunities.  They then end up repeating the cycle.