Mom jailed over sending kids to better school

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Mom Jailed For Sending Kids to Better School

Basically, she falsified residency records to make it seem her daughters were living with her father in a better district and now she's serving jail time and being charged with a felony.

Discuss.

 

[M&M's Mommy]

Mom Jailed For Sending Kids to Better School

Basically, she falsified residency records to make it seem her daughters were living with her father in a better district and now she's serving jail time and being charged with a felony.

Discuss.

I didn't have time to read the link, but from your summary, it seems like she was jailed for intentionally falsified records, not for sending her kids to better school.

I guess this is one of the cases where the end result does not justify the mean used to achieve it.

 

[sparks19]

I don't know about JAIL but she definitely shouldn't have falsified their records. She knew that was wrong. (the video keeps freezing up on me so I haven't been able to watch it all) I understand wanting them to be in a better school district and to be honest I hate the whole "you can only go to school HERE because you live HERE" idea. it's stupid but that's another discussion I guess

it sucks but she knew what she was doing was wrong and she could be punished for it. would I risk it to get my kid into a better school? maybe but I shouldn't be surprised when I get caught

 

[Beanie]

Link to story for those who can't watch the video:
Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District - ABC News

Agree with M&MM.

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.

That's a lot of falsifying. They also asked her to pay $30k in tuition fees for the last four years and she refused.

Williams-Bolar said she did it to keep her children safe and that she lived part-time with her dad.
"When my home got broken into, I felt it was my duty to do something else," Williams-Bolar said.

How about move? If she already lived "part-time" with her dad and he was in the district, just move in with him until you can find your own home in the district. Problem solved without doing anything illegal. Or how about just pay the $30k in tuition they asked you to pay when you got caught?

 

[Romy]

It's lame that this is a felony. I don't think it's something she should lose her voting rights over.

If the girl's father lives in the district and pays taxes there, I don't understand why his children don't have the right to benefit from his taxes even if they don't live with him full time, or even at all.

It's extremely lame too that they're slapping her with a felony charge when she's so close to getting her teaching license and everything too. Seriously, how much of a threat to society is this woman? Not much.

 

[sparks19]

Link to story for those who can't watch the video:
Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District - ABC News

Agree with M&MM.


That's a lot of falsifying. They also asked her to pay $30k in tuition fees for the last four years and she refused.


How about move? If she already lived "part-time" with her dad and he was in the district, just move in with him until you can find your own home in the district. Problem solved without doing anything illegal. Or how about just pay the $30k in tuition they asked you to pay when you got caught?

I was thinking the same thing. why not send them to actually live with the father. I didn't know that they were already living with him part time.

She says they made an example of her... well hearing all those details I'm thinking maybe that was her plan

 

[ACooper]

Wow. As much as I understand wanting your kids in a better school (BELIEVE ME, I understand) I think I would just move instead of falsifying records and basically asking my kids to lie.........because yes, the kids would HAVE to lie at school too.

 

[Dekka]

Ack, it depends greatly on which article you read (I have read many today on this lol)

It seems the judge didn't want to charge her with a felony. And that if she does her 6 months of probation they will consider expunging the felony conviction. And its not stealing if the father is paying property taxes in the school district (as Romy pointed out) where the children reside shouldn't be the deciding factor if its about money.

Another article discusses that she feared for her child's saftey.

All of this feels strange to me as a Canadian, as you can pick your school... they just won't bus your kid out of area.

 

[Beanie]

I'm thinking what makes it a felony is the filing of falsified court documents instead of just lying about her address...

 

[jammer]

So she falsified records in order for her children to attend a better school. Hardly worth a jail sentence. Slinging drugs out of the trunk of her car would warrant jail time. I find it disgusting that the DA would think a felony conviction was appropriate for this type of "crime."

Perhaps, the states need to spend more on education and parents wouldn't have to be forced to make decisions that might land them in jail. Someone was paying taxes to the district. They definitely got their money, but want to make a stink about her residency status.

 

[jammer]

Wow. As much as I understand wanting your kids in a better school (BELIEVE ME, I understand) I think I would just move instead of falsifying records and basically asking my kids to lie.........because yes, the kids would HAVE to lie at school too.

Often times the better districts also have higher priced homes. Maybe she couldn't afford a home in this particular district. Her father lived in the area and therefore those kids were entitled to that school. I think the bigger problem is the lack of quality education in ALL districts.

 

[JessLough]

I hate the whole "you can only go to school HERE because you live HERE" idea. it's stupid but that's another discussion I guess

For serious? That is retarded.

Here, you have your "home school", which is determined by where you live. Then, you can choose which school you want to go to/want your child to go to, and it is then you "apply", and they accept students depending on how much room they have. Obviously, first dibs goes to students who are in the district, but there is always room left after, which is first come first serve for elementary school.

 

[sparks19]

she falsified records for them to go to a school where their father lived. why commit a crime? why not just send them to live with him since they already lived there part time? and why refuse to pay the tuition?

I don't know I'm sure her heart was in the right place but she still committed a crime and knew she was when she did it. Felony worthy? not in my opinion but she still committed a crime knowing she was doing it.

and maybe if kids could go to the school of their choosing and not just the one in their "district" then that might weed out these not so good schools and keep the good ones thriving. more money for the good ones if the bad ones arent in the picture. This system just rewards "bad" school systems. they don't have to compete for their funding. they'll get the funding even if they suck. that goes for teachers too. if you are a good teacher you should get incentives. if you are a bad teacher you should get the boot... not be protected.

I feel for her I do. I hate that kids have to be stuck in a crappy school district with no choices unless the parent moves which not everyone can just pick up and do. but she still committed the crime so she had to know this was coming

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

you'd be surprised at how common this is actually--and as districts are having to cut their budgets, and class sizes have increased, etc. it definitely has an impact on a district. In my job--my program deals with over 20 different school districts, across four different counties. Many districts go by "where does the child sleep each night" as the district of residence.
I don't think this warrants jail time. BUT--it is something that can have a big impact on a school--and so it does warrant some level of reconciliation.

 

[sparks19]

you'd be surprised at how common this is actually--and as districts are having to cut their budgets, and class sizes have increased, etc. it definitely has an impact on a district. In my job--my program deals with over 20 different school districts, across four different counties. Many districts go by "where does the child sleep each night" as the district of residence.
I don't think this warrants jail time. BUT--it is something that can have a big impact on a school--and so it does warrant some level of reconciliation.

hadn't thought of that. that's a good point too. with this kind of system if people keep fudging the records then certain schools are going to be overwhelmed

 

[Romy]

I don't think this warrants jail time. BUT--it is something that can have a big impact on a school--and so it does warrant some level of reconciliation.

I'd be more inclined to agree with you if their father's property taxes weren't paying for the nicer school. It might not have been as simple as sending them to stay with him full time. His work might require travel, or who knows what?

 

[Beanie]

Here, you have your "home school", which is determined by where you live. Then, you can choose which school you want to go to/want your child to go to, and it is then you "apply", and they accept students depending on how much room they have. Obviously, first dibs goes to students who are in the district, but there is always room left after, which is first come first serve for elementary school.

Elementary schools here are all school of choice so you can pick which you'd like to go to. Middle schools and high schools are divided up by where you live, but yeah, you can apply to go to the different school. There are also magnet schools which take kids from a lot of different districts, they are still public schools so they don't cost you anything more. I went to the magnet middle school and I had a teacher in high school insist I should be going to the magnet high school instead, because it was a more creative-focused curriculum...
But in many districts there are so many kids and just not enough room in the classroom for all of them. They can't build schools fast enough here.


HER father is the one who lived in the district, not the kid's father... it was the kid's grandfather.

 

[sparks19]

Elementary schools here are all school of choice so you can pick which you'd like to go to. Middle schools and high schools are divided up by where you live, but yeah, you can apply to go to the different school. There are also magnet schools which take kids from a lot of different districts, they are still public schools so they don't cost you anything more. I went to the magnet middle school and I had a teacher in high school insist I should be going to the magnet high school instead, because it was a more creative-focused curriculum...
But in many districts there are so many kids and just not enough room in the classroom for all of them. They can't build schools fast enough here.


HER father is the one who lived in the district, not the kid's father... it was the kid's grandfather.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH I misunderstood. I thought the kids father lived in the district.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

oh I don't think it's as "simple as" ---just pointing out what my experience in dealing with such issues with the school's I work with. I do know that it is something that happens frequently--so if in my little 'bubble" of the world it is an issue, I can imagine it is happening everywhere to a degree.

 

[Dekka]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH I misunderstood. I thought the kids father lived in the district.

That is how a couple of the articles stated it (others were ambiguous enough I guess that I didn't catch the discrepancy) Even so I am glad she will likely avoid the felony charge.