Monday, April 25, 2011
Homeless mom prosecuted
I'd like to hear what you guys think of this one. A homeless mom was prosecuted for sending her son to a school at in a better school district. She used a friend's address to do this and now she is in trouble and her friend, whose address she used, was evicted from her public housing. I think the consequences are a bit much...you?
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This will be interesting to follow because it actually is against the law for any public school to deny a child enrollment due to being homeless (McKinny Vento Homeless Assistance and Education, reathorized under NCLB in 2001 . . . I think). We used to deal with this quite frequently and it was always a little satisfying to watch schools squirm once you brought up McKinney Vento.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maegan, this could be interesting to watch. I am glad that public schools can't deny enrollment to children due to being homeless. Although that is not the primary issue I picked up on when reading the article I know that it will be argued over.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the quote from the school board president in that parents must be held accountable for misrepresenting themselves to place their child in a different school district.
Public schools taxes vary by area and in my mind it is literally stealing from the community that is paying for the school when families from other communities commit fraud in order to attend different schools.
Everyone should have access to public school,...in their own community...
This is a tough one. This fraudulent practice is more common than one might think. I recall a family member using an address of a relative in another state to get in-state tuition for a child--30 years ago! Money was tight in that family and by attending this school, the child/young adult could live at home and commute to college, thus avoiding room and board expenses. Commuting was not an option with the state college system in the state in which she resided.
ReplyDeleteI never condone breaking the law. The woman evicted paid a high price for her helpfulness.
I think it was stealing from the community, but I am not sure if eviction and a $15,000 lawsuit against a homeless mother is the appropriate response.
ReplyDeleteThat was worded awkwardly; I mean trying to stick a 20 year jail sentence and a $15,000 fine on a homeless mother might not be appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI agree too agree that some type of penalty should be placed, but not such serious ones. Thanks for your thoughts guys.
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