Black mother jailed for sending black kids to a mostly white school district

[No Limit]

I know, the headline is a little rough, but really that's exactly what happened. Parents do this sort of thing all the time, usually they don't go to jail over it.

http://drboycespeaks.blogspot.com/2011/01/mother-jailed-for-sending-kids-to-wrong.html

An Ohio mother of two was sentenced to 10 days in jail and placed on three years probation after sending her kids to a school district in which they did not live. Kelly Williams-Bolar was sentenced by Judge Patricia Cosgrove on Tuesday and will begin serving her sentence immediately.

The jury deliberated for seven hours and the courtroom was packed as the sentence was handed down. She was convicted on two counts of tampering with court records after registering her two girls as living with Williams Bolar's father when they actually lived with her. The family lived in the housing projects in Akron, Ohio, and the father’s address was in nearby Copley Township.

Additionally, Williams-Bolar’s father, Edward L. Williams, was charged with a fourth-degree felony of grand theft, in which he and his daughter are charged with defrauding the school system for two years of educational services for their girls. The court determined that sending their children to the wrong school was worth $30,500 in tuition.

Did I ever mention how awesome it is to be white? We don't have to deal with shit like this.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Sounds horrible. Was the school private or something? We're doing the same ****ing thing for my brother since we moved. Though we still own the old house so technically we are doing it legally.

 

[A2597]

Hrm...
tough call...but this has happened to many people, white and black. Race isn't the issue, they lied, and got caught.

 

[No Limit]

Do you have other examples of this type of thing happening? My parents did this with my brother as their dirstrict was shitty so they said my brother lived with my sister which was in a much better district. This is the first time I ever heard of someone going to jail and being charged with felony theft.

 

[Stormy]

So it says nothing about racism in the artical?

We get this kind of thing in the uk, people want their kids to go to the best schools and lie about anything to get them there. Usually people just get kicked out of school rather then going to jail. God bless America.

 

[Remus]

I'm not sure I understand what the hell is going on here. Are you telling me it's illegal to send your kids to a school in a different district than the one you happen to be living in? If so, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

 

[CptStern]

dont understand why black media is framing this as a racial issue

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&c...man+jailed+school+district&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

 

[Emporius]

I'm not sure I understand what the hell is going on here. Are you telling me it's illegal to send your kids to a school in a different district than the one you happen to be living in? If so, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Unless you register/fill out the proper paper work/have it all accepted by the school, it can be.

Also how is this racist in any way?

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

I guess it would depend on whether a white person who committed the same act receives the same punishment.

 

[AtomicSpark]

I'm not sure I understand what the hell is going on here. Are you telling me it's illegal to send your kids to a school in a different district than the one you happen to be living in? If so, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Fraud is a crime. So, yes.

 

[Krynn72]

So, it costs 30,000 dollars for two years of highschool (or lower)? That's how much it costs for a for year bachelor degree at the local state university.

 

[No Limit]

I'm not sure I understand what the hell is going on here. Are you telling me it's illegal to send your kids to a school in a different district than the one you happen to be living in? If so, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Apparently in Ohio. The mother did file false court records, which is a crime. But they charged the father with felony theft (worth $30,000, a number they just pulled out of their ass) which makes absolutely no sense.

dont understand why black media is framing this as a racial issue

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&c...man+jailed+school+district&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

I would guess because if their kids were white nobody would have noticed. But you know all those people in the rich school district didn't feel comfortable with having 2 black kids from the projects in their school and as a result someone decided to dig deep.

Like I said above, I am not aware of this ever happening before eventhough it happens all the time. I could be wrong.

 

[CptStern]

I would guess because if their kids were white nobody would have noticed. But you know all those people in the rich school district didn't feel comfortable with having 2 black kids from the projects in their school and as a result someone decided to dig deep.

Like I said above, I am not aware of this ever happening before eventhough it happens all the time. I could be wrong.

but as you pointed out above falsifying court records is a crime. why are these people making it a racial thing. surely it would be a simple matter to check if white people have been charged with falsifying court records

 

[No Limit]

But it's not just falsifying court records. They charged the father with felony theft. I don't know how to search court records by race but I doubt this sort of thing is usually prosecuted, if ever.

Also, just saw this:

http://www.ohio.com/news/113560759.html

So the school actually hired private investigators to spy on the kids and the parents. Does anyone actually believe they would have done this if the kids were white and not from the projects?

 

[Stormy]

So the school actually hired private investigators to spy on the kids and the parents. Does anyone actually believe they would have done this if the kids were white and not from the projects?

Yes. you are being completely ridiculous. It doesn't come across as racist at all.

 

[No Limit]

Yes. you are being completely ridiculous. It doesn't come across as racist at all.

How many kids in a high school? Around 2,000? I would bet plenty are there without actually living in the district. And they single these 2 out? Why?

 

[Stormy]

They didnt cover their tracks very well.

 

[Mr. Djees]

Copley-Fairlawn officials hired a private investigator to follow the activities of the woman, Kelley Williams-Bolar, 40 — as well as other families who were under suspicion for the same reason.

And I don't think the 30 000$ number was pulled out of their asses either, I assume that in a court of law they would have to properly document such a claim.

 

[No Limit]

Cover their tracks in what way? Making sure they weren't being spied on daily?

I will go back to my point that my parents did this, I'm sure some of your parents did this when you were going to school, and other parents do this on a daily basis. I don't think any parent that ever did this actually though the school would hire private investigators to follow their kids home on a daily basis. If I see a single example of where a white person was charged and convicted for such a crime I will apologize for bringing race in to this, until then I think race had everything to do with this.

And I don't think the 30 000$ number was pulled out of their asses either, I assume that in a court of law they would have to properly document such a claim.

So I guess these were only the 2 children in the entire school that did this? I have a really hard time believing that.

 

[No Limit]

Well to go to a different school you do need to falsify documents, so that comes with the territory. I'm not sure if there are any specific laws that actually apply to going to a school outside your district.

However, as far as I know the father never falsified any documents, just helped them out. And they charged him with grand theft which is a 4th degree felony. From the article it sounds like they might have charged the daughter too, I'm not sure.

 

[CptStern]

the father is actually the grandfather:

But it wasn't her Akron district of residence, so her children were ineligible to attend school there, even though her father lived within the district's boundaries.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs...end-kids-better-school-district#ixzz1CAsjDPXB

 

[No Limit]

Ahh, I missed that.

 

[CptStern]

I missed it as well till I read it on another site. there's a lot of vague info concerning this case. mostly from african-american media with an agenda

 

[No Limit]

If the basic facts are true, that all they did was use the grand parent to gain access to a better school, then this is something that is done by hundreds of thousands of parents around the country each year. It is nothing new or unique.

I have never heard of a school hiring private investigators to spy on parents then the state filing felony charges and a jury finding the people guilty and sending them to jail. And I think the only reason these kids were singled out was because of their race and financial situation. I've been on google trying to find anything like this happening before and have come up short.

 

[Krynn72]

I'll go ahead and say that I think No Limit could be right. While its not for certain, it does seem likely that the only reason people cared enough to look this deeply into the situation is because of their race/social status.

 

[CptStern]

I have never heard of a school hiring private investigators to spy on parents .

I read somewhere that they hired him to investigate a few cases not just hers. but now I cant find it


I think there's probably some truth to the accusation of racism but the whole thing sounds like a knee jerk reaction

 

[No Limit]

Mr. Djees pointed that out above. But the parents of these 2 children were the only ones where action was taken (as far as I know). And there is no way in hell those were the only 2 children in the entire school that were violating residency rules. So them following other children around seems like window dressing to me. And even if it is a knee jerk reaction it seems like a valid one knowing that this is common practice everywhere in the country and I am yet to find a single other case where people were tried and convicted of a felony for doing this.

I do find it a little ironic that private investigators can video tape you without your permission while people are being arrested all around the country for video taping cops. But that's for another discussion and I'm sure state laws are part of that.

 

[CptStern]

And even if it is a knee jerk reaction it seems like a valid one knowing that this is common practice everywhere in the country and I am yet to find a single other case where people were tried and convicted of a felony for doing this.

no I meant the state going after the family over this seems like a knee jerk reaction

 

[Robbo]

Hang on. So two poor black kids are sent to a (rich?) school district with mostly white kids.
This obviously attracts attention because there are two poor kids in an expensive area.
There is a wide spread problem with people lieing to get into better schools which puts pressure on those schools funding arrangements.
They investigate and in no time at all find out that these people are lieing... They then prosecute.

...... and this is racist.......

I can see where you're coming from here in that the might not have been investigated is they were white but the simple fact is that white children fit in at a mostly white school, poor black kids don't. You can't blame the school of being suspicious especially when they were right. In the strictest sense of the word this MAY have been racist and a white family may have not been taken to court to the same extent but no rules have been changed. The law was applied as it's written and thats the risk you take when you knowingly break it.

 

[Krynn72]

But Robbo, we should make exceptions to the law when people are caught doing illegal things, just because their race instilled the initial suspicion which led to their getting caught. Just like how racist cops that pull over black people should let them go, even if they found six kilos of cocaine in their car.

 

[Raziaar]

Black mother jailed for sending black kids to a mostly white school district

I don't need this! My man has TWO jobs!

 

[unozero]

But Robbo, we should make exceptions to the law when people are caught doing illegal things, just because their race instilled the initial suspicion which led to their getting caught. Just like how racist cops that pull over black people should let them go, even if they found six kilos of cocaine in their car.

well said Dog

 

[No Limit]

Hang on. So two poor black kids are sent to a (rich?) school district with mostly white kids.
This obviously attracts attention because there are two poor kids in an expensive area.
There is a wide spread problem with people lieing to get into better schools which puts pressure on those schools funding arrangements.
They investigate and in no time at all find out that these people are lieing... They then prosecute.

...... and this is racist.......

I can see where you're coming from here in that the might not have been investigated is they were white but the simple fact is that white children fit in at a mostly white school, poor black kids don't. You can't blame the school of being suspicious especially when they were right. In the strictest sense of the word this MAY have been racist and a white family may have not been taken to court to the same extent but no rules have been changed. The law was applied as it's written and thats the risk you take when you knowingly break it.

But you just said it. If these kids were white they probably would have been left alone. How is that not a race issue?

On the funding issue, schools get money from the federal government as well as from the state for each student that goes to the school. Even if you try to say they lost out on the property taxes that's debatable as well since the grandfather did live in the district and did pay property taxes.

 

[15357]

But you just said it. If these kids were white they probably would have been left alone. How is that not a race issue?

On the funding issue, schools get money from the federal government as well as from the state for each student that goes to the school. Even if you try to say they lost out on the property taxes that's debatable as well since the grandfather did live in the district and did pay property taxes.

No, if these kids weren't poor, they wouldn't have been suspected.

I'm interested in your understanding of what laws are and how they work.

 

[No Limit]

No, if these kids weren't poor, they wouldn't have been suspected.

I'm interested in your understanding of what laws are and how they work.

How did they know the kids were poor? What other poor kids were subject to this same treatment?

 

[Mr Stabby]

Is it generally the case that, affluent areas have good schools and poor areas have shitty schools, so schools are segregated by class? If that's the case you can't really fault the mother for trying to get whats best for their kids.

 

[15357]

How did they know the kids were poor? What other poor kids were subject to this same treatment?

I don't know. Maybe they wore shitty clothes. I'm pretty sure if they were black but wore Armani loafers they wouldn't have been suspected.

 

[Krynn72]

Is it generally the case that, affluent areas have good schools and poor areas have shitty schools, so schools are segregated by class? If that's the case you can't really fault the mother for trying to get whats best for their kids.

But then rich kids will get that poor person stink all over them.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-co...2011/the-word---disintegration?xrs=share_copy

 

[kazsymonds]

We have stuff like this over here. Nice schools push up house prices in their 'catchment areas'. You end up with schools of typically rich folk, or government provided information.

It seems very knee jerk to jump on this as a racial issue (although I admit, it does seem mighty suspicious IF they were the only ones that were investigated).

No sympathy for the parents. "everyone else was doing it" is a very childish way to see the decisions you have taken.

 

[No Limit]

Really? Because I think the fact the mom was willing to drive these kids to and from school each day just so that they could get a better education makes her a very good parent. Most people throw their kid on a school bus and be done with it.

So I have sympathy for her, especially since I still can't find a single case of anyone else ever being charged with a crime for doing this.