Address for school (Madison: apartment, rental, condo)

[jzcrandall]

People do this kind of thing all the time to get their kids into a specific school for sports and academics, so it's nothing new.

[doit41]

Originally Posted by kevbros

This a tough one. Let's think about how you might do this. Basically, the only reason you can ask for a high school transfer is to switch from IB to AP or vice versa, unless the student has documented medical issues. The new school has to be the closest one to you, you will have to provide transportation, and you had to have applied by 15 April. So at this point that option is foreclosed.

Renting a room on paper for school purposes would cause you to have fill out a false document, which is a misdemeanor, as others have pointed out. Normally, this comes up for people who don't live in Fairfax County, so the school district would also grounds to recover the tuition, although I don't know if they actually do that.

Thisleaves your only failsafe option as to move and actually reside in the new division. Technically, you could keep your old house, as long as you "live" in the new one. The schools ask for lots of proof when you do this, but it's still probably cheaper than private school tuition. The catch is you actually will have to establish real residence there with at least one parent. It's the parent's residence, not the kid's, that counts. The County can't tell you where or how to live. They have some language about " not solely for school purposes," but that has got to be hard to prove in court. Many, many people move to Fairfax County solely for school purposes.

Or you could just move. If you think it's in the best interest of your child, just do it. Once you sign a contract, he can enroll at the new school, you don't actually have to be in yet.

I think about selling my current house and buy a house in another division but my house will not sell well unless I do some fix up and this would take some time and school is only about a month away. I don't want the trouble of renting it out. This would probably a temporary solution until I sell my house. Most single rooms for rent on Craiglist was about $500 a month. I could move some furniture to the room and stay at it occasionally. If you say the parents residents is what counts, I don't know how they can prove that I am not living there when I have furniture in the room and pay the rents.

[pamnbam]

I agree that people do it all the time, or use a friend or relative's address to send their kids to different schools. At least, that's the way it was when I was growing up. I don't know if things are just more strict now, or if people are just trying it more frequently, but there was this OH mother who ended up in jail for trying to send her kids to a better school:

Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District - ABC News

I don't think it's fair, and I agree with her reasoning, but sure enough, she was caught. It does make for an interesting debate, though...should kids benefit from a better district if their parents aren't paying taxes there?

[kevbros]

Originally Posted by doit41

I think about selling my current house and buy a house in another division but my house will not sell well unless I do some fix up and this would take some time and school is only about a month away. I don't want the trouble of renting it out. This would probably a temporary solution until I sell my house. Most single rooms for rent on Craiglist was about $500 a month. I could move some furniture to the room and stay at it occasionally. If you say the parents residents is what counts, I don't know how they can prove that I am not living there when I have furniture in the room and pay the rents.

I think the rules are stricter when you rent a room, as opposed to an entire unit; they require more proof. You don't want to end up in a legal battle, so it would be best to move. Maybe you could rent a place now while fixing up the old one for sale. That's perfectly legit, and the carrying charges would probably still be less than private school tuition. It will cost some money, but sounds like it might be worth it to you.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by doit41

I could move some furniture to the room and stay at it occasionally. If you say the parents residents is what counts, I don't know how they can prove that I am not living there when I have furniture in the room and pay the rents.

The rules state that both the parent and child must live in the same residence within the boundaries of the school area. They are likely to doubt both are living in one room. As mentioned, the penalty for getting caught is (at most) $500, which is minimal. On the other hand, as OldHag pointed out, the lesson you are teaching your child (it is better to cheat than follow the rules) has much more serious and long term effects.

[michgc]

Originally Posted by ViennaSausages

They'd make you serve lunch at the original school.

Actually, they make you eat lunch served at the school.

[Forehead]

I've seen this firsthand. In high school, a girl I dated was from a pretty athletic family. They were in the Marshall school district. The youngest sibling (boy) was very good at baseball, something Marshall is not traditionally strong at. I couldn't believe they went to the trouble, but the son and father rented a basement or something with a family friend, and actually lived there during the week, spending the weekend with their family. All this so he could play baseball at Madison, traditionally a powerhouse.

It worked, he wound up getting a scholarship to play in college. Doesn't mean I agreed with it, but I didn't go to either school so it's not like it affected me personally.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Forehead

I've seen this firsthand. In high school, a girl I dated was from a pretty athletic family. They were in the Marshall school district. The youngest sibling (boy) was very good at baseball, something Marshall is not traditionally strong at. I couldn't believe they went to the trouble, but the son and father rented a basement or something with a family friend, and actually lived there during the week, spending the weekend with their family. All this so he could play baseball at Madison, traditionally a powerhouse.

It worked, he wound up getting a scholarship to play in college. Doesn't mean I agreed with it, but I didn't go to either school so it's not like it affected me personally.

A little bit different, because, as you mentioned, they did actually live there most of the time (5 out of 7 days.) That's certainly within the rules.

[Forehead]

I know, technically it was within the rules? But at the cost of not seeing your mother/wife/sisters 70% or so of the week? I'm of the opinion that if you're good enough, scouts will find you. Hell, I was in the same district and played against both schools, though I was a few years older than the kid I was referring to and didn't play against him. There were a few kids from Marshall that got scholarships over the years; it's not impossible just because you aren't at an athletic powerhouse.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Forehead

I know, technically it was within the rules? But at the cost of not seeing your mother/wife/sisters 70% or so of the week? I'm of the opinion that if you're good enough, scouts will find you. Hell, I was in the same district and played against both schools, though I was a few years older than the kid I was referring to and didn't play against him. There were a few kids from Marshall that got scholarships over the years; it's not impossible just because you aren't at an athletic powerhouse.

It may or may not have been the best situation for the family; that's not the OPs question. She was questioning the legality of her actions and the consequences of being caught.