Mom Jailed For Sending Kids to Better School

Much of the poltical rhetoric on education reform has centered on the ability of parents to send their children to better schools, particularly in situations where they were forced to send them to schools that were failing. But in the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, her desire to get her children better educational placement landed her in jail, and may well derail her aspirations of becoming a teacher herself.
Williams-Bolar, 40, and her two children live in housing projects in Akron, Ohio. For two years, she sent them to school in the Copley-Fairlawn district, where her father lived, because it was a safer environment -- the high crime rate in her area drove her decision. The suburban school district hired a private investigator to find their residential records and it turned out she listed the children as living in that district, although they actually stayed with her.


Technically, that qualifies as a felony since she falsified records, and Judge Patricia Cosgrove sentenced her to two concurrent five-year prison sentences. She suspended the sentence, though, in favor of a 10-day jail sentence, 80 hours of community service and three years probation. She had been working as a teaching assistant for special needs children and earning a teaching degree, but since she is now a convicted felon, under Ohio law she cannot earn that degree.
The conviction has caused outrage among many who advocate change and improvement in education, particularly for the poor and disadvantaged minority communities. Syracuse University professor Boyce Watkins took to the blogosphere to openly voice his outrage.
"There is no logical reason on earth why this mother of two should be dehumanized by going to jail and be left permanently marginalized from future economic and educational opportunities, he wrote on his blog. "Even if you believe in the laws that keep poor kids trapped in underperforming schools, the idea that this woman should be sent to jail for demanding educational access is simply ridiculous."
The website Change.org has launched a petition in support of reduction on appeal of Williams-Bolar's conviction, and have started a Twitter campaign on it.
Both girls, now aged 16 and 12, attended schools in Copley-Fairlawn from August 2006 to June 2008, but now attend school elsewhere

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Ohio
• Mom
• Jailed
• for
• Sending
• Her
• Kids
• to
• Better
• School

[mueygringo]

Why is one school better than the other? Are the school boards failing? Are unqualified teachers allowed to keep their jobs for some unexplained reason? Do the Unions protect unqualified teachers? Why do Private Schools produce better prepared better educated children even though the teachers are paid less? Do parents take responsibility for their children's education? Do the parents hold their children accountable? Answer these questions honestly and half of the problem is solved.

[regardingme1]

@hardcorenyc you know, i looked at your page and you are truly an idiot., mesmerized by your "fantasy life" on top of it. i don't want to have any words for you as you are not worth it. You are the enemy of the USA and it will be by your hands that we will all be sent to FEMA camps. Wake Up and keep your detestable thoughts to your own group. I don't give a damn what you believe.

[fotwunny]

Uhhhh....her sentencing seems a bit fucking harsh!! What the fuck?!

[amoredecoeur]

she was right, they wanted to make her an example. On the other hand, how long will it take for us to wake up and realize ( you fill in the blank)

[pugdogy]

oh loosing tax dollars my ass=every school gets money due to how many kids go their school-that is why they make a big deal that on student count days all kids need to be in school, it is a pitiful shame that you put a mother in jail for 10 days because she is being a good mother,

[TheRichardHinckley]

There are lots of problems with education, but that doesn't make fraud acceptable. I understand that she wanted to protect and provide for her children, but falsifying documents and defrauding the public is not OK. It's very sad and highlights the problems with education and educational funding, but "it's unfair, so I committed a felony" is still a felony.

[Redeye1524]

You people are all fucking idiots, this is argument #1 for school choice

[rubberbaby00]

They system is based on class. Rich people go to rich schools, poor people go to poor schools. Know your place or get thrown in jail.

No other country in the world operates like this. We are so fucked.

[pigpigshoes88]

racist

[msbrownbutter]

My daughter attended a predominantly white school and she is African American, she was being continually violated at the school and told that she couldn't attend, and when I stood up for her rights I was place under citizen's arrest by the school officials. Trial is scheduled for June, I need support!

[aidenberry11]

Thats unbelievable.

[iheartsable]

@kingdomofwitches Education is free? Since when?