I have already emailed the author, but just for clarity and because I do not want my son's school to be left with a bad taste... My son was not at Mason elementary when his validity as a resident was being questioned. It was a a different GPPSS elementary school.

Even I think this proposal went a little far though, I don't think it's too far to ask someone to provide proof at any time. I think notorized proof for the entire school system is asinine. Why does it have to be notorized?

Great article, Kim!

Per our email, thank you for letting me know. My editor has been notified and will correct the mistake ASAP. Thanks for reading Patch.

So, what do you think her (Pangborn) performance does for her re-election chances?

Last night, the live performance (not the topic) is reason enought to give Mr. Broman your vote instead of Mrs. Pangborn. Its great to be passionate about a cause, but the delivery was "Valverde-ish"!

I was glad to see this meeting video taped. I don't know when it will air, but it is worth watching. It's no surprise I am thrilled the board voted down this proposal (of which there were many versions.) I'd love to be done with this now. Somehow, I don't think we will be.

I heard many heartening things - that the administration and most the board ARE considering how this is effecting a.) the kids, b.) our ability to focus on education, and c.) our image as a community -- which isn't looking so good to the rest of the world. Kudos to Brendan Walsh, Judy Gafa, Lois Valente, Dan Roeske and Joan Dindoffer for their common sense.

I applaud our School Board for coming to the right conclusion on this issue. Now let's get back to the business of educating all our children and stop wasting tax payer dollars trying to fix what is not broken. If you, or anyone you know, has information about a student that is sneaking into our district I urge you to call the tip line and let the district do the investigating. Following children home is not the answer and is frankly CREEPY!

My only question to the entire group is this, " As residents of Grosse Pointe, why are we expected to pay the higher taxes for the so called GPP schools"? It's the number one selling feature when buying a home in GP.

I grew up in GPP, and lived in a nice house on Lakepointe near the lake. I was born in MI, but my father (a physician) was born in Greece. Once a week myself and a group of other Greek friends would walk from Trombley together to meet up at Defer for a Greek School class, after school. For some reason we were always followed a portion of the way by some kids accusing us of exactly that, being out of the district. Perhaps because we were walking across Jefferson, perhaps also because we were ethnic. It was humiliating, but the worst was that not once did they bother to finish following us the rest of the way to see us go to the class, they would rather believe they were right than see the truth!

Thank you for sharing your story, Chris Ann. What an awful thing to have gone through.

In 1985 when we moved to Grosse pointe my wife had to show the closing on our house purchase before she could enroll our kids in school. Thank goodness they were.

Verification of residency for students needs to take place; a line needs to be drawn. Otherwise just open the doors; the consequences of an open district will follow quickly.

I favor the perpetual verification process that Mr. Walsh proposed sometime ago.

A notarized affidavit would be insane. There are about 8500 students in the Grosse Pointe Public School System, and maybe about 3000 families? I am not sure of that figure, but requiring a notarized affidavit is ludicrous. If there are only thirty students abusing the district, that is an incredible amount of work and money for both families and the district. Furthermore, anyone in Michigan can apply to be a notary, so how is requiring a notarized affidavit supposed to be any more important than a regular affidavit? Anyone is who fraudelently enrolled in the district will be able to bypass this requirement with ease.

Do whatever it takes I have no problem producing whatever is required for my kids, perhaps those complaining do? I am sure my parents had to have something for me to attend just as I am sure my grandparents did for my parents to attend

Can't we have a no rental policy except for multiple family units? I thought at one time the farms had something like that?

Maybe the problem with residency lies in the investigation process.

Does anyone know how investigations are handled? I'm not talking about divorced parents where 1 lives in-district and the other is a non-res. It gets murky when talking about guardianship and where the child actually resides. I know there are house checks and that the number of beds are checked (maybe even whether clothes and other belongings are there). HOWEVER - what about when you still see the child being dropped off day after day on school mornings - then they are not there on the weekends or during the summer. ( I'm not talking about spying - but when you live across the street it's hard not to notice) Doesn't that qualify as using the address for school only – which is illegal. I believe that having a mattress at a home is an awfully low threshold to prove residency –isn’t there more? Would it be possible to ask that you bring in your 1040 (or 1040EZ) and check the SS#. If you are supporting the child wouldn’t they be on your taxes?

Why do so many new students just show up in 9th and 11th grade? It’s such a disproportionate amount. If they are residents wouldn’t their siblings also be in GPPSS? So wouldn’t there be a big increase in the district overall?

Just wondering…………..

My children attend GPPS and I am grateful that the district is not open or part of school of choice. That said, I find it a bit absurd to ask residents to produce a notarized document to prove residency. When we enrolled our kids, we were required to bring in multiple documents to prove residency, so why would I be required to prove residency again?

I agree that GPPS should be concerned about non-residents entering our schools, but to what degree? Having gone through enrollment several times in the last seven years I think what's in place is adequate enough.

Lisa,

The situation you are referencing has been resolved to the satisfaction of the neighbors. That’s all I’m at liberty to say.

Notary Duties
A notary public will verify the identities of each person signing a document and witness the signatures. He may also administer an oath, in which a person swears that the information in a document is true. A notary does not need to know what the documents say and is not allowed to explain the meaning of any papers. Notaries must sign, date and certify each document at the time of notarization. Many notaries use an embossed seal or rubber stamp to simplify this process, although this is not required in Michigan.
Notary Restrictions
A notary cannot have a personal interest in the document and cannot provide services for family members. According to the Michigan Secretary of State website, a notary is prohibited by law from giving legal or immigration advice. Notaries are required to keep records on transactions for at least five years and provide information to the secretary of state if requested. State law determines the maximum price a notary may charge for each signature.

Chris: your bank statement is true, but answer is simple, if they don't produce a legal document notarized then their child does not attend, PERIOD.
PirateLarz: You are comical to me. You have all your loopholes and laws covered, especially the one you continue to emphasize about having already done the required paperwok ONCE. So let me guess you just believe that if you did this once your family is grandfathered into the system and that's it no quesitons should ever be asked again? Your Pirate Name seems to fit very well with the statements you provide. Lets just have a free for all on everyone who is doing it all the right ways dime.
I find it quite astounding and a shame that the some parents living in the school district feel it to be too cumbersome to take 10 minutes and have a legal document notarized each year to prove your residence. If you can't propose another alternative then your answer is to just continue to let this happen at no consequence to the offenders, but punish the tax payers.

Please click this link: http://grossepointe.patch.com/blog_posts/the-residency-verification-process-1511b482

To understand the existing system and the data collected as a result.

"Are you willing to put your name and our school system at risk for a lawsuit?"

"Following a child home from school to see where they live…That sickens me as a mom and as a human being…While you're up there amending your paperwork for Residents for Residency or whether you're running for re-election or what…I want you to go home and think about that," Mason concluded."

Well... 2 issues here.... If $93K/year (Assuming COGS) doesn't buy you a professional that manages risk as part of their duty, then we should hire someone who knows what they are doing for the same money. The job role is not being managed correctly.

Second, if there was a program that was thorough, parents who CARE about the rules wouldn't need to worry.

How many thieves are ok? Is 2% ok but 3% is unacceptable? If we have empirical data to calculate those numbers then our process is sound.

But we all know its a big stupid emotional sham.... I fear we are paying a premium for a bunch of amateurs to figure this out.

We talk about the children here, think about those children who are told or know they arent suppose to be attending a certain school and still walking into that school daily. I guess this is where our society is coming to, teaching our children that lying is ok as long as it benefits them, shame on those who are cheating the system.

*shame on those PARENTS who are cheating the system!

There may be some confusion and concern to my stance on the residency issue and my proposal about residency investigations of students with disciplinary problems.

I have talked to many residents in the community about the issue facing the board. One of the common themes in many arguments for strengthening our residency requirements is that some community members think there is a clear defined image of what a non-resident is. They think that they can walk into a classroom, and observe it for an hour and easily spot the non-residents based on a number of factors, behavior being one of them. The idea behind this policy proposal is to either give truth to this rumor, or dispel it and move on. My hope is to dispel it and move on to the bigger more important problems in the district. I would like to clarify that the proposal shared with the community at the LWV, stated that 3 detentions AND one in school suspension or an out of school suspension of any length, would require a residency verification. This policy would be in place for a one or two academic years at most, to give the District data.

I talk a lot about coming up with long term solutions to our problems in the district, this policy proposal is a bandaid. The long term solutions will come when we begin working jointly with the municipalities.

Suzy- I've read that before. Guess I'm unclear then what is the purpose of a legal guardian if not to take care of the child when the parent is unable to.
"This is also true in the case where a child’s parent or legal guardian is unable to
provide a suitable home for the child and the child is placed with a relative for the purpose of providing a suitable home [MCL 380.1148]. .....The placement must be for the purpose of providing a suitable home. The child will not be considered a resident of the district
where he or she is placed if the placement is for educational purposes, such as taking advantage of an educational program."

Scenario: --Dad is unavailable for whatever reason, mom has custody and lives in SCS with the child, but the child’s Uncle lives in GP and is the legal guardian of the child, and this is not for the purpose of education? Ummmm............

The proof of the numbers I reference : At the August school board meeting the North Calc teacher (Johnson) complied all the data for the 2012 graduating class. He found that the largest influx of new students for that particular class happened in the 9th and 11th grade. At the September school board meeting they had preliminary numbers for this school year. Again the largest number of new students (after kindergarten) was in the 9th and 11th grades..

Please click this link!!! It clearly states the current policies in place and also data collected...in other words, here's the facts, folks!!
http://grossepointe.patch.com/blog_posts/the-residency-verification-process-1511b482

Just a suggestion, if not already in place. For those homes that have an abundant amount of people living in such a tiny space (ie- 5-6-7-8 people living in a 1 bedroom rental/apartment) they should be required to put ALL their names on the lease and have it signed by the landlord and your cities hall. Its a win-win on both ends!

Lisa C. Part of the large influx of students in 9th grade is that local parochial and some private schools only have a program that goes to 8th grade. Many district families at that point choose our high schools to continue their children's education.

Earlier in this feed, the anonymous Popeye and Patricia Stefani criticized me for caring too much about image (Popeye also erroneously concluded I must condone stealing and not care if old people go without.) I would like to direct everyone's attention to THIS article, published by The Mackinac Center, about how our community is perceived on the issue of residency persecution. Please note how this is likely going to blow back on us -- this outraged defense by Residents for Residency of our "Closed System," (words Diane Karabetsos used to scold those of us speaking out against the affidavit at the Special Meeting of the Board Oct. 15th.) Please read the following:

http://www.mackinac.org/17692

Residents for Residency and their supporters are adding fuel to Lansing's fire over School of Choice. Don't say I didn't warn you...

My husband and I live in Royal Oak, and our children attend a wonderful school in Indian Village, the Detroit Waldorf School. My elderly parents live in GP, and between carpooling the kids to school, and caring for my parents we are hating the long commute, and looking to buy a home in GP. GP schools certainly score well, but there is more to a school than test scores, and we would keep our children where they are. The taxes you pay are for more than the schools, Pleasant Ridge has a similar tax rate, and they don't even have schools, the taxes go toward their community center, pool,and upgraded city services. Your taxes pay for the lovely lakeside parks I grew up in and my children love. I grew up in Grosse Pointe and while it was beautiful it was also ripe with elitist, racist, privileged attitudes which is why I moved when I grew up. I was told it was much improved since those days. Reading the creepy comments here gives me serious pause. I send my children to the school we chose, and moved because I don't want my children to grow up with these kind of attitudes around them. What do people look like who are from Grosse Pointe? Bed checks? Really? Will we be labeled "Liberals" and shunned because we are not fans of racism, and attitudes of priviledge? Will people follow our carpool when someone who doesn't "look like they are from GP" drops off our kids? I can only hope that the few paranoid individuals who can't let go of this issue don't represent the greater community.

Mr. Walsh, we drop the kids off and the homes are not in Grosse Pointe. Why don't you ask your colleague Joan about her son's basketball team at South. High School students know a lot. Their information is generally correct. Another interesting fact is that eventually some of these students are identied and asked to leave. Why does it take a few years to identify them?

Mr. Walsh:

If our school board members can't agree on items, how do you expect the community to agree?

It sounds like there is just as much tension between school board members as there is between community members (& forum posters). I might suggest you strive for harmony in your small board group before you expect it from the community. I might also suggest you consider refraining from posting on a forum ( the same goes for Mrs. Gafa) even though I realize you feel the need to defend yourself and school district. Use the more "official" methods e-mail, telephone, and board meetings.
You can NEVER win on a forum, even with the best intentions. In other words, serve the community at large, not the forum posters with the largest mouth. Personally, I have no problem with annual enrollment verifications, but a parent affidavit, is a joke. If you are "cheating", you have already lied on other more important documents.

It is clear that people like Kathy and Suzy assume, without directly saying it, that most of those who disagree with this proposal being rejected might be racist or just misinformed. They are also scared of the perception of what our city will portray to the outside communities if we continue to press the envelope.
My response, you are the ignorant ones. I am so sick of everyone worrying about offending someone all the time. We have built a soceity of enablers because of the chance that we might offend somebody and there are many who use this fairly new rule in soceity to their advantage. Our response to that, turn away and pretend it is not happening because we are to lazy to verify our residence with the school each year or it might cost more money. I understand some parents, who are sending their kids illegally, want a better life for their kids. However, you are telling me it is ok to let them do it for free because we might be perceived as racist or heartless.
As a child, I grew up in a poor school district and a single parent home. My mother didn't manipulate a good school district's rules to her advantage. No, instead she worked her tail off and went without some necessities for herself to send me to a private school. She understood the value of a good education, but also understood the value of laws. The first foundation we teach our children is right from wrong, not abc's and 123's. Seems to me you are crushing the foundation to supplement an education.