Searching for outsiders

The Lawrence, Hewlett-Woodmere and Valley Stream school districts keep a close eye on students who could be attending district schools but who do not live within district boundaries.
Funding for education is tight and services are costly, so if a district is spending money on children who have no right to attend its schools, it amounts to a theft of services and is illegal, said Lawrence Superintendent Gary Schall.
Lawrence has ratcheted up its efforts to find students whose parents or guardians are sending them to district schools under false pretenses. It had been typical to have about 15 “illegal” students, but intensified investigations this year have revealed that 45 students living in Queens were attending Lawrence schools.
With per-pupil spending nearing $30,000, special education adding “tens of thousands of dollars” to the district’s costs and additional students affecting class size and staffing needs, Schall said that the problem cannot be overlooked. “It would be criminal of me and negligent if I ignored this. We have a responsibility not only to taxpayers, but to the state and our students,” he said, adding that charges could be brought against the adults who send children to school illegally and that the district could seek reimbursement.
To find these students, the districts have a designated residency officer who works with an investigative service to ferret out information. One of the more common telltale signs that a family doesn’t live in a school district anymore is mail returned to the district from a previous address. Community members sometimes come forward with information as well.

Hewlett-Woodmere
Hewlett-Woodmere officials say they find about a half dozen students per school year who attend the schools but don’t live in the district.