DECATUR, Ga. — With Decatur City School District's enrollment growing, the district's chief operating officer is committed to addressing growing concerns about students using fake addresses to enroll.
The board is set to vote on Tuesday on whether to create a position dedicated solely to registration issues.
"The hard part is we do a really good job in city schools, it is growing and we really just don't have room for other folks who are coming in and it is not fair to the residents of the city," said Noel Maloof, the district's COO.
"It is hard because you want to do the right thing for kids and be sensitive but if you want to cheat the system, we cannot accept that," Maloof said.
Last year, the district received about 150 complaints regarding potentially false addresses used on enrollment applications.
"Our central office is located at 125 Electric Avenue, we have actually had someone come in and use a document that said 125 Electric Avenue," Maloof told Channel 2's Rachel Stockman.
So far this year, district officials say they've already received about 30 referrals. The district has been growing 6 to 10 percent over the last several years, and they expect the growth to continue, Maloof said.
District leaders are proposing a district position to help battle issues with enrollment.
"Creating a position that is dedicated solely to working with registration and investigating potentially fraudulent addresses," said Maloof.
That employee would investigate a complaint, and verify that the student actually lived in the Decatur address.
"I'm not sure how they found out but the city found her address," said Sam Cannon, a student, referring to a friend of hers, who was unenrolled from the district recently.
"I think it is important that the school is able to maintain integrity with its enrollment and there is not outside influences trying to come in and infiltrate the system," said Eric Goldstein, a parent.
The school district says they try to work with parents if they discover an incorrect address, and have not filed any criminal charges. However, it is considered residency fraud if a parent provides a fake or incorrect address to gain enrollment in a school district in which they do not reside.
WSBTV
