The Fayette Citizen-News Page

Wednesday, February 11, 2004
County marshals have role in finding nonresident students

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

When a Fayette County marshal knocked on the front door of Michele Mitchell’s east Fayetteville home after dark one night last October, the officer wasn’t there to issue a warrant or serve a subpoena. Instead, the marshal was checking to see if Mitchell’s 8-year-old daughter was in fact sleeping overnight at that address.

A single mother new to Fayette County, Mitchell said the visit terrified both her and her daughter, leading her to issue complaints to the school board, the Atlanta office of the NAACP and State School Superintendent Kathy Cox.

But the marshal was just fulfilling his duties as requested by the school system, said Wayne Robinson, assistant superintendent of operations. A section of the board’s policy on proving residency states that in order for students to remain enrolled after suspicion is raised, it must be shown that they are, indeed, sleeping overnight at the address in question.

And that means knocking on doors unexpectedly after supper, Robinson admitted. “That’s why we send the marshals, because it’s at night and (families) might not open the door to a stranger,” said Robinson.

Starting with tips from parents, teachers or even other students, Robinson’s department goes through a series of steps before submitting the paperwork required for a marshal to make an on-site visit of an address. Among the clues school employees are taught to look for are inconsistencies in records or unusual behavior, such as chronic tardiness, Robinson said. “When a residency check form is received, it is forwarded to an officer who makes a home visit to verify residency,” said Robinson.

Once residency is confirmed, the matter is usually dropped. If a violation of the policy is discovered, then the process of removing the student begins.

“Students found to be non-residents are usually told to withdraw at the end of the next grading period,” which occurs four times each 18-week semester, Robinson said. “Depending on the situation, some are withdrawn at the end of the week.”