By CAL BEVERLY
Staff Writer

The Fayette County school system may hire private investigators to ferret out students illegally attending classes here, paying the P.I.s only if they produce.

“Sounds like a bounty hunter to me,” said Connie Hale, a member of the Fayette County Board of Education.

“That's exactly right,” said another board member, Mickey Littlefield. “This is a pet project of mine. It's a big problem. These [illegally attending] kids, I believe, cause a disproportionate amount of trouble.”

Littlefield said every student who lives outside the county but attends school here costs the system $5,000 a year, money he said should go toward Fayette kids.

“[The private detective] would be paid only if he catches people,” Littlefield said. “There's no money to lose, and $5,000 per student to gain. We need to let people know that we are going to enforce [our residency requirements] and prosecute [violators].”

Superintendent John DeCotis said his staff is exploring the private detective option. The board took no action on Littlefield's proposal.

In a related matter, the board adopted a revised policy to deal with homeless children attending school in Fayette. Under the change, children who have no regular nighttime sleeping address may still attend classes, provided the child meets the homeless standard set by federal and state guidelines.

.