The deadline has passed and Coweta County schools will now determine how many residents have not sent in residency affidavits for their students.

According to school spokesperson Dean Jackson, the residency documentation is being required because the Coweta County School System has entered into a mutual Consent Decree that will provide an opportunity to resolve the 1973 court order which governs the system’s desegregation attempts. The decree was issued in United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, on November 9, and followed more than a year of discussions and negotiations with representatives of the United States Justice Department, Civil Rights Division.

The original deadline for filing the affidavit was Jan.19, but the school system decided to extend the date to Feb. 1, after more than 5,800 affidavits were still outstanding.

Once the system has verified how many affidavits haven’t been supplied, then the tough part starts for school officials.

“At some point, we will have to start de-enrolling students who don’t have proof of their residency,” Jackson said.

The terms of the decree stipulate the system must provide the affidavits for two years, so the system will start the procedure again in August. After August, Jackson said system officials will discuss the decree with federal law officials to see how long the program will ultimately stay in place.

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