Facing voter heat over out-of-county students attending Fayette County schools, the local school board has decided to beef up enforcement.

The message delivered Monday night: If you knowingly send a student illegally to a Fayette County school, you could be facing jail time.

Assistant Superintendent of Operations Sam Sweat told the Fayette County Board of Education how illegal students would be dealt with this fall.

One of the biggest changes is that District Attorney Scott Ballard has agreed to prosecute parents of students who are found guilty of false swearing on an affidavit.

“Our district attorney is really stepping up to the plate,” Sweat said.

Ballard is holding a press conference Friday with some of the county’s chief law enforcement officials to outline the procedures that school officials hope will curtail students from enrolling into the school system.

Sweat said the system is in the process of modifying the model ordinance from the state to use this year. The affidavit will feature several places parents or guardians will have to sign and emphasizes that false information could lead to a fine of $1,000 and at least one year in prison.

Another change starting July 1 is that parents who signed affidavits last year will be required to sign the new form. All affidavits will now be housed at the Lafayette Educational Center, which will make it easier for the system to track the students, instead of scattered among the county’s schools.

“This whole issue is very frustrating to us,” said Sweat.

Last year, the system removed 98 students from the system who were attending illegally. School officials said it costs about $7,300 a year to educate a student, so the total cost to the system is $715,400.

“With local tax dollars funding 50 percent, you’re looking at a strain of $357,700 on our taxpayers,” Sweat added.

Sweat invited school officials to the Friday press conference and said he would update the board on the process through the year.