Lying About What School District Her Kids Live In Nets Mom 5 Years in Jail

Under the Heading–Because We Don’t Have Anything More Important To Do, Let’s Punish Moms for Putting Their Kids in Safe Schools.

Struggling to get her teaching degree, single mom Kelley Williams-Bolar worried about her own kids’ education.  The district she lives in–poor, predominately black and troubled –is not far from the one her father lives in–middle class, predominately white, and academically superior.  She chose to enroll her two daughters in her father’s district.  She was arrested, charged with Grand Theft and felony falsifying of records.  She and her father were charged with stealing $30,500 from the school district the two children were attending.

According to M L Schultz, News Director of WKSU,

Ohio has property taxes basically as the main support for schools. And so the school districts say if somebody doesn’t live in the school district, they’re not paying the property taxes, so they are stealing from the school district by enrolling their children there. And that’s where they came up with the $30,000 figure. They said you need to pay the equivalent tuition for that property tax money that we’re not getting.

Kelley was convicted of  the tampering charges and sentenced to 5 years in prison.  The judge then suspended the sentence leaving “only” ten days. In addition, she was given 80 hours of community service. Kelley who has been going to college and working as a teaching assistant at a High School had no previous record. Now, in all likelihood, she will lose her chance to teach school.  The judge in the case said, “‘Because of the felony conviction, you will not be allowed to get your teaching degree under Ohio law as it stands today.”

Breaking a law is not the same as behaving immorally. During the 1800’s in America, we  flogged mothers for trying to free their children from slavery. Today, in America, we sentence mothers to jail for trying to save their kids from poverty.  Kelley may have broken the law but she obeyed instincts that most mothers understand. Why are we punishing her so harshly? She has already served the 10 days.  Don’t let her suffer any more.

Sign the petition asking her governor to pardon her here.

__________________________

Hat tip to Black Voices

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47 Comments
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jonolan
Guest
13 years ago

The law is the law and she obviously broke it.

The court was actually very, very lenient since they suspended her sentence except for 10 days of it because they understand that being unable to get her teaching degree – or, at least, a job utilizing it – was a serious punishment.

Also, she’s the one who pushed the issue. Authorities tried to work with her and to avoid filing charges, but she wanted to grandstand, make point, or perhaps thought a jury would “nullify” her conviction despite it being a clear-cut case under the law.

Staff
Member
13 years ago
Reply to  jonolan

There are a lot of laws on the books–many of them unjust and foolish. Breaking a law should never be done lightly but sometimes, breaking a law is a means of changing the law. Supposedly our country has a public school system. But is it public when neighboring school districts have vastly differing sums of money to spend per child? As long as some of our children, mostly poor and mostly minorities are given an inferior education to other children at public schools, then we have an unjust system that desperately needs fixing. Kelley is one of many parents who peacefully protest this system. Like Rosa Parks ,she broke the law, she trusted the courts and “a jury of her peers” to understand her plight. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

We need to do what we can to fix the problem. Don’t end up on the wrong side of history just because of some mistaken belief that laws are sacred cows never to be sacrificed on the altar of justice. Many people excoriated Parks and excoriated those who helped slaves escape simply because laws were broken. Kelley may have broken a law but history will write her as an agent of change. Just as Parks and Tubman are heroes so is she.

jonolan
Guest
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

You claim:

Breaking a law should never be done lightly but sometimes, breaking a law is a means of changing the law.

That’s a foolish and dangerous belief.

When Roeder shot the abortionist Tiller breaking the law for the sake of justice is exactly what he was doing or thought he was doing. The same can be said for terrorist groups like Earth Fist and riot promoters like Sharpton.

Justice is an inherently subjective term and too easily used to justify criminal and antisocial behavior.

Beware the thought or belief that the ends justify the means if the ends are just because that is exactly the line of reasoning that led to Gitmo.

Staff
Member
13 years ago
Reply to  jonolan

Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr are but a few of the great changers of history that believed that non-violent breaking of law was a necessary element of change. The key here is non-violent.

jonolan
Guest
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

True, she was non-violent. There’s a big difference
though between protesting, which only broke the law because such gatherings of those peoples were illegal, and doing something for your gain.

Also, from a deontological standpoint, non-violence shouldn’t particularly matter. Many of those white collar criminals felt that the laws were wrong and too restrictive and used no violence in their crimes….

I suppose though that Madoff and the Enron boys could be viewed as agents of change…

Staff
Member
13 years ago
Reply to  jonolan

Rosa Parks broke the law by refusing to move. She gained a seat on a bus–much less important than good education for your children. Non-violent action to achieve positive gain for one’s children is hardly the same as siphoning huge sums of money for personal gain. Certainly, not all law breaking is good BUT neither is it all bad. Choosing to break the law should be done carefully. But sometimes it must be done. What I’m saying here is that the argument that a law is broken therefore she deserves punishment is obviously false–unless of course, you think Rosa Parks should have been punished.

longwind
Guest
longwind
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

I went to public schools with kids sneaking into the district from poorer schools. It was the best parents who insisted on this for their children.

Why don’t we give a few bankers 5 years for mortgage fraud and see if we learn some compassion?

jonolan
Guest
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

First off – yes, I think Rosa Parks should have been punished as the law demanded.

Whether or not breaking the law can achieve positive results is immaterial. Those who do so must either be punished for doing so or granted the largess of the jury refusing to convict them.

We have established practices for changing laws. Breaking them is not part of that.

What you keep failing to understand is that every single counter case I offered would fall into your philosophy of law breaking if you had the ideology of those law breakers.

That is exactly why you’re wrong and why the law must be upheld.

Staff
Member
13 years ago
Reply to  jonolan

According to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a white would have been subject to 6 months in jail and $1000 fine for helping a slave escape. Should they have not broken the law anyway? I like to think I would have.

Harriet Tubman would have faced far worse. Should she not have broken the law? Of course not. Bad laws demand breaking.

Ernie's Place
Guest
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff
tom MORELAND
Guest
tom MORELAND
13 years ago

Her father paid prop taxes. I don’t get it. well it is america, she is lucky she wasn’t jailed without trail and tortured.

forkboy1965
Guest
forkboy1965
13 years ago

I remember reading a comment posted elsewhere on the Web concerning this article whereby the author wondered how it was the better school was spending so much more money per student.

It would seem the distribution of dollars was the real crime in this scenario.

Staff
Member
13 years ago
Reply to  forkboy1965

Forkboy, the distribution of money in our school system is a crime against the poor!

tom MORELAND
Guest
tom MORELAND
13 years ago

Her father paid prop taxes. I don’t get it. well it is america, she is lucky she wasn’t jailed without trail and tortured.

forkboy1965
Guest
forkboy1965
13 years ago

I remember reading a comment posted elsewhere on the Web concerning this article whereby the author wondered how it was the better school was spending so much more money per student.

It would seem the distribution of dollars was the real crime in this scenario.

Staff
Member
13 years ago
Reply to  forkboy1965

Forkboy, the distribution of money in our school system is a crime against the poor!

Eric Kirk
Guest
Eric Kirk
13 years ago

Quite frankly I think you should be allowed to send your kids to any school district you want. I’m not for vouchers for private schools, but I’m not against the market system to improve public schools.

Yeah, she broke the law. But a felony conviction seems harsh, even if she was grandstanding.

Eric Kirk
Guest
Eric Kirk
13 years ago

Quite frankly I think you should be allowed to send your kids to any school district you want. I’m not for vouchers for private schools, but I’m not against the market system to improve public schools.

Yeah, she broke the law. But a felony conviction seems harsh, even if she was grandstanding.

Eric Kirk
Guest
Eric Kirk
13 years ago

Ms. SCHULTZE: Yeah. Actually, the school district has gone further than a lot of school districts in trying to track down families that have children attending school in their district but don’t live there. They’ve hired private investigators. They’ve even offered $100 rewards to people for turning people in they think do not live in the district.

You know, none of that crap would be necessary if it was state and federal funding based strictly on the number of students and not on the tax base of the community. This is basically de facto segregation.

Eric Kirk
Guest
Eric Kirk
13 years ago

Ms. SCHULTZE: Yeah. Actually, the school district has gone further than a lot of school districts in trying to track down families that have children attending school in their district but don’t live there. They’ve hired private investigators. They’ve even offered $100 rewards to people for turning people in they think do not live in the district.

You know, none of that crap would be necessary if it was state and federal funding based strictly on the number of students and not on the tax base of the community. This is basically de facto segregation.

Staff
Member
13 years ago

Eric, exactly. This is segregation and she is acting to change that segregation. Instead of punishing her, we should be lauding her like Rosa Parks is lauded now for breaking an unjust law!

Staff
Member
13 years ago

Eric, exactly. This is segregation and she is acting to change that segregation. Instead of punishing her, we should be lauding her like Rosa Parks is lauded now for breaking an unjust law!

Ernie's Place
Guest
13 years ago

Why is it that this story that makes my “Phony Bell” ring loudly? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Schools get paid for their A.D.A.(average daily attendance) Most school districts are trying to attract outside students. Leggett Valley Schools openly recruit South Fork students.

Schools educate kids no matter where they are from. Kids from foreign counties openly go to our schools. What am I missing???

Ernie's Place
Guest
13 years ago

Okay, I get it. The school is subsidized by a school bond that the local tax payers foot. They want to keep other kids out so they don’t have to pay for them. That is my objection to school bonds. Local districts are able to high-jack a local public school district and turn it into a private school for the wealthy. The state is responsible for education, but they are anxious to get out of funding the schools. Because of that, desperate neighborhoods, I.E. Southern Humboldt School District, passes a bond to educate our kids.

There was a reason for public schools, and it should be followed. School bonds should be outlawed and the state should fund all schools sufficiently and fairly, and equally.

To high-jack a school district is just plain discrimination!

Ernie's Place
Guest
13 years ago

Why is it that this story that makes my “Phony Bell” ring loudly? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Schools get paid for their A.D.A.(average daily attendance) Most school districts are trying to attract outside students. Leggett Valley Schools openly recruit South Fork students.

Schools educate kids no matter where they are from. Kids from foreign counties openly go to our schools. What am I missing???

Mr. Nice
Guest
Mr. Nice
13 years ago

I went to the less ghetto elementary school than the one in my neighborhood growing up. Officially, I lived at my auntie’s house. I went there every day after school with my cousins anyway so it’s not like that shit really got investigated. Not like either district had a fucking investigator. Yea it is against the rules, but y’all who think the law is the law and that’s it should try walking a mile in some hand-me-down ghetto ass pumas with no shoelaces. Check how far y’all’d go if this was you and your children.

For serious tho, vouchers are not the answer because look at what happens to schools when the government fucks with them. You want private schools to have to track students and do a weak ass curriculum because of vouchers? Even the home schools like Jehovah’s Witnesses do got government heat bruh bruh.

Fuck all that government school shit. The public school system was supposed to equalize education but in these United States it only benefits white boys and rich American-born Asian folks. Everybody else gets tracked, proficiency tested, and stuck in some wack ass remedial or experimental ass remedial/honor student bullshit public school with fucking fences and metal detectors. Kids get stuck in all fucked up math and science classes if they English ain’t up to some government mandated level. You tell me how the fuck kids are supposed to be thinking about some kinna quadratic formula when other kids got brand new Raiders fitted from pushing quads.

Anyway, fuck the police and the government.

Ernie's Place
Guest
13 years ago

Okay, I get it. The school is subsidized by a school bond that the local tax payers foot. They want to keep other kids out so they don’t have to pay for them. That is my objection to school bonds. Local districts are able to high-jack a local public school district and turn it into a private school for the wealthy. The state is responsible for education, but they are anxious to get out of funding the schools. Because of that, desperate neighborhoods, I.E. Southern Humboldt School District, passes a bond to educate our kids.

There was a reason for public schools, and it should be followed. School bonds should be outlawed and the state should fund all schools sufficiently and fairly, and equally.

To high-jack a school district is just plain discrimination!

Mr. Nice
Guest
Mr. Nice
13 years ago

I went to the less ghetto elementary school than the one in my neighborhood growing up. Officially, I lived at my auntie’s house. I went there every day after school with my cousins anyway so it’s not like that shit really got investigated. Not like either district had a fucking investigator. Yea it is against the rules, but y’all who think the law is the law and that’s it should try walking a mile in some hand-me-down ghetto ass pumas with no shoelaces. Check how far y’all’d go if this was you and your children.

For serious tho, vouchers are not the answer because look at what happens to schools when the government fucks with them. You want private schools to have to track students and do a weak ass curriculum because of vouchers? Even the home schools like Jehovah’s Witnesses do got government heat bruh bruh.

Fuck all that government school shit. The public school system was supposed to equalize education but in these United States it only benefits white boys and rich American-born Asian folks. Everybody else gets tracked, proficiency tested, and stuck in some wack ass remedial or experimental ass remedial/honor student bullshit public school with fucking fences and metal detectors. Kids get stuck in all fucked up math and science classes if they English ain’t up to some government mandated level. You tell me how the fuck kids are supposed to be thinking about some kinna quadratic formula when other kids got brand new Raiders fitted from pushing quads.

Anyway, fuck the police and the government.

longwind
Guest
longwind
13 years ago

Mr. Nice, when I unnerstand you I totally agree with you.

longwind
Guest
longwind
13 years ago

Mr. Nice, when I unnerstand you I totally agree with you.

Damyanti
Guest
13 years ago

I read about this before, and I guess in this situation there are no easy answers. School systems need to change not only in the US but in a lot of other countries as well. It is indeed strange that as a species, we care about our children remarkably little, while this should be our prime concern.

Damyanti
Guest
13 years ago

I read about this before, and I guess in this situation there are no easy answers. School systems need to change not only in the US but in a lot of other countries as well. It is indeed strange that as a species, we care about our children remarkably little, while this should be our prime concern.

Mr. Nice
Guest
Mr. Nice
13 years ago

Mr. Nice, when I unnerstand you I totally agree with you.

Oops. Will try not to be all 4chan slack. Delete key gets hit way too much trying to do some understandable posting.

The American public school system categorizes students based on arbitrary measures. It got real bad with the NCLB. I feel for kids these days, especially kids in bad schools. I can’t imagine some NCLB test in a bad school.

My experience was all these damn teachers who worked in our schools just to fulfill some type of grant for teaching “disadvantaged” AKA not majority white high property tax kids. Any teacher that had seniority and been there forever guaranteed was not into their job.

College was the opposite, government threw money and help at me. I signed up for everything I could. I also feel for kids in public colleges now because a lot of the stuff I milked is probably cut or they got to do bigger loans and hire out note takers and all that.

That prolly also didn’t make sense… damn.

Mr. Nice
Guest
Mr. Nice
13 years ago

Mr. Nice, when I unnerstand you I totally agree with you.

Oops. Will try not to be all 4chan slack. Delete key gets hit way too much trying to do some understandable posting.

The American public school system categorizes students based on arbitrary measures. It got real bad with the NCLB. I feel for kids these days, especially kids in bad schools. I can’t imagine some NCLB test in a bad school.

My experience was all these damn teachers who worked in our schools just to fulfill some type of grant for teaching “disadvantaged” AKA not majority white high property tax kids. Any teacher that had seniority and been there forever guaranteed was not into their job.

College was the opposite, government threw money and help at me. I signed up for everything I could. I also feel for kids in public colleges now because a lot of the stuff I milked is probably cut or they got to do bigger loans and hire out note takers and all that.

That prolly also didn’t make sense… damn.

Random Guy
Guest
Random Guy
13 years ago

I know and have known plenty of teachers. Also, I’ve either been very fortunate wtih who my teachers have been throughout all my schooling, or it’s my perception that really there are very few “bad” teachers…as many as you’d say there are “bad” people anywhere. It’s no cakewalk to become a school teacher…it boils down to facing the students for long periods of time over a long period of time…as a career.

I don’t know and haven’t met a single teacher on any level, especially in public schools, who wasn’t upset about mandates their superiors force into their curriculum…state, federal, board of education, all that jazz. I even know a few teachers who had real breakdowns about it. Every year, more mandates, stricter procedures, new guidelines, etc. I can’t blame teachers at all. Even thinking back to the “bad” teachers, I see them as disgruntled with their lives in general, and the students were wise to it in their own way (talking k-12 stuff).

Teachers get a bad rap, no two ways about it. No way in hell I could do that work unless given free reign.

Random Guy
Guest
Random Guy
13 years ago

Jonolan, rockin the ghost girl avatar…you aren’t innocent, you just haven’t been caught. Doing what, only you know…but you know it.

Random Guy
Guest
Random Guy
13 years ago

I know and have known plenty of teachers. Also, I’ve either been very fortunate wtih who my teachers have been throughout all my schooling, or it’s my perception that really there are very few “bad” teachers…as many as you’d say there are “bad” people anywhere. It’s no cakewalk to become a school teacher…it boils down to facing the students for long periods of time over a long period of time…as a career.

I don’t know and haven’t met a single teacher on any level, especially in public schools, who wasn’t upset about mandates their superiors force into their curriculum…state, federal, board of education, all that jazz. I even know a few teachers who had real breakdowns about it. Every year, more mandates, stricter procedures, new guidelines, etc. I can’t blame teachers at all. Even thinking back to the “bad” teachers, I see them as disgruntled with their lives in general, and the students were wise to it in their own way (talking k-12 stuff).

Teachers get a bad rap, no two ways about it. No way in hell I could do that work unless given free reign.

Random Guy
Guest
Random Guy
13 years ago

Jonolan, rockin the ghost girl avatar…you aren’t innocent, you just haven’t been caught. Doing what, only you know…but you know it.