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Published Sunday, September 21, 2008 in Local

Coweta schools still need residency affidavits

By News Staff

The Times-Herald

The Coweta County School System is requiring 2008-09 notarized affidavits of residence from the parents or guardians of all children enrolled in Coweta County Schools.

The affidavits must be completed and filed with schools by Dec. 18 in order for students to remain enrolled in their school. Letters informing parents and guardians of the requirement were sent to all student households on Sept. 11.

This is the third year that the residency affidavits have been required of currently enrolled students. The affidavits are a requirement of a consent decree entered in federal court between the Coweta County School System and the U.S. Justice Department. The decree provides an opportunity to resolve a 1973 court order that governs the Coweta County School System's desegregation attempts.

In fulfillment of the requirements of that court order, all parents, legal guardians or other lawful custodians of students attending the Coweta County School System must sign under oath and deliver to the school his or her student is attending:

1. An affidavit of residence, and

2. Two items from the following list for address verification:

a. property tax records that indicate the location of the residence;

b. mortgage documents or a security deed that indicates the location of the residence;

c. apartment or home lease or rent receipt indicating the current address;

d. current utility bill for electricity or utility application for electricity showing the current address;

e. voter precinct identification card or other voter documentation indicating the current address.

The 2008-09 residency affidavits were included with the letters sent home on Sept. 11. The current year affidavits can also be obtained at schools or printed from a copy available on the Coweta County School System Web site.

Parents are asked to complete the affidavit, sign it in the presence of a notary public, and submit it with the two pieces of the residency documentation listed above. For parents' convenience, all schools employ notary publics who will be available during school hours to assist them.

The residency affidavits must be filed with schools by Dec. 18 in order for students to remain enrolled in the second semester that starts Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009.

Some parents, legal guardians, or other lawful custodians who do not reside in their own home due to unavoidable or emergency situations have already completed an affidavit of residence and provided the school system with two items for address verification at the school system's Central Office on Jackson Street. No other documentation is needed at this time from these persons.

Similarly, parents who enrolled a child for the first time in a Coweta County school this school year had to complete an affidavit with proof of residency, and do not need to file a second affidavit for that child.

The consent decree was issued in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, on Nov. 9, 2006 to pursue resolution of the 1973 court order which governs the system's desegregation efforts. The issuance of the decree followed more than a year of discussions and negotiations with representatives of the U.S. Justice Department, Civil Rights Division.

The decree established a "test period" for the school system to demonstrate that it is complying with all intended aims of the consent order. At the end of the two-year period, if the court finds that 27 areas of compliance have been met, then the school system may be awarded "unitary status." A unitary school system is one in which the school district has eliminated the old racially segregated dual school system.

To fully comply with the court order, the Coweta County Board of Education adopted three new policies incorporating the language and requirements of the consent decree, including policy JBCCA (Student Assignment to Schools), JBCD (Student Transfers), and JBCDA (Majority-to-Minority Transfers) in 2006.

During the period of the consent decree, the school system must document school system policies, student assignment to schools, student transfers, hiring practices, educational opportunities and other matters each year.

Most of the documentation needed is provided through school system records. In order to document student districting and school assignment, however, parents have been required to provide the signed and notarized affidavits of residency to their school, accompanied by documents offering proof of district residency.

Parents of enrolled students had to provide the affidavits during 2006 and 2007, as well.