ICYMI: Decatur Schools To Take Closer Look At Student Residency

DECATUR, GA -- Decatur school board members are taking a closer look at students attending city schools who don't actually live in the school district.

At Tuesday's board meeting, member Lewis Jones said it's time to revisit the age-old issue of students illegally attending Decatur's sought-after schools, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He said he wants the board to address the issue at its next meeting in July.

In October, under the former City Schools of Decatur superintendent, the board approved a full-time staff position to monitor out-of-district students attending schools in the system.

At the time, the system was investigating about 120-160 cases per year, with about 30 students ultimately being asked to leave.

The feeling among staff members was that there likely are many more illegally enrolled students, but that they didn't have the resources to pursue all the cases.

In March, new Superintendent David Dude declined to create the new position and discussion of the issue dried up.

"I’m a data-driven guy and I need a better understanding of the scope of the problem," Dude said Tuesday. "I know the perception, but I need to understand what kind of dollars [the system loses with illegal enrollment]. It’s a complicated problem and we need to figure out our options about what we can legally do to prove and enforce a case."

To read the original AJC report, click here.