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Parents of students currently enrolled in
a Coweta County school have until December 18, 2007 to submit a
new affidavit of residence for the 2007-08 school year, in order
to keep their students enrolled in the school system for the
second semester.
All schools will accept updated proofs of residency and
affidavits during regular hours through that date. Many schools
are staying open during later hours or at special times to help
accommodate parents (parents should contact their child’s school
for those hours).
The Coweta County Board of Education office at 237 Jackson
Street in Newnan will also stay open until 7 p.m. on Tuesday,
December 18, to help parents file affidavits of residency before
the end of the first semester.
By the requirement of a federal court, all parents must submit
affidavits of residency for currently enrolled Coweta County
students before the end of the current school semester on
December 18. This is the second year of the federal court
requirement, which applies to all currently enrolled students.
Parents can submit those affidavits and have them notarized at
their child’s school or at the Jackson Street Board of Education
office.
Parents who have any questions concerning the affidavit process
are urged to call their child’s school or the Board of Education
office.
Parents who require two-party residency affidavits (because they
do not own or lease the home in which they live) must do so at
the 237 Jackson Street office in order to meet the requirements
at their child’s school.
Students who have not had affidavits completed by December 18
will be disenrolled from their school. The parents or guardians
of any disenrolled student must meet the residency requirements
to reenroll for the second semester, which begins on January 3,
2008. Starting January 3, students cannot attend school until
affidavit and proof of residency requirements have been met.
To avoid that inconvenience, the school system is urging parents
to provide the affidavits to each of their children’s schools
before the beginning of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The affidavits are being required by the United States
Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, to meet the terms
of a federal court Consent Decree entered into on November 9,
2006.
Under the 2006 agreement, 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. A notarized Affidavit of Residence, AND
2. Two items from the following list for address verification:
a. property tax records which indicate the location of the
residence;
b. mortgage documents or a security deed which indicates the
location of the residence;
c. an apartment or home lease or rent receipt indicating the
current address;
d. a current utility bill for electricity or utility application
for electricity showing the current address;
e. a voter precinct identification card or other voter
documentation indicating the current address.
Every school provides Notary Public service free of charge to
help parents fulfill the requirement.
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 a two-party Affidavit of
Residence and provided the school district with address
verification at the Jackson Street Central Office earlier in the
2007-08 school year. No other documentation is needed at this
time from these persons.
This is the second year that parents must submit the Affidavits
of Residency. The Consent Decree reached last year in federal
court mandates that schools collect the affidavits annually, as
a part of a two-year review of the school system’s compliance
with the terms of the 1973 federal desegregation order.
At the end of the two-year period, if the court finds that all
areas of compliance have been met, then the school system may be
awarded “unitary status,” which would remove Coweta County
Schools from the review of the U.S. Justice Department. The
school system must carefully document school system policies,
school assignment, student transfers, hiring practices,
educational opportunities and other matters (27 items in all)
during this period. |
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