Can I send kids to grandparent’s school district?

Submitted by RisingMillennials t3_zzmp7k in RhodeIsland

It is no secret that public schools in Providence are awful. Even the mayor said he wouldn’t send his kids to a Providence public school. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury to move to another city for better schools because real estate prices are still insane. My question is whether my children can attend the school district where my parents live since they also provide daycare and the state decided to close the schools my kids attend. Our options are probably other schools that are worse off. Please HELP!!!! What can I do? What do I need to send my kids to a relative’s school district.

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MonicaPVD t1_j2d953s wrote

Of course you can. Lots of people do. You just have to lie and say they live there, and teach your kids to lie about where they live when asked. The real question is, what's your appetite for doing that?

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AdmirablePiccolo t1_j2dxu2e wrote

There is nothing morally wrong with lying to governments and corporations.

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MonicaPVD t1_j2dyj13 wrote

I don't disagree but there's something profoundly bad about teaching your kids to lie about anything. To anyone.

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[deleted] t1_j2eguq8 wrote

I agree to a fair extent. I think it’s acceptable to lie if someone is trying to glean information that isn’t their business. I don’t know how I feel about the school district thing. It’s a tricky one

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AdmirablePiccolo t1_j2dyok9 wrote

If you're not teaching your kids to lie to cops you're giving them really bad life advice.

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Yak54RC t1_j2efvch wrote

You don’t have to lie to cops you just have to shut your mouth which is different

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ACs_Grandma t1_j2clydn wrote

The children need to legally live in the school district in order to attend there OR you can pay to send them to private schools.

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RisingMillennials OP t1_j2cmgi5 wrote

That doesn’t make sense. A child’s educational opportunities should not be limited to the zip code where they live, especially when the children live half the time with their grandparents. I believe this is state law. Additionally, when Providence gave control to the state to improve schools, failed miserably and displaced countless children, I believe families have the choice to send their kids to other districts. If it is a matter of taxes, the state should see who is moving and provide adequate reimbursements from property taxes paid to be reimbursed to respective towns for kids not living in the district. This whole thing is a mess.

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missiemiss t1_j2dgg7r wrote

Sorry it doesn’t work that way. You live where you live and your kids go to those schools. Otherwise everyone would live where it’s cheap and bus there kids to the “nice” schools. Sorry Barrington and East Greenwich don’t want that.

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Gsquzared t1_j2dke1x wrote

It's almost like school funding shouldn't be tied to property taxes.

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[deleted] t1_j2eh4v8 wrote

“ A child’s educational opportunities should not be limited to the zip code where they live”

But it do, unfortunately. Thank the AFT they have a hand in this

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strugglebus984 t1_j2d8sfv wrote

I previously lived in a city in another state with a school district that was highly coveted. People did all kinds of things to enroll their kids in said school system. A co-worker rented a small apartment in coveted school district to send their kids to school there. He said it was cheaper than private school tuition. The family used the apartment sometimes as a get away. Extreme and expensive. Another rented a room in a grandparents home who lived in the district. One person went to work for the school in the office because the school allowed employees children to attend if they paid a small amount of tuition. The funny thing was, my kids went to the coveted school district and I didn’t find it that much different. Some teachers were great and some sucked. Some staff were exceptionally kind, and some were rude. I found that the principal makes the most difference in school quality. If the principal is good, the teachers are happy and good teachers want to work at that school. If the principal is mean or incompetent, the good teachers leave quickly.

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beta_vulgaris t1_j2dkdnk wrote

There are plenty of decent delementary schools in Providence. Do some research and request one you are comfortable with. Education is what you make of it. Many kids from PPSD get a strong education & go on to do great things.

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coolducklingcool t1_j2eqril wrote

So just a cautionary note. Of course you can register your child at the grandparents’ address and drive them to school. But if you’re caught, the child will be expelled to their home district and the district could go after you for tuition fees. Now, they rarely waste their resources on the legal side, in my limited experience. (13 years teaching) But being forced to remove the child, even midyear, from a school where they have become settled and established could be traumatic. My district borders a midsize city with overcrowded and underfunded schools. We have many, many students that lie their way into our district. Many are ‘caught’ and removed.

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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_j2fmw16 wrote

Also, based on the school closing comment, the kids are likely younger. Elementary aged kids are going to be terrible at keeping up this kind of charade (and for how many years is this the plan?). I agree it will likely lead to trauma and lost/strained friendships if they get kicked out. Sharing this experience on your end is so helpful.

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liliumsuperstar t1_j2dkeri wrote

Not legally. There are more options for high school; you can "apply" to some other districts that offer certain CTE programs.

Within Providence there are definitely some gems. People like Vartan and RFK. William D'Abate has some amazing teachers and programs. I'm sure there are other good ones I just don't personally know about. There are also lower-cost private/Catholic schools (if that works for you) that are cheaper than moving would be. And the Paul Cuffee lottery.

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RIDroneGuy t1_j2dhnna wrote

Should probably actually talk to a lawyer and NOT Reddit for a question like this.

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Pdmnt t1_j2etfny wrote

Hold up pal, are you saying OP shouldn't rely on internet strangers for their children's education? What are you, crazy?

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talazia t1_j2flr7m wrote

I only know of Johnston, but you have to sign a residency affadavit (notorized) before enrolling. People used to do this quite often and they have been cracking down in recent years.

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Bflorp t1_j2ffbo4 wrote

Teaching your kids to be liars is not a good thing, and will not end well. You also risk having to pay back the value of the schooling and also a significant fine.

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Leftbehind25 t1_j2fw7me wrote

You can, but it’s wrong. The school WILL find out that you’re just using their address.

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Hdale803 t1_j2dc5ds wrote

You need to call registration and request the top 3 best schools. It’s called “school choice” and they will honor that to the best they can. If you need help picking the schools, let me know!

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AwayOpportunity8088 t1_j2f2mfy wrote

Only if they are residents of their address, live with them full time and they are the guardian of the kids.

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PolarisX t1_j2ei6ab wrote

I had a friend who did this when we were in high school. I will say the they end up losing a lot of their day if they really are going "home" at the end of the day.

Most of the time he stayed in town, but he would have gaps where he had to go back and ended up with a commute as a kid and the loss of time. Made him a great driver though...

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Mcleary327 t1_j2eubbx wrote

Check with the school district. Some school having open enrollment. You may just have to have your own transportation. I have known kids that went to schools based on where their baby sitter lives since they would be going to the sitters house after school. Each district has their own rules.

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LEENIEBEENIE93 t1_j2dxptu wrote

Dont get spooked off by all these law abiding citizens. Send your kids to the school district your parents are in. As long as they say that's where they live if ever asked, you're golden.

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RisingMillennials OP t1_j2cn609 wrote

u/ACs_Grandma, I want you to read this very carefully and tell me how else you would interpret the last sentence:

“Rhode Island law states that a child must be enrolled in the school system of the city or town where he or she resides, as determined by the parents’ residency. When the marriage is riven, the residence of the custodial parent takes precedence. There are exceptions for children who move during the school year; they can finish the semester in their old districts. Rising seniors and seniors also can wrap up their last year in their old districts. The law makes provisions for children in the care of a guardian or in the state’s child welfare system, and for children living in homes that straddle two communities.”

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ACs_Grandma t1_j2cntyk wrote

The children don’t live with their grandparents, they are babysitters for before/after school and during parents’ working hours. They don’t have custody or guardianship and their parents don’t live there either based on the OP therefore your comment doesn’t apply. If a child’s parents don’t live together the child attends school where the parent who has 51% or more physical custody resides.

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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_j2cp9zb wrote

My interpretation of the last sentence is that if primary custody is shared between multiple districts (main example: two parents who are separated but share custody could choose the district between the two parents). Care of a guardian here doesn't mean helping with child rearing but the state assigning guardianship (so a sister, aunt, grandmother who is a full time appointed liasion).

You are certainly more than welcome to contact the district that you are hoping to go to and they can tell you whether they are able to enroll. I would strongly caution you against doing this under the table as it could be very disruptive for your kids to have to abruptly unenroll and difficult to explain. It's likely it will come up when your kids get to know friends.

I'm going to assume they are elementary from the school closing comment, but I would say your best course or action would be to complain to the district about this disruption in school closure to see if they can get you into your top choice (this is often Vartan if you need a suggestion). And while you're at it please remind the district how poor of an idea that is. I am sorry that your kids school is closing.

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