In my experience, in Baltimore City every time you change schools (for example moving from an elementary school to a middle school) you are required to show two documents to prove your address (a BGE bill and a check with an address on it for example). The exception is when the school is city-wide and you are transfering from another city school. When registering for charter school lotteries you also have to prove residence, but in that case it's a matter of in the city or not, as opposed to a specific zone.

It doesn't seem like that big of a pain to me, as opposed to the amount of paperwork required for IEP's and the like.

Do any other school systems that surround another district with less than ideal effectiveness require this kind of documentation for students already in the school system?

Of course! I'm certain it happens regularly all over the country and even in other counties here.

30+ years ago this was an issue and it remains the same basic issue that it always has been. I knew at least 10 city kids who did it way back when and most would have been caught by this mechanism.

Gee, I wonder what other tax supported services could be blocked with a little initiative.

As regards the individual student the irony is that the family willing to make this extra effort is also likely to otherwise support the child to greater academic achievement.

Think of it as a voucher program on the sly. Take the kids lucky enough to have involved and invested parents out of their neighborhood school and everyone else left in that building suffers from that loss.

Great topic! Here in Montgomery County students can wait up to two years to enroll in school! After two years MCPS is finally "convinced" that the child really lives here!
Sounds incredible? But it just happened to one American citizen teenager living in Montgomery County with his court-appointed guardian. It was only a phone call from the Governor's office that opened the door for him to finally enroll and attend school. Of course, now he is two years behind in his education.

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2009/06/breaking-news-mcps-relents-student-wins.html

Word is that MCPS routinely boots kids out of school and that this was not an isolated incident. In fact, even our Guardianship Orders in Montgomery County take AWAY the right of the guardian to enroll their ward in school. Montgomery County judges turn over enrollment decisions to the Superintendent. And if the Superintendent doesn't think you need to live with your legal guardian, no school for you!

Hopefully this documentation policy has improved things. When I worked in the school system in Baltimore County, any school near the city/county line had students who were supposed to be in Baltimore city but had bogus documentation to get into a county school. If you drove by the local municipal bus stop after school you could see throngs of children waiting for the MTA bus to take them home. If they were truly county residents they would not have needed the bus.

I get the money thing but wouldn't it be nice if all kids were Maryland's kids and could go to those schools you would like your kids to go. I started and ran a program that allowed city kids to go to county schools and no one suffered. I think most people working in education,except teachers, and most people in general have no idea what city kids tolerate in their schools that no county parent would tolerate. WE are talking about children! Alitle compassion and empathy, please. And if you live(as I do) in a nice suburb, please visit a city school for your own education! Then ask yourself what you can do to improve education for all children! If you are not willing to do anything, don't complain. And yes, we all pay taxes. Do more!!!!!!

Wise Educator, you speak the truth.

In Calvert County Public schools we only verify students once in their entire academic career. Due to this policy people are searching out the schools with the top test scores and falsifying addresses to attend the school of their choice. No photo ID required only a deed or rental agreement. Another way people cheat the system is by using daycare addresses. The school system lets you use a daycare address to attend the school boundary the daycare is in AND other schools the school system has approved outside the boundary where the daycare resides. The school system even provides free tax payer bus service to the daycare children so they can attend multiple schools. Daycare children are also permitted to stay in their out of boundary school their entire career along with siblings even after daycare is needed. To make matters worse any school system employee can choose any school they like in the County for their children and get tax payer bus service. I am all for letting in employees take kids to their place employment but ANY school in the County. Its a mess down here in Calvert County. I am all for rigid verification. My child is in a Trailer classroom and 120 daycare children are in our school. Makes me angry.

So true what Wayne said about Calvert County. No wonder Calvert County has to redistrict every other year to "balance" school enrollments. What ends up happening is schools are not balanced because of those who work the system (Don't believe me? Check out the Barstow Elem redistricting that failed big time in 2008-09) People who "work" the system use loop holes (mainly daycare or saying "Grandma" watching my kid once a week after school therefore I need my choice school) and others those who "forget" to tell the school system that they moved from one school zone to another. I am 100% for yearly check of rigid verification. Not sure if you are? Trust me you will be if you were kicked out of a school while those who lie and cheat the system get to stay even though they live one or two school zones over. Rigid verification protects the rights of honest families!