Louisville, KY (WDRB) -- Oldham County Public Schools aren't the only ones going after parents who fake their addresses so their child can go to a different school. In this WDRB follow up, we find other school districts are finding parents doing the same thing.
JCPS is looking at hundreds of cases of people faking their addresses. Bullitt County Public Schools has also seen an increase.
In Oldham District Court, the judge said, "Ms. Grigsby, my understanding is you are here for charge of theft by deception. It does carry a potential penalty of up to five years in prison."
Dawne Grigsby, with her mother who lives in Oldham County, made her first court appearance, charged with two counts of theft by deception. Oldham County Public Schools says she illegally enrolled her two children in Oldham Middle and Buckner Alternative High Schools. Court records say the kids live with their father in Henry County.
Oldham County has investigated nearly 50 cases so far of fake addresses, charging seven people, including Charles Lauron of Lyndon and John Buehner of Louisville.
Barbara Ayers, the Director of Pupil Personnel for JCPS says news about the Oldham County cases has resulted in an increase in people reporting fake addresses within Jefferson County. She says, "That it might be that they perceive Oldham County as a better school system. I would put JCPS up against any school system. They need to give us a chance."
Since the beginning of the year, JCPS and its 25 investigators have looked at more than 500 potential cases of parents faking addresses, so their child can get into another JCPS school.
The district says its investigation found from mid-September to mid-November, 52 were fake addresses, with four cases found at Ballard High School, four at Fern Creek High School, and four at Hazelwood Elementary. The rest are at various JCPS schools. The district says it has not had to charge any parents yet.
Ayers says, "In most cases, once we've made that face to face, leave it on the door visit, something happens." She says parents end up putting their child in the school they're supposed to attend.
Bullitt County Public Schools says so far this school year, it has found 19 students many from Jefferson County who were enrolled illegally in Bullitt County. No charges were filed against those parents either, because the students have now left Bullitt County to enroll in their home districts.
JCPS also had cases of parents bringing their kids to its schools from southern Indiana, and Oldham and Bullitt counties. Ayers says, "The message would be we have an assignment plan and we have to follow the rules."
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