School District Removes Four Students After Residency Investigation

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District will start publicly reporting the status of student residency investigations.

Director for Student Services Thomas Beese announced during the Board of Education meeting Thursday night that a total of 22 students were investigated between November and January. It was determined that four students did not belong in the district and were withdrawn; 10 were confirmed to belong; and eight others are still under investigation.

Beese told Patch that the district has been conducting these investigations for some time, but has decided to now start reporting it publicly each quarter to let the public know that it's actively working to make sure everyone who attends SP-F schools belongs there. Thursday night's report was Beese's first under the new rule.

"This is something we're going to start doing to address community concerns," he said. "The public has perceived this as a problem, and we want to raise awareness that we're looking into it."

Beese said that the students in question come to the district's attention through a variety of sources, but that he is not looking into any anonymous notes on the matter. He said he could not go into the age or grade level of the students who were recently withdrawn.

How students are investigated is fairly traditional.

"We have investigators who are actually going out there, with pictures, making visits," Beese said.

The issue of residency is one that comes up regularly for the district, as parents sometimes raise concerns about whether certain students actually live in Scotch Plains or Fanwood.

Superintendent Dr. Margaret Hayes told Patch in September that while the district doesn't require parents to re-enroll and prove residency each year, the district closely monitors students' residency situations and addresses instances when the child is found not to belong in the district.

"We take this very seriously," Hayes said. "But sometimes parents don't know the reason why a child has been allowed to stay, and we can't discuss that because it's a confidentiality issue."

Hayes said those who question a student's residency status often don't know the complete story behind the child's living situation. Some are living with grandparents, while others may have been placed in the care of a guardian.

Hayes said parents who want to submit individual names of students who they feel don't belong in Scotch Plains-Fanwood schools are welcome to do so. She maintains that when parents do present them with specific names, they fully investigate each case.