Mom Behind Bars for Trying to Give Kids a Decent Education

A couple kids in my high school did this. They were the most devoted to learning and I would've rather had them in my class than the kids who lived in the school district who often didn't care about their education because they figured daddy would get them through somehow.

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Please look into this case a bit more before praising Kelly Williams-Bolar. I agree that everyone should have a chance at a fair and decent education. She actually lives in a district that has open enrollment, so she could have chosen to send her children to a different school legally. While I think the punishment is too harsh, she was not exactly innocent in this. Also, what is she teaching her own children? To lie to get around the system?

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mlrw70, just because there is open enrollment does not mean her kids are able to go to another school. Too often a preferred school fills up and they are added to a waiting list that never seems to get to their name. I think she taught her kids that a good education is important and that she was willing to go to any length to be sure her children had a better foundation for a good and productive life. As much as I hate the idea, I am becoming more intrigued by the idea of school vouchers for everyone. If we can't all get an equally good quality education from a public school then we need reasonable alternatives. And not just kids from the "bad" schools or those with documented disabilities. Middle class neighborhood schools are dropping off in quality as well.

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Do they not know many parents do this to give their kids a better education. I have done it after we bought a house in an area because of the schools then to make it fair they decided to make new boundaries and wanted my kids to go to a school in the middle of the projects. So I did what any mother would do, I used a friends address. If the teachers were better in all schools we would not have this problem. We need to bring back morals and ethics into the classroom. We need to bring back discipline. We need to be able to demand better schools and get rid of the bad schools and teachers. My heart goes out to her but I am glad she made a stand, hopefully someone will listen.

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The punishment is too harsh but cheating to get around the school district rules and regulations is not ok. There are lots of parents who would like to do this but don't - if we condone her behavior we're telling those people they're suckers for sticking to the law.

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Go here for the whole story. "Letters from the Editor" edesposito.blogspot

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There is no substitute for a mothers love. I look at this as similar to stealing bread to feed your starving kids. In a culture that forces mothers to work and pays only lip service to the value of education, how hypocritical it is for a judge to make a felon of a mother trying to save her children from a system designed to punish them for being poor, and to deny her the right to finish her education and transmit that love and devotion she feels to her own children to other children

How much better would it be to devote the energy spent on gun rights and choice issues to defending every child's right to a fair chance in life.

Much of the rage we see against government is occasioned by these instances of blind justice.

The law may be the law but laws are designed to protect and serve, not arbitrarily and harshly punish the less fortunate. Let them eat cake.

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I dunno, this is a pretty fine line. I can understand her wanting to give her children the best, but rules and laws are in place for a reason too. While I don't see why this should have ruined her teaching career though.

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The grandfather lived in the school district with the better school. He paid taxes to support the school, so I see nothing wrong with his grandchildren going to that school. The mother of the two girls paid taxes in her school district, although they had no expense because the girls were not attending there. I think an injustice was done here, and just illustrates the wealthier people discriminating against those who have less and blocking the key to moving up--a good education. I think as long as the family provides the transportation, anyone should be able to attend the school of their choice with preference going to those in district. And the mother should not be barred from being a teacher. Community service should have been the maximum punishment, although most people do not think she did anything wrong. The school district did get their tuition paid by the grandfather.

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Unfortunately sometimes kids that are snuck in from another district, somehow bring the bad behavior from their prior school. They start creating the same problems that they had at their old school. That is probably why they chose to look to see where these kids were actually living.

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These kids must not play sports. Schools are okay with and even assist with this kind of deception, if the kid is a sport superstar and regardless of their real address.

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I think that the justice system is screwed up. Here you have a lady who wants her children to have a better education. There are numerous parents who will go great lengths to want their child/children to have a better education. School system now are not what they use to be. There are certain schools that are in the urban areas do not focus more on educating the students but instead just there to get a PAYCHECK. She and her father pay taxes so there shouldn't be a problem to enroll the kids. It's plain to see that she wanted nothing but the best for her kids and like always, the justice system always find ways to screw over minorities. So disappointed with our justice system.

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This is exactly why we need vouchers. The school system failed her and her kids, she sought a way to do better for them, and she used her father's house to allow her kids to go to a better school. Keep in mind, this horrible felon's dad pays property taxes to support his local school district, and presumably has no kids going to school there. The school has no problem taking his money under force of law, but provide him some benefit (or his daughter, or his grandkids) and someone's getting arrested?

The entire education system is hosed, this is just a fringe issue. But I reiterate my original point, the school system failed them.

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What other outcome do you expect? She's Black and the system is always harsher for Blacks than Whites. No way this would have happened if she was White. White people do this kind of stuff all the time and I'm wondering how many of them have felonies as a result. A misdemeanor, yes; a felony, no!

Now her children will receive an inferior education. She cannot become a teacher and future employment for her will be extremely difficult if not impossible. She may not even be able to vote as a result of this.

Somebody ought to parson her because she doesn't deserve this.

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You know there is one solution to this. If some one could ask that Judge or the politicians of that state, whether they would like to live in "Kelley Williams-Bolar" residential district? If there answer is "NO" then Kelley deserves better treatment.

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I think it's horrible that prejudice still exist in today's society.The issue you is that we (African Americans)have struggled for years to give our kids an awesome education ,and Carcasians have an issue with it.Why?Because knowledge is power,and education is the key to success.And just like they want their kids to get an awesome education guess what we want the same.So whatever it takes for them to get it guess what SO BE IT.The education system is rigged anyway, Oh but it's ok because God is on our side and with him on our side we can not and we will not lose.God showed us with our first African American President and the best is yet to come.Those that was first will be last and those that was last will be first.But Mom I am going to keep you in my prayers so that everything will work out for your little one's.And the Judge who threatened you with your teaching degree won't happen either.Holla.....

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Your article is crass and sensationalist at best. You reported little of the real facts involved in the story at all. This case went on for awhile before it ever made it before a judge. Ohio does have issues with school funding, it's common knowledge, and should be addressed sooner than later. So there are educational discrepencies in various districts. However, there are so many ways that this problem could have been addressed legally. We have Virtual Public Schools, Open Enrollment and fairly moderate homeschooling laws. She could have actually had her kids live with their grandfather. She could have done so many things and she chose not to. The idea that any district is more secure or safer than another is a complete myth. How many of the campus shootings here in the US are actually in middle class districts? And I hate to tell you there are drugs and violence in even the most suburban and rural districts. The key is to teach your children how to stay away from those influences, when to get help, and when someone else poses a threat to their well being.

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