School District Demanding to Enter My Home!!!

Dear ATS Friends-

My School District is demanding that I allow them into my home to verify that my children do indeed live in my residence!!! For the past week, I have awoken to loud knocking at my door. The first time I answered, and they asked if my children were at home. I told them 'no' and shut the door. The second time I refused to answer the door.

Because I refuse to accomodate the school district by allowing them into my home, my son is not allowed to set foot on the school grounds, and is missing football practice. A home visit consists of school representatives going through the refrigerator to determine if there are foods appropriate to teens (we eat healthy so there would be very little junk food), and they believe it is their right to examine closets and drawers to ensure items belong to my child!!!!!!

I called the school district and told them that they have every right to conduct surveillance on my home to determine who lives here, from the street. I told them that if they continue to pound on my door every morning, that I would not answer, and that I would be calling the Sheriff to remove them from my property. I also told them that I would file harassment and trespassing charges. The school administrator told me the Sheriff would do no such thing.

I REFUSE to allow anyone into my home that I am uncomfortable with. In addition, I informed the school district that without a search warrant they would not be entering my home.

They didn't show up today. However, although I have provided a lease, electric bills and insurance bills per their policy, they are REFUSING to allow my son to participate in football practice. This is hurting his placement on the team, but I will not be bullied into opening up the one place I consider my sanctuary.

Anyone know what my rights are???/ This all happened because I took one school's star football player to another district due to a move. Thank you for any advice. I am lit!

[edit on 17-8-2010 by lostviking]

Why aren't they busy teaching instead of harassing - and then they punish your son. I don't blame you one bit for not answering your door - you are entitled to your privacy.

reply to post by lostviking


So which school is harassing you? The one you took the player from or to? I would think you could get the recipient school on your side and let them fight it out. Also, call the football coach. They typically have pull, and as long as you have satisfied the written requirements to prove residency, then they have no leg to stand on.

$100 will get you a good attorney letter. That should stop them in their tracks.

If this is true, it's also absurd and angering. There is no way I would allow them in my home. In fact, your better off that your child isn't in their indoctrination program anyway. I know, I know, easier said than done, but still...

I have heard some pretty absurd things being done by the government but this is right up there with a few others. Is this now what they are doing with our children? Dear god! As the other poster said, they should be worrying about teaching the kids academics, instead of your living situation.

To think, people actually still believe we are free.

--airspoon

[edit on 18-8-2010 by airspoon]

Well, you certainly have a valid civil case on your hands, not to mention a legal harrassment case.

The circumstances are odd. Not sure what part of the world you are in, but the visit you are describing is similar to a CPS visit. I have some experience with that. When my daughter was in elementary the principal would continuously call CPS on us for reasons varying from "They are not Christian" to "their daughter's hair is not brushed". It was surreal. Eventually the woman was fired, but in the worst of it, we wrote down descriptions of EVERYTHING that was happening just for reference in case letter writing was needed.

In any case, document everything and call a lawyer for a free consult.

reply to post by lostviking

The feds are moving very fast to change everything they can, and have government employees intruding on Private Property while they can do so more smoothly. The alarms are going off! We have to unite under our States to fight this! This is not our America! We need to mobilize the citizenry.

I would read up on what the requirements are to prove the child does live in the residence. Research is your best friend. Read the local school policy as well as the districts policy.

More than likely they are going beyond what they are allowed realizing that most folks wouldn't put up such a fight.

Good luck.

BTW, a few years ago, the local school here threatened a friend of mine that they would go to her house to verify residence. They never did but just them making a threat is enough of a concern.



[edit on 17-8-2010 by jam321]

Originally posted by airspoon


Is this now what they are doing with our children? Dear god! As the other poster said, they should be worrying about teaching the kids academics, instead of your living situation.

To think, people actually still believe we are free.

--airspoon

Are they really teaching "academics"? Seems to me it's more like teaching indoctrination.

And by the way, don't your children become "wards of the state" when you register their birth?

Maybe that's why they have the right to check your fridge and see what you are feeding them. Too much junk food? Maybe they will have to take the kids away and institutionalize them eventually. Maybe that will be the next step.

This is truly absurd I never heard of a school doing this. Be careful they may send CPS instead next time. I don't know though why the recieving school of a star football player would treat you like that unless they have reason to be suspicious, like their team is better than the team he came from and maybe there are recruiters scouting their team, other than that this is very unorthadox. But yet they will let frikking illegals who cannot possibly have legal residency in their school distict come to our schools and suck the funds out of our children's futures WTF???

Personally, I'd casually stand there with a shotgun and say "Sure. Come on in." In a very non threatening way.

That should get them to leave, and they have no ground to stand on if they chose not to search when you allowed them to.

Keep it up and they're going to get pretty suspicious...

Like maybe they're onto something...

as though it's their job...

Don't just post about it here, make a big stink about it and get other people questioning the school's motives in real life.

Read very carefully the registration form/s you signed as a parent. This/these registration forms, presumably with your signature on them, function as a contract. If, in that contract/registration form, you authorized an investigation of residency that includes allowing a school representative into your home, then you have signed a contract waiving any rights you would have to the contrary. It is always prudent to know what you are signing, and most prudent to understand how important your signature is and what that means in terms of contract law.

Just a friendly observation:

If your boy is really a baller, why jeopardize his future over pride? If it would shut up the old school, let the bastards in so this can be put to bed for the good of the kid. Let him get back to the field where he belongs.

Sounds like your new coach doesn't have much stroke or this would never have happened. Whatever happened that caused you to jump districts must have been nasty, but I'm sure you did it for the good of your son. Don't half-a&% it, man, follow thru. Protecting your kids' futures is your most important task as a parent. Everything else, and I mean everything, is secondary.

When he's playing D1 football and pro scouts are all over him, this will be but a small bump in the road.

That is really weird. I agree with finding out what the policies and procedures are for demonstrating residency in the district.

Is there a joint custody arrangement involved? Maybe there have been numerous instances of non-custodial parents moving into the district in order to transfer their children into the school and you are getting caught in the crossfire. It does seem a wee bit invasive.

Try to find out why they feel the need to go to such lengths and do whatever is necessary within the established policies, to demonstrate that your children do, in fact, reside with you. If a home visit is part and parcel of the normal procedure, it may be difficult to get around. If not, hire an attorney.

Have your son answer the door eating a sandwich. Eating in his residence should get them off your back.

Sounds like its time to pull them out of government school and either homeschool or send them to a charter school.

reply to post by lostviking


This is really strange, it shouldn't be legal. The school district should not be legally allowed into your home to search. Keep to your guns and ask a lawyer for advice and to write a letter.

Health and welfare might be allowed in, only if there is probable cause.

I have heard of this happening in my County last year. It is not only happening to you, and I believe that they are able to do it legally. You are not giving up your rights, it is still your choice whether to let them in.

Normally, for a school to be compelled to go to these lengths,they must have some very good reason to suspect your child does not really live there.

The problem with this, is that many schools are finding themselves unable to afford the kids attending their school because they are coming in from other districts. They take a big hit financially for this and it all adds up.

I am not defending their actions, but trying to explain why it happens.

I would think they had made previous attempts for getting proof of residency before actually going to your home? That would typically be the last step, it is very extreme and time consuming for them.

Good luck. My son plays fooball and while I would be very irritated by it, I have absolutely nothing to hide so I would just let them in. I wouldn't want to risk his potential career over a mis-understanding.

If I were you next time they come pounding on the door I'd threaten to shoot them as they are clearly violating your privacy and by doing so they are trying to invade your home. Say to them through the door," keep pounding and I'll assume that you are trying to gain unlawful access and that may result in a firearm being discharged in self defense, any questions?".
And leave it at that.

reply to post by DataWraith


Yeah right. Then those inspectors contact the appropriate group and the kids are taken away because they are living with a dangerous person who makes gun threats.