District 208 is considering requiring the parents or guardians of all students to present substantial proof of residency before their children are enrolled at Riverside-Brookfield High School, in an effort to better limit students who live outside the District 208 boundaries from attending the school.
Parents of students at every grade level will be required to register their children under the proposed plan outlined by Assistant Principal John Passarella at the District 208 school board meeting on Dec. 13. Board members are expected to vote on the new registration proposal at their Jan. 17 meeting.
Parents would be required to show either their mortgage papers or their lease to prove residency within district boundaries. Parents would also have to provide three other indicators of residency, which could include documents such as a utility bill, phone bill, bank statement, homeowners’ or rental insurance, auto insurance or a credit card statement.
Proof of custody would also be required. All parents or guardians would have to provide the student’s original birth certificate, their social security number, and a parent or guardian’s driver’s license or state ID. If the student does not live with both parents, the custodial parent or guardian would have to bring legal custody papers signed by a judge or court papers proving permanent guardianship.
“This is going to ruffle some feathers, no doubt,” said Passarella.
Currently incoming freshmen from RB’s feeder schools, Hauser Junior High School in Riverside, S.E. Gross Middle School in Brookfield, and Komarek School in North Riverside are presumed to be district residents.
A major difference under the proposed plan is that older students will not be able to register their younger siblings. Parents will be required to appear in person.
According to Passarella, the toughened requirements are necessary because the district is currently spending a lot of time investigating students who may not live in the district.
This year alone, eight students have been forced to leave RB after investigation by Passarella and his staff determined that they did not live within the district. About 30 cases have been investigated this year.
It is a part of his job that Passarella says he does not enjoy.
“It’s a sick feeling,” said Passarella. “It puts a knot in your stomach. You can’t avoid it. It’s part of my job.”
RB is aggressive investigating all students who may not live within the district, and looks into all tips and rumors. Passarella and a staff member that Passarella did not wish to identify make unannounced weekend visits to homes where students say they live. They knock on doors and ask to see the student’s room. They even videotape comings and goings of students.
Because it costs RB between $12,000 and $13,000 a year to educate a student, Passarella told the board that it is necessary to be sure that the district educates only those students who truly reside in the district.
Some schools will offer the option, almost never utilized, for out-of-district students to pay the per-child cost of education to attend a public school, but that is not an option at RB, according to Passarella.
The proposed registration requirements may be a bother, but they are necessary according to Passarella.
“It’s going to send a clear message to our taxpayers that we’re going to be fiscally responsible,” said Passarella.