Can you prove where you live? Students in the Clover School District must do that

As more people seek to put their children in Clover schools, the district wants to make sure all the students belong there.

It’s a sentiment district leaders hear: Something needs to be done to ensure people from outside the area aren’t enrolling. So district officials have proposed safeguards ahead of enrollment -- which starts next week -- for next school year.

“We heard concerns about people attending Clover that should not be attending our schools,” said district chief operations and student services officer Mark Hopkins.

The concerns exist because the district’s capacity is limited.

The Clover School District held a bond referendum for new school construction two years ago, which voters didn’t approve. Then they held community meetings on why the bond didn’t pass.

Voters narrowly approved a new, smaller bond last fall that will create the district’s second high school.

Now, the district has a plan to move some Bethany Elementary School students to Larne Elementary School to relieve crowding. That decision brought more public meetings, and similar concerns.

The district works to serve the students who live within its boundaries. Lake Wylie in particular, part of the Clover district, is an area along with Fort Mill that’s driven significant population growth dating back decades.

As of last school year, Clover district enrollment grew more than 34% in a decade.

Superintendent Sheila Quinn summed up what she and the board heard.

“To make sure students who attend Clover School District actually live in Clover School District, (that) needs to be as tight as it can be,” Quinn said.

Proof of residency

On Monday night, Hopkins outlined proposed registration process changes aimed at enrolling only district residents.

“We’re doing everything we can from the administrative side to ensure that we’re serving just the people we’re supposed to,” Hopkins said.

There isn’t a great influx of students — there have been a couple identified this year — who enroll in Clover but live outside district. But it is a consistent issue.

Schools notify families and begin investigations, sometimes home visits. Families are given opportunities to document where the child lives in the district. If they can’t, the student can be removed from the school.

“Very rarely has a year gone by where we haven’t had to do some of that,” Hopkins said.

What happens in similar districts?

Clover leaders looked toward other districts, near and far, for residency options.

The nearest and most likely comparison, Hopkins said, is Fort Mill. Fort Mill and Clover are by many student test score and other measures released this school year among the top performing districts in South Carolina.

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Proof of residency has been an issue addressed by school board and community members in Fort Mill for some time. Joe Burke, information officer for the Fort Mill School District, said all districts collect residency information and in Fort Mill it happens with registration.

The district accepts a deed, certificate of occupancy, closing statement indicating completion, valid rental lease agreement with official signatures, or real estate tax receipts. It doesn’t accept utility bills or vehicle property tax receipts as proof.

“Also during the registration process we ask for out-of-state car tag information, and we follow up with the county to ensure the car tags are then properly registered in the county,” Burke said.

Lindsay Machak, communications director for the Rock Hill School District, said similar residency concerns haven’t arisen there.

“We haven’t had any issues,” Machak said. “We have required proof of residency for many years and our community is very familiar with this process. New families coming into the area also are compliant as I’m sure they’ve expected to have to prove they live here.”

Rock Hill accepts utility bills and lease agreements. There are requirements related to moves within the Rock Hill district, and athletic eligibility for school teams.

New Clover requirements

Hopkins said the Clover district set more rigorous residency proofs for this fall -- items like utility or insurance bills, driver’s licenses and mailings. Hopkins stopped short of saying forgery but did say there are ways around certain documents as proof.

“You can get your name in a utility bill easier than you may think,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins said there will be a tutorial on how to get online public information from York County so families with students living in their primary home within the district can get the documentation they need.

There also are exceptions. S.C. law requires, for instance, districts to serve homeless children.

Then, there’s the issue of renters. New regulations will address both commercial renters, like those in a large apartment complex, and private renters from a single homeowner.

“Those require some different circumstances,” Hopkins said. “Right now, that’s a little easy to get around too.”

New rules would require an original copy of a current lease with the renter and property owner named, a dated rent receipt and secondary proof like a driver’s license or utility bill. All would need the name and address of the renter. For private renter situations, the district also will need a property deed with the owner’s name and address.

Existing rules will continue to apply when a family resides with someone else. A notarized residency verification form is required with at least one other proof of residency.

“That process will not change,” Hopkins said.

Vehicle taxes will no longer be taken as proof of residency for homeowners or families residing with others.

Population, school choice

The Clover district looks to tighten requirements at a time when it’s unclear how long the effort will matter. If state law changes and school choice becomes the rule, the residency issue is all but a moot point, Hopkins said.

Quinn said a bill passed by the state House last month, now on to the state Senate, could be significant. It would allow parents to enroll students in any school if there’s available space.

“It could mean that we have inter-district choice, and intra-district choice,” Quinn said. “We’ll see.”

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The district would have to publish which schools have space, and students from outside Clover’s boundaries could fill it.

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