School Districts Hire Investigators To Track Students' Residency

March 20, 2006
AP Newswire

School districts say they are paying more attention to making sure students live where they claim -- sometimes even hiring private investigators to verify names and addresses.
Illegal enrollment is a problem for district officials, who say students who attend their schools without living in the district cost them money. Officials say the number of students attending their schools illegally is growing.

Peter Riddle is a private investigator who tracked residency at Reynoldsburg schools in suburban Columbus for seven years. He says parents who cheat are trying to avoid schools with low test scores, unsafe environments or even pay-to-participate extracurricular programs.