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The Coweta County School System is requiring
2011-12 Affidavits of Residence from the parents or guardians of
all children enrolled in Coweta County Schools.
The affidavits must be completed and filed with schools by
Wednesday, December 21, 2011, in order for students to remain
enrolled in their school. Letters informing parents and
guardians of the requirement are being sent to all student
households.
An online, printable copy of the 2011-12 affidavit can also be
found at the school system’s website (www.cowetaschools.org) or
can be picked up at any Coweta school. The completed forms must
be notarized, and all schools employ Notaries Public for
parent’s convenience.
The affidavits are a requirement of a Consent Decree entered in
federal court between the Coweta County School System and the
United States Justice Department. The Consent Decree will
provide an opportunity to resolve the 1973 Court Order which
governs the Coweta County School System’s desegregation
attempts. As long as the order is outstanding, Affidavits of
Residence are required of all currently-enrolled students during
every school year.
In fulfillment of the requirements of that court order, all
parents, legal guardians, or other lawful custodians of students
attending the Coweta County School System must sign under oath
and deliver to the school his or her student is attending:
1. An Affidavit of Residence, and
2. Two items from the following list for address verification:
a. property tax records which indicate the location of the
residence;
b. mortgage documents or a security deed which indicates the
location of the residence;
c. apartment or home lease or rent receipt indicating the
current address;
d. current utility bill for electricity or utility application
for electricity showing the current address;
e. voter precinct identification card or other voter
documentation indicating the current address.
Parents are asked to complete the Affidavit of Residence, signed
in the presence of a Notary Public, and submit it with two
pieces of the residency documentation listed above by Wednesday,
December 21, 2011 (before the start of the Christmas and New
Year’s holidays) in order for students to remain enrolled in the
second semester starting January 5, 2012.
Parents, legal guardians, or other lawful custodians who do not
reside in a home that they own or rent may require a two-party
affidavit certifying that they and their enrolled child live at
the address provided. That affidavit must be verified and signed
by both the parent and the person who owns or rent the home.
Those two-party affidavits may be obtained at the school
system’s Central Registration Center at 167 Werz Industrial
Drive in Newnan (770-254-5551).
Some parents, legal guardians, or other lawful custodians who
enrolled a child for the first time in a Coweta County school
this school year (2011-12), had to complete an affidavit with
proof of residency at that time. If so, they do not need to file
a second affidavit for that child or provide other documentation
for this school year.
The Consent Decree was issued in United States District Court
for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, on
November 9, 2006, to pursue resolution of the 1973 Court Order
which governs the system’s desegregation efforts. The issuance
of the decree followed more than a year of discussions and
negotiations with representatives of the United States Justice
Department, Civil Rights Division.
The decree established a “test period” for the school system to
demonstrate that it is complying with all intended aims of the
Consent Order. At the end of the two-year period, if the court
finds that 27 areas of compliance have been met, then the school
system may be awarded “unitary status.”
In 2006, to fully comply with the court order, the Coweta County
Board of Education adopted three new policies incorporating the
language and requirements of the Consent Decree, including
policy JBCCA (Student Assignment to Schools), JBCD (Student
Transfers), and JBCDA (Majority-to-Minority Transfers).
Those policies can be found on the school system’s website at
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Index.aspx?S=4046.
During the period of the
consent decree, the school system must document school
system policies, student assignment to school, student
transfers, hiring practices, educational opportunities and other
matters each year.
Most of the documentation required by the court order is
provided through school system records. In order to document
student districting and school assignment, however, parents have
been required to provide the signed and notarized affidavits of
residency to their school, accompanied by documents offering
proof of district residency.
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