Asking for a discrimination lawsuit

[Kheldarson]

A school district in California decided that one of their students couldn't possibly belong at the school she was in, so hired a PI to find out for certain.

The student's mother works as a live-in nanny within the school district, but maintains a separate mailing address because of a bad relationship with her ex-husband (she has a restraining order on him). So when the PI came around posing as an auto insurance person and she recognized his name as being the guy she had serve her ex with said restraining order, she of course gave the other address.

The school took that as proof of their not living there and said her daughter had a week to change schools.


Thanks to public pressure though, they've changed their minds! However, only if the mother's employers become the student's caregivers.

Of course, the mother and student are Latina, the employer and her husband are white, and it's a predominantly white area. It should also be noted that the school, in the course of their fact finding, never spoke directly to the mother or her employer.

Yeah. They're totally not discriminating here.

[s_stabeler]

actually, it's not discrimination, but a legitimate issue with the situation. check here - it's NOT the school demanding the mother give up legal custody of her child. ALL it means is that if the employer picks up the phone when the parents call, the school can talk to them if the parents are unavailable. THAT IS ALL. Basically, the affidavit needs to be filled out if a kid is living in someone else's home- and, since the live-in nanny does not own or rent the home, it doesn't legally count as hers- regardless of race.

I won't say that race wasn't a factor in why they investigated- the article doesn't say. But the demand for the form IS within the school's rights.

[Andara Bledin]

Actually, I'm pretty sure that residence as part of employment is considered a form of rental agreement.

They might not have a standard rental agreement, but that address is their legal residence, and there should be no requirement beyond the employer verifying that both mother and child reside full time in the house.

The employers should have no obligation or requirement to become the child's caregivers. They're not caring for the child in any manner, and the mother lives full time at the residence.

Fun fact, there is a clause in the California school code (primarily for resident aliens) that allows for a school district to accept a child if one parent merely works within the district limits. Of course, that doesn't actually do anything to stop them from kicking such a child out... >_>

[s_stabeler]

maybe- and I personally agree the school was overzealous. However, my point was that I doubt race factored into it.

Basically, what I'm suggesting is that the school are treating it as if the mailing address- which is what the PI reported as the actual address of the mother, so the school WERE trying to check the mother lived there full-time- was the actual address of the mother- which WOULD require the affidavit. Should it be required? No. Is the school being racist? I doubt it.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Except for this simple question, stabler;

What made them believe that the child "couldn't possibly belong in their school" in the first place?

What triggered the school hiring the PI in the FIRST PLACE?

Me? I'm thinking it's because of her race.

[s_stabeler]

and again, I never said race couldn't be a factor in why they investigated- JUST that them requiring the caregiver form- which is what Keldarson appeared to be suggesting was the racist part- wasn't racist. Note that THE MOTHER HERSELF TOLD the investigator- fearing the investigator was operating on behalf of an ex- she lived outside the district. Quite frankly, the evidence the school had indeed does make it look like the kid was at the wrong school- WE know the situation- but the school DIDN'T.

However, I honestly doubt it- or at least, I don't think it was racism on the school's part. For all we know, considering that the mother and daughter spent significant time at her grandmother's house, a parent might have seen them there, thought the kid actually lived outside the area, then complained. School investigates, and complaint seems valid they move to kick the kid out.