Parents who feel constrained by rigid school boundaries and compelled to send their children to underperforming schools have formed secret networks to bypass what they perceive as “unfair” local regulations, steering their kids toward better educational opportunities.
This trend is significant due to its potential to perpetuate racial and economic segregation, experts emphasize, with these parents asserting that they are simply maneuvering around unjust laws that contribute to inequality.
The broader context includes the recent 70th anniversary of the pivotal Brown v. Board of Education decision, which aimed to eradicate racial segregation in schools. However, two recent reports from nonpartisan advocacy groups—Available to All and yes. every kid.—highlight how stringent school boundaries continue to reinforce segregation.
These reports advocate for the abolition of most neighborhood school boundaries and propose laws that safeguard families seeking alternative enrollment options.
Zooming in on the ground level, parent activist Kelley Williams-Bolar tells Axios that parents in states with strict school boundaries are collaborating, sharing resources like carpooling arrangements, bus schedules, and legal insights.
Williams-Bolar, among others, predominantly from Black, Native American, or Latino communities, unite efforts to evade penalties or legal repercussions for trying to enroll their children in nearby high-performing schools outside their designated zones.
“It’s an Underground Railroad to Public Education,” Williams-Bolar notes. “I think parents just want the best for their kids, and nobody should be criminalized for it.”
A notable case is that of Williams-Bolar, who faced legal consequences in 2011 for enrolling her daughters in an Ohio school using her father’s address. Despite dividing her time between two residences, she was labeled a felon, affecting her professional prospects until then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich commuted her charges to misdemeanors.
Notably, the extent of participation in this “Underground Railroad to Public Education” remains unclear, with legal frameworks varying by state. In New Mexico, for instance, Navajo parents coordinate to access better schools, arranging for buses to transport students to schools located over an hour away.
The system operates within the context of school districts delineating boundaries based on residential addresses, a practice observed across all states and the District of Columbia.
Tim DeRoche of Available to All raises concerns about districts employing private investigators to monitor parents’ compliance with school boundaries, with instances of homeless parents facing penalties if they park their cars outside their assigned zones.
On the other side, districts argue that boundaries are essential to maintain order and prevent misuse of taxpayer-funded services. However, critics like Halli Faulkner from yes. every kid argue that these boundaries often mirror historic racial segregation patterns from the 1930s and 1940s.
Ongoing legislative efforts in states like South Carolina and North Carolina highlight debates over open enrollment policies, while legal challenges, such as the NAACP and the Latino Action Network’s lawsuit in New Jersey, underscore broader concerns about residential school assignments.