Saturday, February 05, 2011
Kelly Williams-Bolar
Kelly Williams-Bolar has gained national fame for simply trying to put her daughters into safer schools.
The 40-year-old single mother was convicted in an Ohio court of tampering with records to falsely claim her family lived in the Copley-Fairlawn school district. Her effort to enroll her daughters there, instead of remaining in Akron’s public schools, occurred in 2006, but she wasn’t indicted for her crime until November 2009—17 months after her children left Copley-Fairlawn schools.
Williams-Bolar was convicted of two felony counts of tampering with records and sentenced to five years in prison. She gave her daughters’ address as that of her own father, who did live in the Copley-Fairlawn district. A judge reduced her sentence to 10 days, and she was let out of jail after the ninth.
But her conviction threatens to tarnish her chances of working in special education.
The Ohio Justice and Policy Center has agreed to represent Williams-Bolar in her appeal.
Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich has ordered his legal staff to review her case, giving supporters hope that she will be pardoned. Kasich said the conviction “doesn’t make any sense.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Center to File Mother's Appeal (by Ed Meyer and Colette Jenkins, Akron Beacon Journal)
Gov. Kasich Orders Review of Copley School Residency Case (by John Higgins, Akron Beacon Journal)
Kelley Williams-Bolar Leaves Jail But Public Outcry Escalates (by Ed Meyer and Carol Biliczky, Akron Beacon Journal)
The Case of Kelley Williams-Bolar (Akron Beacon Journal)
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