District says residency checks removed nearly half of targeted out-of-district enrollments this year

CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. — Catoosa County Public Schools officials told staff they have expanded residency verification and enforcement, reporting that 86 residency checks produced 49 student withdrawals this school year when students could not be shown to live in the county.

The superintendent described a recently hired part-time student services officer, Jeff Rhodes, whose role is to follow up on residency questions and conduct observations when necessary. “If he gets residency checks, there's somebody by your administrators and he goes out. We don't do stare drafts, we do observations,” the superintendent said.

District staff said the most common evidence of out-of-county enrollment includes undeliverable mail, visible out-of-county vehicle tags and statements by students themselves. Officials said they also perform observations at varied times, sometimes early morning or evening, to confirm residence.

The superintendent said the district received 86 residency-check referrals; of those, 49 students were withdrawn after verification found they did not reside in the county. The district described the process as a response to community concerns about shifts of enrollment and noted it will continue follow-up efforts.

Officials cautioned that referrals do not always produce clear results because some mailed notices are not returned and some investigations are inconclusive. School leaders encouraged staff and families to use established channels to report residency questions and said the district will pursue enforcement where appropriate.

The district did not release identities or locations of the students involved for privacy reasons.