Grandmother, caregiver say student excluded from Webster Groves schools over residency dispute

Two people who identified themselves as family members of a child asked the Webster Groves School District board to reverse an enrollment decision after the district determined the student did not live at the listed address.

An unnamed parent or caregiver described arriving at the meeting to seek help for a daughter they said was removed from school on Sept. 10 because district staff concluded she "does not live in the jurisdiction" at 808 Manitou Drive. The commenter said the family has been told they must present an occupancy permit to enroll the child elsewhere and asked whether there was an alternative besides withdrawing to homeschool.

"Because right now, it's currently that my daughter can't be in school concerning a person saying that I no longer live at this address," the speaker said, adding the family had been told they must find another school and provide an occupancy permit to do so.

Joan Mann, who identified her address as 808 Manitou Drive and said she is the child’s great-grandmother, said she supplied the district with documentation showing the child had been living with her but that district staff would not honor the paperwork.

"She's been out of school since September 10, and I don't know what to do," Mann said, asking the board to let the child return. She told board members she had "all the information and documentations" and appealed for help.

Board members did not announce a decision during public comment. The transcript does not document an immediate staff response, a formal appeal filing or a specific policy cited by staff; the speakers asked the board for assistance and said they had provided proofs of residency to district staff.