Board approves resolution to disenroll students lacking proof of residency and to assess tuition

The board adopted a resolution after a clerk read findings that several students did not provide proof of residency and therefore were not domiciled within the South Plainfield School District, the clerk said. The resolution directed the district to disenroll the referenced students, assess tuition for any period of ineligible attendance and require the superintendent to notify parents of the decision and the family’s right to appeal.

The clerk read the motion aloud before the board voted. "Now therefore be resolved as word here by disenrolls the above referenced students because proof of residence in South Plainfield has not been provided in accordance with law and district policy and further be it resolved that the superintendent is hereby directed to notify the parent of the board's decision and the family's right to appeal," the clerk read.

A motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded; the board then conducted a roll-call vote. Thirteen members responded "Yes" in the roll call and the motion passed. The clerk and meeting record indicate the board instructed the superintendent to notify the parents and to advise them of appeal rights. The transcript did not record any on-the-record rebuttal from families at the meeting.

The resolution read in public did not cite a specific statute in the transcript; it referenced compliance with law and district policy concerning residency and the board’s authority to assess tuition for ineligible attendance. The clerk read a list of file or student reference numbers as part of the motion; those identifiers were read aloud during the meeting.