Letter to parents

En Espanol 

To meet the requirements of a federal court order, the Coweta County School System required 2009-10 Affidavits of Residence from the parents or guardians of all children enrolled in Coweta County Schools to be filed with their child’s school by December 18, 2009.

If a parent has not filed an affidavit with their child’s school, all Coweta Schools will reopen on January 5, 2010.  To avoid an interruption in enrollment, those parents are urged to call their child’s school and file an affidavit of residency with the school on that day.  Otherwise, any disenrolled student must meet the residency requirements to re-enroll for the second semester, which begins on January 6, 2010.

An online, printable copy of the affidavit can be found here, or can be picked up at any Coweta school. The completed forms must be notarized, and all schools employ Notaries Public for parents’ convenience.

The affidavits are a requirement of a November 9, 2006 Consent Decree entered in federal court between the Coweta County School System and the United States Justice Department. The Consent Decree will provide an opportunity to resolve the 1973 Court Order which governs the Coweta County School System’s desegregation attempts. As long as the order is outstanding, Affidavits of Residence are required of all currently-enrolled students during every school year.

In fulfillment of the requirements of that court order, all parents, legal guardians, or other lawful custodians of students attending the Coweta County School System must sign under oath and deliver to the school his or her student is attending the following:

1.  A 2009 Affidavit of Residence, and 

2.  Two items from the following list for address verification:

1. property tax records which indicate the location of the residence;
2. mortgage documents or a security deed which indicates the location of the residence;
3. apartment or home lease or rent receipt indicating the current address;
4. current utility bill for electricity or utility application for electricity showing the current address;
5. voter precinct identification card or other voter documentation indicating the current address.

The affidavit must be signed in the presence of a Notary Public.  For your convenience, all schools employ Notary Publics who will be available during school hours to assist you.  Affidavits may also be completed at the Coweta County Board of Education Office at 237 Jackson Street in Newnan. If a two-party affidavit is required, it must be completed at the Board of Education Office at 237 Jackson Street.

Some parents, legal guardians, or other lawful custodians who do not reside in their own home due to unavoidable or emergency situations have already completed an Affidavit of Residence and provided the school system with two items for address verification at the Jackson Street Central Office. No other documentation is needed at this time from these persons.

Similarly, parents who enrolled a child for the first time in a Coweta County school this school year (2009-10) had to complete an affidavit with proof of residency and do not need to file a second affidavit for that child.

The Consent Decree was issued in United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, on November 9, 2006, to pursue resolution of the 1973 Court Order which governs the system’s desegregation efforts. The issuance of the decree followed more than a year of discussions and negotiations with representatives of the United States Justice Department, Civil Rights Division.

The decree established a “test period” for the school system to demonstrate that it is complying with all intended aims of the Consent Order. At the end of the two-year period, if the court finds that 27 areas of compliance have been met, then the school system may be awarded “unitary status.”

In 2006 to fully comply with the court order, the Coweta County Board of Education adopted three new policies incorporating the language and requirements of the Consent Decree, including policy JBCCA (Student Assignment to Schools), JBCD (Student Transfers), and JBCDA (Majority-to-Minority Transfers.

Those policies can be found here.

During the period of the consent decree, the school system must document school system policies, student assignment to school, student transfers, hiring practices, educational opportunities and other matters each year.

Most of the documentation required by the court order is provided through school system records. In order to document student districting and school assignment, however, parents have been required to provide the signed and notarized affidavits of residency to their school, accompanied by documents offering proof of district residency.