Mother: Children’s safety was reason for enrollment

July 21, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

Kelley Williams-Bolar countered assertions that she was seeking a better education for her two daughters when she purposely enrolled them in the wrong Akron-area school district.

Instead, the single mother, who was convicted and spent time in jail in a case that garnered national attention, told a state panel Wednesday that she was only concerned about her children’s safety.

“I love my kids,” she said, her voice breaking during emotional testimony before the state parole board. She added later, “I was trying to keep my kids safe. I did it for the safety of my children. Looking back on it, I wish I would have done things differently.”

That was the crux of Williams-Bolar’s plea Wednesday for a full pardon from two criminal convictions resulting from using her father’s home address about two miles away to enroll her daughters in the Copley-Fairlawn City School District.

But Summit County prosecutors said the case is not about safety, civil rights or education matters — it’s about her pattern of deception and lack of cooperation during the investigation.

“Plain and simple, Ms. Bolar did break the law,” said Brad Gessner, chief assistant prosecutor in Summit County. He added later, “Ms. Bolar has never admitted full responsibility, ladies and gentlemen. She is not exempt from the law.”

The parole board has about 60 days to offer a recommendation on the application to Gov. John Kasich, who has ultimate authority to let the convictions stand, commute the sentence to a lesser penalty or grant a full pardon.

Williams-Bolar has a lot riding on the outcome. She has worked with special-needs students in the Akron school district, which is monitoring the legal proceedings. And she could be barred from obtaining social worker or other state licenses if the felony convictions remain as-is.

Williams-Bolar was convicted on felony charges, spent about 10 days in jail and was placed on three years probation for falsifying residency records after it was discovered that she enrolled her children in the wrong school district, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. She is appealing the convictions.

The case became a rallying cry for civil-rights advocates and opponents of Ohio’s method for funding public education and the disparities that exist between inner-city and suburban schools. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was originally listed among participants expected for Wednesday’s parole board hearing, though he was not in attendance.

The case also caught the attention of Kasich, who has mentioned Williams-Bolar as part of his push to increase the number of vouchers made available to students to attend charter or private schools. The governor requested that the state parole board consider the case.

“Our laws exist for a reason and they must be enforced, but the idea that a woman would become a convicted felon for wanting a better future for her children is something that has rightly raised a lot of concern with people, including me,” Kasich told reporters earlier this year.