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Akron mother granted clemency
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Gov. John Kasich has granted clemency to the Akron mom convicted of purposely enrolling her children in the wrong school district but left in place the resulting penalties and community-control sanctions.
Kasich announced Wednesday that he was reducing Kelley Williams-Bolar’s convictions to misdemeanors from felonies.
The move came after the state parole board’s unanimous recommendation late last week against clemency in the case, saying that Williams-Bolar was “a wholly undeserving candidate for any type of clemency” who “continued this same pattern of conduct and deceitfulness” after her conviction.
“When I first heard about this situation, it seemed to me that the penalty was excessive for the offense,” Kasich said in a released statement. “In addition, the penalty could exclude her from certain economic opportunities for the rest of her life. So, today I’ve reduced those felony convictions to what I think are the more appropriate, first-degree misdemeanors. No one should interpret this as a pass — it’s a second chance.”
The commutation retained all of the earlier conditions placed on Williams-Bolar as a result of the case, including regularly reporting to probation officers, maintaining full-time employment or attending school and refraining from consuming illegal drugs or alcohol.
Williams-Bolar was convicted on felony charges, spent about 10 days in jail and was placed on probation for falsifying residency records after it was discovered she enrolled her children in the wrong school district.
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.
During her clemency hearing in July, Williams-Bolar downplayed the racial issues, saying she enrolled her children in the Copley-Fairlawn City School District for safety reasons following a break-in at her home.
But prosecutors said the enrollment was just one in a series of deceptive acts by Williams-Bolar. They said the Akron mom was uncooperative during the investigation of the incident and has not taken full responsibility for breaking the law.
In a released statement Wednesday, Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh praised the parole board for its recommendation against clemency but acknowledged the governor’s authority to grant clemency.
“Governor Kasich is not required to uphold a jury’s verdict, nor must he follow the Parole Board’s recommendation to reject clemency, even when that recommendation is unanimous.”