Kelley Williams-Bolar of Akron says she had just one reason for using her father’s suburban address to illegally enroll her kids into the Copley-Fairlawn Schools.
“I was honestly, I was keeping my kids safe, I was. And that’s it.”
But the state parole board didn’t buy that. Unanimously the board recommended Gov. John Kasich not pardon Williams-Bolar, who served nine days in jail for lying on school forms. In its report, the board noted Williams-Bolar could have moved into her father’s home or researched other after-school options. Williams-Bolar wanted a pardon so she could become a teacher. But the parole board’s report says she’s nowhere near attaining a college degree of any kind.
The panel described Williams-Bolar in its report several times as “deceitful”, and concluded that she is – quoting here – “a wholly undeserving candidate for any type of clemency”. While Williams-Bolar said repeatedly she wasn’t crusading for school choice, the case drew national attention for that issue, and as an example of schools getting tougher on parents who improperly send their children to better funded, higher performing schools.
