When a Fayette County marshal

knocked on the front door of Michele Mitchell's east Fayetteville

home after dark one night last October, the officer wasn't there

to issue a warrant or serve a subpoena. Instead, the marshal was checking

to see if Mitchell's 8-year-old daughter was in fact sleeping overnight

at that address.

A single mother new to Fayette

County, Mitchell said the visit terrified both her and her daughter, leading

her to issue complaints to the school board, the Atlanta office of the

NAACP and State School Superintendent Kathy Cox.

But the marshal was just fulfilling

his duties as requested by the school system, said Wayne Robinson, assistant

superintendent of operations. A section of the board's policy on

proving residency states that in order for students to remain enrolled

after suspicion is raised, it must be shown that they are, indeed, sleeping

overnight at the address in question.

And that means knocking on

doors unexpectedly after supper, Robinson admitted. "That's

why we send the marshals, because it's at night and (families) might

not open the door to a stranger," said Robinson.

Starting with tips from parents,

teachers or even other students, Robinson's department goes through

a series of steps before submitting the paperwork required for a marshal

to make an on-site visit of an address. Among the clues school employees

are taught to look for are inconsistencies in records or unusual behavior,

such as chronic tardiness, Robinson said. "When a residency check

form is received, it is forwarded to an officer who makes a home visit

to verify residency," said Robinson.

Once residency is confirmed,

the matter is usually dropped. If a violation of the policy is discovered,

then the process of removing the student begins.

"Students found to be

non-residents are usually told to withdraw at the end of the next grading

period," which occurs four times each 18-week semester, Robinson

said. "Depending on the situation, some are withdrawn at the end

of the week."

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