Reacting to dozens of reports

that Clayton County parents had falsified addresses to get their children

enrolled in Fayette schools last August, Fayette administrators and the

county marshals' office teamed during the fall to investigate 162

individual cases of suspected non-resident students, the Citizen has learned.

Fayette school officials had identified and expelled 47 students enrolled

in Fayette schools though their families were in fact living in neighboring

counties, confirmed Wayne Robinson, assistant superintendent for operations,

in response to a series of question posed by The Citizen.

But those nearly four dozen

dismissals - a "higher than usual" number, said Robinson

- may represent just a fraction of the total number of students from

out of county attending Fayette schools, with local taxpayers footing

much of the bill.

Admitted Robinson, "We

do not know specifically how many non-residents showed up at the beginning

of the school year."

That uncertainty has prompted

Robinson's office to recommend residency checks on every one of the

district's 21,000-plus students when classes resume for the 2004-05

term in August. The last attempt to do so, about two years ago, proved

a paperwork nightmare for school personnel. But Robinson said his staff's

growing expertise in identifying non-residents has streamlined the process.

"Our employees are much

more aware of what to look for if they suspect a student does not live

in their attendance area," said Robinson. "Also, the more experience

we get in checking residency issues, the better we get in resolving them.

Robinson wouldn't say

which county had the most students crossing over into Fayette, but it

is believed the majority lived in Clayton County, with the balance from

just three others: Fulton, Coweta and Henry.

"When a student withdraws,

we don't keep track of what system they go