Akron Mom Incarcerated? Kids To A Better School?

The new American criminal: a mom who dared to challenge the law in to free her children from what she believed to be a failing environment.

(CLEVELAND) - Kelly Williams-Bolar, of Akron, Ohio, recently was arrested and incarcerated for using her father's address to enroll her daughters in a better-performing public school. Currently residing in a housing project, unable to move or pay tuition, she used her dad's address to get her children in a school she felt would best benefit them.

Suspicious of her illegal behavior, the district hired a private investigator to follow her and, lo and behold, her criminal activities were discovered. She crossed the line, literally, and she is now charged with a felony. This is a frightening development, as I have no doubt that Hoosier parents engage in the same extremes to gain access to schools they feel will better serve their children.

This mom dared to challenge the law in order to free her children from what she believed to be a failing environment. Who among us would not do the same when our children's very livelihood hangs in the balance? (Forward from the article: Desperate for more choices Jacqueline Joyner Cissell - IndyStar.com Cissell is with Black Alliance for Educational Options in Indianapolis.)

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Akron Mom Incarcerated? Kids To A Better School?

Okay! Now, let me see if I have got this mess right,
Akron, Ohio mom wanted for her kids a better life,
Daughters have a greater chance to succeed, not fail,
Sending them to a better school district, she’s in jail.

Oh hell yeah, along with homicide this is a huge crime,
Enhance your kids education on someone else’s dime?
40 year old mother of two girls Kelley Williams-Bolar,
Falsifying government documents she went to darn far.

Not far as Bill Clinton who repeatedly lied under oath,
She’s a jailbird while he is Casper the friendly Ghost?
“President of The United States” who did more harm,
To the core of honesty but for her we sound the alarm?

So she used her father’s address in, Copley-Fairlawn,
A better district than where her kids would have gone,
But, mom said it’s more about safety first than school,
Safety not education has become the new golden rule.

A predominantly White school district is under attack,
While the family in question is, you guessed it, Black,
Al Sharpton, Diddy, Jesse Jackson Jr, joined the fray,
But uh, has one of them volunteered to pay the way?

So there is a big outcry from the Civil Rights Cops,
Or just the usual opportunity for another photo opt,
Problem reins in the violence of inner city schools,
Want to do something help to wash away the blues.

Assist in new developments of educational programs,
Show a boy how to become a responsible young man,
Distinguish behavior patterns between wrong & right,
Advised them disputes are not settled with fist fights.

There are millions of parents who’d do for their kids,
Exactly what this concerned Akron, Ohio mother did,
Given those numbers she is by no means the only one,
As these problems continue it’s far from over & done.

Stop blaming the city prosecutor, the jury, the news,
Districts like, Copley-Fairlawn have paid their dues,
The predicament is not their doing it’s our own fault,
If the Pepper is too spicy you do not accuse the Salt.

No, this isn’t a battle between forces bad and good,
Residency is also being checked within Lakewood,
Parents might send their children to Akron schools,
Even Cleveland, if students would follow the rules.

Not just racial balance but, that doesn’t make sense,
Ever read about the tragic suicide of Phoebe Prince?
Maybe the biggest reason for deterioration, no PTA,
Can’t expect children to behave if parents stay away.

By Luke Easter

Luke Easter is a poet who writes about things that are very close to the heart of Salem-News.com. Another former U.S. Marine, Luke heals the world with an approach that reaches people on a different level, one known for centuries, yet too often forgotten in the one we live in.

We live in a world of social & economic injustice. The main reason for founding America in the first place was to relieve the oppression of the King of England. Patrick Henry said it best, “give me liberty or give me death.” And yet, all too often death seems to be the only way out. Why is there such a high suicide rate especially among teens, in the land of the free & the home of the brave? What makes headlines? Good news? Ha! More depressing stories than anything else. I feel poetry takes an edge off the hurt of bad news while still delivering it but in a, “glitzy” sort of way. Giving a different perspective. Kind of like slap in the face as opposed to a knife in the back. At least with the slap you’ll live to see another day and you will know whom it’s from. I wasn’t here for the beginning of the world but at 59, I just might be here for the end.

Even though it’s still a knife, rhyme poetry helps to dull the blade. And that’s my job. You can write to Luke Easter at: lyricsfromlucas@aol.com