Activists ask governor to pardon Akron mom Kelly Williams-Bolar -- School residency case brings inequity queries

story by Associated Press

COLUMBUS, OHIO: A coalition of activist groups delivered 165,000 signatures collected from around the country to the governor on Monday, urging him to pardon the Akron mother convicted on felony charges in a school district-switching case.

The groups seeking Gov. John Kasich's pardon for 40-year-old Kelley Williams-Bolar are ColorOfChange.org, Change.org and Moms-Rising.org. Iris Roley, a member of ColorofChange.org and chairwoman of the Cincinnati NAACP, said the groups believe the case highlights inequities in Ohio's education system.

''Kelley's story captured the nation's imagination because it strikes at the heart of a sentiment we all hold,'' Roley said. ''Who among us, in similar circumstances, wouldn't make the same choice to do right by our children? How many of us don't know someone who's done something similar for their children?''

The groups focused on the fact that Williams-Bolar used her father's address to enroll her daughters in the suburban Copley-Fairlawn district from 2006 to 2008.

However, the felony for which Williams-Bolar recently spent nine days in jail related to falsification of government documents, including school lunch records. She was found guilty by a jury.

''It's a very complex case that went on for an over two-year period of time. By the time she was indicted, it was three years,'' said Laurie Cramer, a spokeswoman for Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh. ''Certainly, she could have changed courses at any given time to not be charged with a felony.''

Cramer pointed to the fact that 47 other families have also been charged with residency violations by Copley-Fairlawn schools since 2005, yet Williams-Bolar was the only one convicted of a felony.

Roley said the felony conviction is disproportionate to Williams-Bolar's offenses — and it is preventing her from getting her teaching certificate from the state.

''We want justice for Kelley

Williams-Bolar, and we also want every parent to be able to send their children to safe, excellent schools without risking prosecution and imprisonment,'' she said. ''This isn't too much to ask for.''

The petition, signed by an unspecified number of Ohioans, as well as residents of other states, refers to Williams-Bolar receiving ''a draconian sentence'' for ''simply trying to send her kids to a good school.''

A message for comment left Monday with Kasich's spokesman was not returned.

Amid a recent controversy over the lack of racial diversity on his Cabinet, Kasich signaled his support for the cause of Williams-Bolar, who is black.

Kasich said his legal team was reviewing the case and that he has talked to the prosecutor and the school district involved.

''This woman's trying — from everything I've read — trying to improve herself, trying to help her children,'' he said last week. He said he wanted to understand the details before deciding whether to take any action.

Kasich, who took office last month, has used the case to highlight his support for expanded access to educational alternatives, including charter schools and vouchers.

''I'm a very big believer in public education, in our traditional school,'' he said at the event. ''But I'm also a believer in empowering people to be able to — it's their children — to put their children where they think they're going to get a better education, have a better future, and be safer.''