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As you've likely seen in the news, Ohio mom, Kelley Williams-Bolar, recently went to jail for sending her kids to a highly ranked school near where her father lives, which was out of her home school district.[1]  She was trying to give her children a better life.  Now, as a convicted felon, helping her children will be even harder -- she was studying to become a teacher, but that dream may have ended with the felony conviction as well.

Real justice requires that the punishment fit the crime.  By any measure, this is cruelly unjust.

*Please join us and the national non-profit organization, ColorOfChange.org, in calling on Ohio Governor Kasich to take a public stand and do everything he can to right this injustice(including making sure that Williams-Bolar has the opportunity to become a teacher in Ohio). And please ask your friends and family to sign the letter as well -- it takes just a moment:

SIGN THE LETTER TO THE OHIO GOVERNOR HERE:

http://action.momsrising.org/letter/Ohio_Mom/

What happened?  Kelley Williams-Bolar is a single mother of two daughters who's a teacher’s aide in Akron city schools in Ohio and has been studying to become a teacher. According to Williams-Bolar, after their home in a housing project was burglarized, she decided to protect her daughters’ safety by sending them to school in neighboring Copley Township, where her father lives.  In an interview with the Akron Beacon-Journal, Williams-Bolar explained she feared for her children's safety after school, ''I could not conceive of them walking home after our home was violated.'' [2]

Williams-Bolar claims that she maintained a part-time residence at her father’s home, but the school district didn’t see it that way. Neither did County Prosecutor Sherri Walsh, who charged Williams-Bolar with grand theft and falsifying records — a third-degree felony. The judge presiding over the case recognized the harshness of the felony charge and encouraged Prosecutor Walsh to offer a plea bargain for a lighter charge — but Walsh flatly refused.[3]

The end result was cruelly unjust with a punishment that went far beyond what the crime merited.  Williams-Bolar was convicted on the felony charge, and sentenced to 5 years in prison. The judge suspended all but 10 days of the jail time, instead ordering 3 years of probation and 80 hours of community service. She’s out of jail now, but the repercussions could last a lifetime: Unless the felony is eliminated from her record, Williams-Bolar may be unable to earn her teaching certificate under Ohio law. Williams-Bolar is only a few classes away from earning her teaching certificate.[4]

Ridiculous!

Any parent could understand why Kelley Williams-Bolar did what she did to try to give her children access to opportunity.

At MomsRising we hear stories from parents and single moms around the country every day about just how hard it is to make ends meet and raise healthy, successful children.  The American Dream is in jeopardy.  It’s tragic that families around America must make choices like this every day in order to ensure their kids are safe and well-educated. And it’s tragic that this family’s opportunity to succeed in the future stands to be limited because a single mom chose to put her kids first.

Take a moment now to send a clear message to Ohio Governor John Kasich that you expect him to take leadership in ensuring ramifications that are proportional to the facts of the case. By speaking out, you’re not just standing with Williams-Bolar — you’re standing with every parent who doesn’t have access to great schools, and who must make difficult choices.

Don't forget to sign the letter to Ohio Governor Kasich urging justice for Kelley Williams-Bolar now. And please also forward this email to your friends and family so they can sign the letter to Ohio Governor Kasich too.

SIGN THE LETTER TO THE OHIO GOVERNOR HERE:

http://action.momsrising.org/letter/Ohio_Mom/

In order to right this injustice, we all need to speak out together.  Your signatures on this letter will be delivered directly to Ohio Governor Kasich by ColorOfChange.org and MomsRising.  The more signatures we all get, the bigger the impact we'll have.

Together, we are a powerful voice for women, children, and families.

P.S. To learn more about ColorOfChange.org, go to: www.colorofchange.org

[1] January 26, 2011, "Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District," ABC News.

[2]  January 26, 2011, "Kelley Williams-Bolar leaves jail but public outcry escalates," Akron Beacon-Journal.

[3] January 26, 2011, "Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District," ABC News.

[4] Ibid.


The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of MomsRising.org.

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