Jennifer Brown never thought she would have to prove her right to exist in her own community. Yet this Pennsylvania single mother found herself bending over backwards to simply to keep her two sons in public school.
In July, the Penn-Trafford School District dismissed Landon and Lorenzo Brown from their schools, claiming the family did not truly live at their Penn Township address. Never mind that their older sister had just graduated from the same district without incident.
The trigger? Someone reported seeing Brown sitting in her car during bus pickup—perfectly legal behavior that somehow launched an investigation upending her and her children’s lives.
Brown provided extensive documentation: tax forms listing her sons as dependents, utility bills, employment records, vehicle registration. Courthouse records confirmed her father’s ownership of the family home. Yet her children remained withdrawn from school, caught in bureaucratic limbo.
Thankfully, after weeks of uncertainty, the district dropped its investigation and will re-enroll Landon and Lorenzo, just in time for this school year.
But this ordeal exposes a fundamental flaw in how we structure public education—and the human cost of letting ZIP codes determine a kid’s educational future.
A System Built Around Government-Imposed School Zoning
As Halli Faulkner, legislative director at yes. every kid., observes, “Jennifer’s story highlights how families across the country are being harassed by school districts.”
This is not isolated—it is part of a troubling pattern where districts spend resources policing boundaries rather than educating children. The irony is stark: public schools funded by taxpayers deny access to the public they serve.
“We are thrilled that Penn-Stafford School District has dropped their case and Jennifer’s children can re-enroll for the upcoming school year. School districts should not be in the business of immorally spending resources to kick children out of public school, Faulkner noted.”
The Solution: Universal and Equal Access
Erica Jedynak, chief operations officer at yes. every kid., points to the answer: “It is time for the state legislature to make swift changes and open up full access to public schools, so that this issue never happens again to another family, regardless of archaic residential assignment. Under universal open enrollment – the Penn-Trafford School District would have never had grounds to go after Jennifer and her children.”
Universal open enrollment would eliminate these sorts of residency investigations, expand equal access for all families, and focus district efforts on education rather than policing. Current law and practices disproportionately impact families from working-class backgrounds, intensifying the injustice inherent in the current top-down system.
Breaking Down Barriers in Public Education
Under the status quo, families are forced to make impossible choices. Parents stretch budgets to afford homes in “good” districts, often sacrificing other needs. Some face invasive investigations – even jailtime – treating residency like criminal evidence. Children become collateral damage, facing disruption and questioning their belonging.
Jennifer Brown’s victory should not have required a fight. Every child deserves quality public education without proving worthiness through address verification. State legislators must ensure no family endures this harassment again.
Public education should be truly public—available to all children, free from government-imposed barriers perpetuating inequality.
We owe it to the Browns and countless other families to shape education to meet every kid where they are. No family should prove their right to belong. It is time to make public education truly public for every child, regardless of address.
