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One issue that's been a headache for long-time residents of Piper has been students or families who are attending the Piper School District, but allegedly do not live in the district.

However, short of going door to door enforcement around Piper, there's nothing too dramatic the board can do to change it.

Donna Whitemen from the Kansas Association of School Boards spoke tonight at the Piper Board of Education meeting in front of board members and a handful of residents interested in the topic.

Although the board can put some "teeth" into the policy – most notably increasing the amount of paperwork required as proof to enroll in the district – the issue likely won't be solved this school year.

"We have no authority to enter people's homes without permission or no authority to investigate people," she said. "In the scheme of things we are in the business to educate children."

Whitemen said the tricky part of the residency requirement lies in just one simple phrase: "person acting as parent." The phrase is included in the Kansas Statues Section 72-1046 which defines school district residency.

"The definition is very broad," Whitemen said. "It is a broad statue and it's hard to pin down. Legally you have to educate them."

Employees of the school district are also allowed to enroll their students into the district, even if they do not live within Piper's boundaries. Any homeless child located in the district is also required by law to be enrolled if he or she chooses to be.

Still, some board members believe Piper's policy can be toughened up.

Board president Ron Kaminski suggested the idea of "law enforcement" and argued a case of "theft of services" could be made.

"The board wants to tackle this problem," he said.

However, Whitemen said the case would not be prioritized due to more severe crimes being investigated.

Piper residents, who often jumped into the discussion, suggested a "hotline" of sorts to provide the district with information.

Piper Superintendent Steve Adams said around 100 students are turned away due to fraudulent information or not meeting the district's guidelines.