The fall of 2007 was a turbulent time for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (N.C.) Schools (CMS), the nation's 20th largest school district. In the wake of a newspaper article questioning the eligibility of several district football players, one high school had to forfeit its best football season in more than a decade and questions were raised about several other teams, including a national power. A series of school district investigations then found more than a dozen athletes in various sports who ran afoul of residency rules.

Now that the dust has settled, CMS officials are looking at how to crack down on ineligible players. To start, Superintendent Peter Gorman has announced a series of procedural changes that focus on compliance with current rules, staff training, and parent notification.

For the first time, CMS students will be required to present two forms of address verification--such as leases, utility bills, or mortgages--for school enrollment. Previously only one form of proof was required. In some cases, the district may ask for additional documentation or even conduct home visits.

CMS is also holding training sessions to explain steps athletic directors and coaches can take to ensure that rules are being followed. Schools have been told to watch for some common red flags that may indicate possible residency issues, such as returned mail, late arrivals at school, and lack of response to requests for information.

"In addition, we are asking our coaches to question all of their players one-on-one, 'Have you moved in the past year?'" Gorman says. "They'll make a list of those who say yes and share it with the athletic director, who will double-check those athletes' eligibility."

A key to the training has been emphasizing that everyone is expected to make compliance a priority. "We had one coach tell us, 'I don't do eligibility--the athletic director does that. If I heard the kids talking about that, I'd ignore it because it isn't my area,'" Gorman says. "I told all our coaches at our spring meeting that they can't take that approach. They have to say, 'This is my area, too, and I have an affirmative duty to report that information to the athletic director for further review.'"

Gorman is also offering more assistance to athletic directors in checking residency. The district's law enforcement division can be asked to investigate a student's residency, and cases involving fraud or deception may be submitted to the district attorney.

The criminal referrals are part of an effort to alert parents to the fact that the district is taking proper enrollment seriously. Letters to parents detailing residency requirements are being sent out, and parents are being urged to contact athletic administrators if they have any questions about athletic eligibility.

"This isn't just a school district problem," Gorman says. "This is an integrity issue with kids and their families, and at some point, they have to understand it's inappropriate to lie to get into a certain school. So, we are referring cases to the district attorney's office for review, although I don't know that they'll prosecute."

One more step CMS has taken is putting together a 24-member advisory committee to look at its practices and suggest any improvement. Members include business people, community leaders, and athletic administrators from the high school and college levels.

"The big question we are looking at is: What is reasonable scrutiny?" Gorman says. "So we've included people who work on compliance-related issues every day. We have the city's chief of police, the head of compliance for human resources for Wachovia Bank, and some folks in the insurance industry."

In addition to reviewing current policies and procedures, the panel will discuss steps that can be taken to keep parents and athletes from using fraudulent addresses when enrolling. It will also look at big picture issues such as the reasons parents and athletes are willing to lie to enroll at certain schools, whether more rules are needed, and how big an issue eligibility should be within the district.

Although Gorman has made a number of procedural changes, any policy changes have to come from the school board. He hopes the committee will make recommendations in time for the board to approve them before the next school year begins in August.