The head of the Stratford Board of Education said Thursday that the town is cracking down on illegal student enrollment in the town's schools by requiring all students to prove they live in Stratford.

Stratford Board of Education Chair Jim Feehan says this has been a problem for many years and can cost students who do live in town.

"There is a problem of overcrowding. There also is a problem that it draws away from the education of our existing students," he says.

The policy that board members approved on Monday would require residence checks for all students this coming school year. After that, residence checks would be done on a rotating basis by grade level with random spot checks thrown in.

According to Feehan, parents who violate this policy could be forced to pay tuition for however long the student went to school in Stratford. The cost of tuition for one year ranges from $11,000 to $13,000.

He also said this new policy does not apply to students of divorced parents, as long as one of those parents lives in Stratford.