Sticky Issues
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In this section, principals tell how they handled a challenging situation, how some policy that was in place actually worked, and the lessons learned from dealing with these Sticky Issues. Send your stories to principal@osu.edu. Please indicate if we may use your name in the “contributor” credits.
Dealing with Sex Offenders
I can’t believe this happened to me. Imagine that it’s 2 days before parent conferences and it has been brought to your attention that one of your parents who wishes to schedule an appointment is a known sex offender. Or was that a sexual predator? My first thought was that a “sex anything” was not permitted to be around children or within so many feet of a school building, let alone come inside. The school’s office has a wall of sex offender notifications which gives you limited information with the stipulation that if you believe improper contact has been made with a child, you are to contact local law enforcement.
Word spread quickly. I was approached by a few staff members asking whether or not I was going to allow the conference with this person to take place. The thought of sitting across the table from this person was overwhelming to them. It took great courage from several people for this situation to be resolved, and I respect them for being able to separate a personal issue from their professional commitments. I am almost certain the parent was not aware of any concern on the part of the school.
I made several calls within the district inquiring whether I should allow this parent into the school and attempted to verify his/her rights, if any. Everyone seemed to believe they should not be on the grounds and that their place of residence should be registered. I ended up contacting the local county Sheriff’s Department of Records who referred me to the local police who referred me back to the Sheriff’s Department. I was able to get a few questions answered and was then referred to the Adult Parole Authority where I also received some information. Our county also has a sex offender specialist who led me to several important web sites and answered multiple questions that helped me to make informed decisions regarding this situation.
Did you know that Ohio now has 11,984 registered sex offenders as of October 2004? Here are some other statistics:
- 45% of victims are under 12
- 75% of victims know their attackers
- Sex offenders move an average of 3 times per year
The following information served to clarify the definition of a sex offender and what each classification is currently required to do.
The Sex Offender Registration& Notification Statute is the basis for the maintenance of records pertaining to House Bill 180; otherwise known as Megan’s Law. Megan’s Law has recently changed with the signing of Senate Bill 5. Now those persons who commit sexually oriented offenses are listed into classifications which include: Sexual Predator, Child-Victim Predator, Habitual Sex Offender, Habitual Child-Victim Offender, Sexually Oriented Offender or Child Victim Offender.
The State of Ohio registers its sexual offenders through a system known as the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification (SORN.) Sheriff’s offices around the state are able to keep track of offenders using E-SORN, which can electronically read fingerprints, swipe ID cards for information, and take advantage of digital cameras so photos can be electronically incorporated into the sex offender registry database for any sheriff’s office in all 88 counties.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has placed the entire State of Ohio Sex Offender Registration database online at its website. This allows citizens to have one website to search for sex offenders registered anywhere in the state by either the last name of the sex offender or by the zip code of the area that offender may be living in.
Here are the Sex Offender Classifications and Definitions:
I. Sexual Predator: A sexual predator is defined as a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to, committing a sexually oriented offense and who is likely in the future to commit additional sexually oriented offenses. Offenders designated as sexual predators are subject to registration/verification requirements (at 90 day intervals) for life unless a judge modifies or terminates the sexual predator designation.
II. Child Victim Predator: (New under Senate Bill 5; effective January 1, 2004) A child victim predator is defined as a person who has been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, committing a sexually oriented offense on a person, under 18 years of age, not the child of the person committing the offense, and who is likely in the future to commit additional sexually oriented offenses.
III. Habitual Sex Offender: A habitual sex offender is defined as a person who has been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to committing a sexually oriented offense, and who previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one or more sexually oriented offenses. Offenders designated as habitual sex offenders are subject to registration/verification requirements annually for a period of 20 years after release.
IV. Habitual Child Victim Offender: (New under Senate Bill 5; effective January 1, 2004) A habitual child victim offender is defined as a person who has been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to committing a sexually oriented offense, on a person under 18 years of age, not the child of the person and who previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one or more sexually oriented offenses. Offenders designated as habitual child victim offenders are subject to registration/verification requirements annually for a period of 20 years after release.
V. Sexually Oriented Offenders: A sexually oriented offender is a person who has been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to committing a sexually oriented offense, but who has not been designated as a sexual predator or habitual sex offender. Sexually oriented offenders are subject to the registration/verification requirements annually for a period of 10 years after release.
Another important detail regarding the statutes of provisions dealing with sex offenders is that you need to know if the offender is on “post release control” formally known as “probation”. If the offender is on PRC, there are stipulations about being around children and on or near school grounds. The Adult Parole Authority may be of the most assistance in getting accurate information. Otherwise, the only stipulations that I am aware of are those listed with each definition/classification.
The person in question was not on “post-release-control” so coming on school grounds was within his/her rights. The parent did come to the school and the conference was uneventful. The meeting took place in the main office area instead of a teacher’s classroom which seemed to put most teachers at ease.
Lessons learned:
- It’s important to do one’s homework when confronted with a “sticky issue.” I could have gone with popular belief that a sexual offender was simply not allowed on school grounds. The school district or I might have been subject to a lawsuit without the appropriate research.
- Lack of understanding about a subject or issue breeds fear of the unknown. Once people develop a level of understanding and attempt to keep an open mind, things will usually work out with continued support.
Since this article was compiled there have been many articles in the news regarding this topic. It seems as though factual information and statistics are evolving daily. Statistical information for this article was taken from the following sites:
Ohio State Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification: http://www.klaaskids.org/st-ohio.htm
eSORN, Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification: http://www.esorn.ag.state.oh.us
