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House OKs notification of sex offenders attending schools
Sex offenders planning to enroll in a public or private school would be
required to notify the county sheriff who, in turn, would be required to
notify the school under legislation which passed the House of
Representatives today, 97-0.
Prime-sponsored by
Rep.
Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, House Bill 2101 would set in motion a
series of required events once a convicted sex offender indicates he or
she would be attending a school.
"Once the sheriff tells the school principal about the sex offender, the
principal would be required to notify those people who would will likely
be supervising that student. If the offender is listed as Level II or
Level III, teachers would be notified," said Pearson, top-ranking
Republican member on the House Criminal Justice and Corrections
Committee. "Notification is designed to allow people to be aware and
take precautions that would help to protect other students."
Pearson said the measure is a bipartisan compromise from legislation he
earlier introduced which would have also allowed parents and students to
be notified.
"It’s not everything I wanted, but the bill is a good step forward
toward increasing safety in our schools and protecting innocent
children," concluded Pearson.
The bill now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer:
(360) 786-7252
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