Policy 4:175
Convicted Child Sex Offender Screening Notifications
State law prohibits a child sex offender from being present on school property or loitering within 500 feet of school property when persons under the age of 18 are present, unless the offender:
- is a parent/guardian of a student attending the school and the parent/guardian is: (i) attending a conference at the school with school personnel to discuss the progress of his or her child academically or socially, (ii) participating in child review conferences in which evaluation and placement decisions may be made with respect to his or her child regarding special education services, or (iii) attending conferences to discuss other student issues concerning his or her child such as retention and promotion; and in all the foregoing cases, the offender notifies the Building Principal of his or her presence at the school, or
- has permission to be present from the Board of Education, Superintendent or Superintendent’s designee. If permission is granted, the Superintendent or Board President shall provide the details of the offender’s upcoming visit to the Building Principal.
In all cases, the superintendent, or designee who is a certified employee, shall supervise a child sex or violent offender against youth whenever the offender is in a child’s vicinity on school grounds.
If a student is a sex offender or violent offender against youth, the superintendent or designee shall develop guidelines for managing his or her presence in school.
Screening
The Superintendent or designee shall perform fingerprint-based criminal history records information checks and/or screenings required by State law or Board policy for employees; student teachers; students doing field or clinical experience other than student teaching; contractors’ employees who have direct, daily contact with one or more children; and resource persons and volunteers. He or she shall take appropriate action based on the result of any criminal background check and/or screen.
Notification to Parents/Guardians
The Superintendent shall develop procedures for the distribution and use of information from law enforcement officials under the Sex Offender Community Notification Law and the Child Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Law. The Superintendent or designee shall serve as the District contact person for purposes of these laws. The Superintendent shall manage a process for schools to notify the parents/guardians during school registration that information about sex offenders is available to the public as provided in the Sex Offender Community Notification Law. This notification must occur during school registration and at other times as the Superintendent or Building Principal determines advisable.
Adopted: September 8, 1997
Revised: November 28, 2011; June 17, 2019