Washougal resident Bill Stephens’ push for policies to keep registered sex offenders off school grounds is taking him to Olympia.
State Sen. Jim Honeyford, who represents part of Washougal in the 15th District, is proposing revisions to state law that would require convicted sex offenders to obtain written permission before stepping on school grounds.
The Washougal parent contacted Honeyford and several other state representatives a couple months ago after seeing a registered Level III sex offender — those deemed most likely to re-offend — at his daughter’s band concert at Jemtegaard Middle School.
A state law adopted in 2006 gives schools and other public or private facilities with the primary purpose of educating or caring for children the right to ban certain Level II and Level III sex offenders no longer under community supervision. But no Clark County school districts have policies in place to ban offenders.
The Fort Vancouver Regional Library district implemented a policy years ago.
When Honeyford heard Stephens’ story, the senator decided to draft a bill banning registered sex offenders from school grounds unless they receive written permission from the school. The ban would apply to all registered sex offenders convicted of certain offenses, such as rape of a child, child molestation and commercial sexual abuse of a minor.
Entering school grounds without permission would be considered a felony, according to the bill.
“They say schools are responsible. They say police are responsible. Ultimately, somebody has to be responsible,” Honeyford said. “Certainly, you don’t want a Level III sex offender roaming around schools, and nobody was taking responsibility for that.”
Honeyford asked Stephens to testify Friday morning before the Senate’s Human Services and Corrections Committee in support of the bill.
Stephens is pleased with Honeyford’s response and is in disbelief with the school board’s lack of action.
“I didn’t think the state would act so quickly and the school board would act so slowly,” he said. “To think a school board that’s been handed the law has done nothing, and the state’s already rewriting the law and voting on the 11th is unconscionable to me.”
Stephens reached out to the Washougal School District after the band concert and questioned why the district didn’t have policies in place to keep offenders away from schools. District officials were under the impression there was nothing they could do.
After researching the 2006 law, officials said the district was pursuing a policy to limit sex offenders’ access to school grounds. About a week later, at its Dec. 14 meeting, the school board decided not to pursue a new policy.
“The Washougal School Board of Directors determined that enforcement of a policy to check the identification and judicial status of all attendees at school events was not practical,” Superintendent Teresa Baldwin wrote in an e-mail.
If the Senate committee decides to pass along the bill, it would go to the Rules Committee, then the full Senate. The bill will also need to go through the same process in the House before heading to the governor and becoming law.
Honeyford said he’s expecting some controversy on the law because it bans all registered sex offenders — Levels I, II and III. Attorneys advised Honeyford the bill needed to be equal to all sex offenders.
Money could also cause a problem. Honeyford said he’s unsure how the fiscal implications of the bill will be calculated, but if the projected cost of prosecuting those who violate the law is high, the bill could be a tough sell.
“If they come in with a big fiscal note, then the bill’s going to be in big trouble,” Honeyford said. “But I don’t think we can put our children at risk based solely on financial challenges.”
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
