Sometimes I regret that my job prevents me from also serving on public boards. I have to miss out on all sorts of fun things, like being lectured by sex offenders:
A registered sex offender cautioned the Vigo County School Board about going too far with a policy aimed at keeping such offenders out of schools and off school property.
On Monday, Donald W. Hyde addressed the board regarding a proposed school policy that states: “Except in limited circumstances, Vigo County schools will not permit registered sex offenders, whose victim was a minor, to be on school property.”
[. . .]
In particular, Hyde warned the board about denying people their civil rights and their right to free speech. If the administration building is placed off limits under the policy, then those affected individuals would be denied the right to attend public school board meetings.
Indiana law prevents sex offenders from working in a school or from living within a certain distance of a school, but not from being in a school building, which would seem to be a gap in the law that the school board has a legitimate interesting in filling. On the other hand, sex offenders probably do have some questions they might want to direct to a school board. If they aren't allowed to work in or live near a school, how else are they supposed to find out at what times the children come and go? Give a guy a break!
