Proposal eyes preventing school bus stops near homes of registered sex offenders
A Pennsylvania lawmaker said he wants to make sure school bus stops are not placed near the homes of registered sex offenders.
The proposal from Republican state Rep. Jeremy Shaffer, now circulating for co-sponsors in Harrisburg, would prohibit school bus stops from being located near Megan's Law offenders. The proposal comes after parents in the Deer Lakes School District are fighting to move a stop they say puts their kids at risk.
"There's really a flaw in our state law that doesn't require bus stops to be in safe locations," Shaffer said. "So, this legislation is an attempt to make sure that parents are notified when there are unsafe situations and that those situations never really happen in the first place."
Deer Lake parents said the safeguards can't come soon enough. They say a bus stop in West Deer Township was moved this year to a location directly across from a registered sex offender's home.
To get a first-hand look, Shaffer recently walked the West Deer Township streets alongside concerned parents, standing with them at the bus stop.
"The parents have understandably been very concerned about their child's safety," he said. "They've been looking for answers. They were very appreciative that I went out and walked the community with them."
Shaffer says his proposal builds on a bill he introduced earlier this year that would ban sexually violent predators from living within 2,500 feet of schools and daycares.
According to SafeHome, nearly 24,000 sex offenders are registered in Pennsylvania. It's unclear just how many of those are classified as sexually violent.
"This is not about punishing people who have already been convicted and served time," Shaffer said. "This is about enabling the parents and children of other residents to have school bus stops in places that they can feel safe."
The Deer Lakes School District said it works with police to determine bus routes, which are based on safety, efficiency, and the law. It said that after careful consideration, it decided to maintain the bus stop at its current location.
Parents who want to check their own neighborhoods can use Pennsylvania's Megan's Law database at this link. The site makes it clear that this information is meant for awareness, not for harassment.