Tougher Sex Offender Rules Proposed

Tuesday, February 6th 2007, 1:19 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A bill approved by a state Senate committee would allow educators to impose new restrictions on sex offenders now allowed access to public schools in certain circumstances.

Under state law, sex offenders cannot be within 300 feet of a school except when delivering or picking up a child.

Sex offenders also can currently attend school activities if they are accompanied by a someone who is 21-years-old who is not on the state's sex registry.

Sen. Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, said the law is "a little loose" and he wants to give school officials the option of designating someone of the school's choosing to accompany a sex offender to an event such as a football game or school play.

Also, a sex offender would be required to give school officials three days notice of their intent to attend a school event.

He said state law has "kind of a bare minimum requirement" for sex offenders wanting to attend school activities.

"The intent of this is basically to give the schools the right to be tougher on that, but not to require that," he said.

Laster said there are people on the sex registry list who are more dangerous than others.

His bill was approved by the state Senate Judiciary Committee on a 6-1 vote and sent to the state Senate floor for consideration.