School Climate & Safety

Ohio Schools Struggle With Educating Juvenile Sex Offenders

By The Associated Press — September 08, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

“Most importantly the safety of the general student population, the safety of the returning student, and the safety of staff,” Jones said.

Ohio school districts are working to balance the rights of juvenile sex offenders to get a public education with the safety of other students and staff.

The Springboro school district in southwest Ohio is tutoring an 18-year-old student at home in part because of the violence of the student’s crimes, which were committed several years ago.

This tutoring costs about $10,000 — about $2,000 more than if the student attended regular classes.

“Safety is No. 1. Education is No. 2,” said Superintendent David Baker. “You can’t do academics in an unsafe environment.”

Baker said there was no way the district could keep the student from enrolling.

Dayton Public Schools place registered juvenile sex offenders at an alternative school for 45 days where the students receive counseling, then move them into regular schools across the district.

Dayton has five sex offenders enrolled this year, said schools spokeswoman Melissa Fowler.

Districts have to be careful about pulling out or segregating students regardless of the reason, said Scott Blake, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education.

The Ohio Department of Youth Services released 81 sex offenders under the age of 18 in the past year.

Xenia schools might allow a sex offender into regular classes or to attend The Academy, where classes are held near the juvenile-court complex for kids with special needs.

School officials also can suggest a home-based alternative, Superintendent Jeff Lewis said. The district is careful to protect the privacy of the offenders, telling only those in the district that need to know about their status.

Miamisburg schools look at educational options from taking classes online to sitting in a regular classroom. The district would not say if it had any juvenile sex offenders currently enrolled.

The district considers many factors when an offender has to take classes, said Miamisburg spokeswoman Jennifer Jones.

“Most importantly the safety of the general student population, the safety of the returning student, and the safety of staff,” Jones said.

Related Tags:

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Opinion What Do Restorative Practices Look Like in Schools?
Such practices teach students how to resolve disputes amicably, own their actions, and be empathetic and forgiving.
9 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety School Dress Codes Often Target Girls. What Happens When Male Teachers Have to Enforce Them?
Male teachers say the task can put them in a risky and uncomfortable position.
11 min read
Image of articles of clothing on a coat hook outside a school entrance.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
School Climate & Safety Are School Buses Safe? An Expert Explains
A perennial concern is getting new attention.
4 min read
Photo of rescue workers and turned over school bus.
Brandy Taylor / iStock / Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety A School Removed Bathroom Mirrors to Keep Students From Making TikToks. Will It Work?
The desperate strategy for keeping students in class illuminates the challenge schools face in competing with social media.
5 min read
Empty blue school bathroom showing the bathroom sinks without mirrors.
iStock/Getty