Sex offenders: access to schools.

Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for any person who is required to register as a sex offender to come into any school building or upon any school grounds without lawful business and written permission from the chief administrative official of that school. This bill would delete the requirement that the registered sex offender have written permission from the chief administrative official of the school and would instead make it a misdemeanor for a registered sex offender to enter any school building or upon any school grounds without lawful business. The bill would authorize a registered sex offender who is subject to the above prohibition and who does not have the right to make educational decisions for a pupil who attends the school to enter a school building or upon school grounds to conduct lawful business at the school only when pupils are not present. The bill would authorize a person who is a registered sex offender to enter a polling place in a school building or on school grounds for the purpose of voting in an election. The bill would also authorize a registered sex offender who is subject to the above prohibition and who has the right to make educational decisions for a pupil in that school to enter a school building or upon school grounds for purposes relating to the exercise of that right. The bill would authorize a registered sex offender who is subject to the above prohibition and who has the right to make educational decisions for a pupil who attends the school to enter a school building or upon school grounds for any lawful purpose not related to the right to make educational decisions for a pupil, unless he or she has been convicted of specified crimes, except that the bill would specify that he or she may nonetheless attend a specific event if the principal or authorized administrator finds that it is in the best interest of the child and authorizes attendance. The bill would require the person to be supervised, as defined, by a school employee while in a school building or upon school grounds. The bill would exempt from its provisions any pupil who is registered as a sex offender for an offense committed as a juvenile. By changing the definition of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.