Ohio lawmakers are moving to tighten where convicted sex offenders can go, rolling out a new proposal that would largely bar higher-level registrants from setting foot on school or child-care property.
State senators introduced Senate Bill 422 this month to block Tier II and Tier III registered sex offenders from knowingly being on school or child-care grounds, with only narrow carve-outs for parents and brief visits tied to specific school business. The sponsors say the measure is meant to close gaps in state law, add clear penalties for violators, and require local sheriffs to formally notify registrants about the new restrictions.
Senate Bill 422 was filed April 14 by Sens. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) and Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), the lawmakers said in a press release. "Our students need to be able to go to school without the fear of being groomed by convicted sex offenders," Schaffer said in a statement released through the Ohio Senate.
What the bill would change
The proposal would revise multiple sections of the Ohio Revised Code to make it unlawful for anyone classified as a Tier II or Tier III sex offender to knowingly be present on the grounds of a school, preschool or child-care facility. It spells out specific "legitimate purposes" that would allow limited access, such as dropping off or picking up a child at the start or end of the school day, attending school-sponsored programs, going to medical appointments on campus, or taking part in parent-teacher conferences that are scheduled outside regular school hours. The measure also directs county sheriffs to send written notice of the new rules to affected registrants, as detailed in the bill text posted by the Ohio Legislature.
Penalties and enforcement
Under the proposed language, a first violation would be treated as a first-degree misdemeanor, a second violation would be charged as a fifth-degree felony and each additional violation after that would be a fourth-degree felony. That stepped-up penalty structure for repeat violations was outlined in local coverage of the bill by Spectrum News.
Existing rules and legal questions
The new restrictions would build on an existing residency rule. Section 2950.034 of the Ohio Revised Code already bars certain offenders from establishing a home within 1,000 feet of schools and child-care centers, according to the Ohio Revised Code. Separate local ordinances that try to keep registrants out of parks and playgrounds have already triggered legal scrutiny in some Ohio communities, as highlighted in a Middleburg Heights crackdown, and observers say a broader statewide rule could invite fresh court challenges over how it is enforced and whether it gives offenders enough due process.
What’s next
SB 422 was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee shortly after it was introduced, a first stop in a process that will require public hearings and multiple votes before the bill can reach the Senate floor. Its progress is being tracked on public bill-monitoring sites, and the full text and status updates are available on the bill page at LegiScan.
Backers frame the measure as a commonsense way to protect students and create uniform statewide standards, while civil-liberties and criminal-justice advocates are expected to push for protections around parental access and voting rights for registrants. Lawmakers on both sides are likely to dig into the details of how the ban would work in practice if and when the committee begins formal debate.
