Legislation forbids bus stops near sex offender homes

ALBANY, N.Y. » To protect the safety of young children, the New York State Senate has passed legislation prohibiting the placement of school bus stops in front of the home of registered sex offenders.

“A concerned mother contacted my office after she learned that her sixth- grade daughter’s school bus stop would be located next to the home of a level three registered sex offender,” Sen. David Valesky, D-53, said. “Many children are at bus stops unsupervised for periods of time in the morning and the afternoon, and a school bus stop in front of the home of a registered sex offender needlessly puts children at risk.”

Randi Hull of Oneida received her daughter’s bus stop assignment from the Oneida City School District’s transportation department last September and learned the address of the stop was located in front of the residence of a level two registered sex offender.

Hul l contacted the transportation department, which immediately changed the location of the stop. But the reassigned bus stop was located next door to a level three registered sex offender.

Hull began transporting her daughter to and from school herself, beginning a petition on social media in an effort to make parents aware of the problem.

With more than 1,700 signatures from concerned members of the community and information from the state Department of Education, Hull was able to successfully get her daughter’s bus stop moved to a safe location. Hull also contacted Valesky’s office to inquire about legislation to make sure bus stops in the future are located in safe areas.

“I am beyond elated, and so thankful that this bill has passed,” Hull said. “This started with my daughter’s safety. As any parent would, I needed to ensure that she would be safe each day. Once that was taken care of, I decided that I wanted all of the kids in New York state to have that same amount of reasonable safety. Reasonable safety should not be negotiable when it comes to our children.”

David Valesky