Ironton resident urges council to tighten rules on registered offenders at schools; ordinance read for first time
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Summary
Resident Jared Bollinger urged the Ironton City Council to adopt stricter local limits on registered *** offenders attending school events, citing 87 countywide and 34 in-city registrants; the council read ordinance 25-57 by title and discussed narrow exceptions for supervised meetings and election polling places.
Jared Bollinger, a resident of 434 Delaware Street, told the Ironton City Council he is “sickened” that registered *** offenders can attend school events and use the same restrooms as children and urged the council to act to protect students.
Bollinger, who identified himself as a retired detective, said there are 87 registered offenders in Lawrence County and 34 in Ironton and that state rules allow registrants to be present at public school events. “They can go there and hang out all the time. They can go in there and they can use the restroom with your children or grandchildren,” he said. He told council he had discussed the issue with Nate Klein, whom he identified as a sponsor of an ordinance on the agenda.
Council had the ordinance on its agenda. At the meeting, a city official read ordinance number 25-57 by title as a first reading: language providing that registered *** offenders be prohibited from being present on school property or at school-related events (declared emergency, first reading). The reading put the proposal on record but did not adopt final language or vote it into law.
During discussion, Speaker 6 suggested the council consider narrow exceptions for supervised activities that schools are required to provide—specifically, supervised meetings such as individualized education program (IEP) or discipline hearings and use of school property as polling places during elections. Council members responded that the ordinance can be amended through the normal readings process and suggested inviting the school board to the planning/strategy discussion to help shape any exceptions.
The meeting record shows council planned a strategic planning/committee review of the proposal; no final vote on ordinance 25-57 occurred at this meeting.
Next steps: the ordinance was read by title as a first reading and council members indicated they will consider amendments and engage the school board before moving forward.