Iowa’s sex offender law is strict, but there’s -no- law against student sex offenders attending school. A Cedar Rapids man, whose name is being withheld, says he found his teenage daughter’s boyfriend listed in Iowa’s on-line sex-offender registry.
The man says his daughter met the boy while attending the same Cedar Rapids high school. He says “I ran and woke my wife up and said, ‘Oh my God, look at this. What are we going to do?'” The parent called the school the next morning and asked why he wasn’t notified. School officials told him the district doesn’t notify parents about student sex offenders.
Suzanne Blomme, executive director of Special Services at the Cedar Rapids School District, says they’re following the law. Blomme says “It’s a complex issue. Safety is the number one concern for all students in the Cedar Rapids school district. At the same time, we need to recognize that every student has the right to an education.” The district confirms that sex offenders are enrolled at Cedar Rapids schools but officials say it would be impossible for schools to notify parents about every student sex offender. Bloome says the district takes multiple steps to make sure other students don’t get harmed by student sex offenders.
Nick Maybanks, the Assistant Linn County Attorney, says prosecutors are still trying to grasp exactly how the law works. Maybanks says “It’s basically every day that I receive a phone call about a concern regarding this law. But, throughout the course of time, we’ll figure out the challenges.” Meanwhile, the unidentified parent says he understands, but it’s frustrating. He says “There’s nothing I can do. I’ve called the Sheriff’s Department. I went to the school. There’s nothing I can do.”