LAKESIDE, Calif. — Lakeside residents gathered at Riverview Elementary School Wednesday to express their outrage over the amount of convicted sex offenders near the schools.
Both parents and school board members said they want to be more informed about sex offenders in the area and also more blanket restrictions surrounding them living near schools, parks and bus stops. There used to be state restrictions that prohibited registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools and parks where children gathered. Jessica’s Law was overturned in 2015 after the state Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional because it severely restricted a sex offender’s ability to find housing.
The Lakeside group protesting Wednesday wants to see a similar restriction return. They also want more communication and transparency with local school boards and parent groups.
Lakeside Unified School District’s board president Andrew Hayes said community members are kept in the dark.
“They’re very concerned, because why weren’t they told, there was no proactive telling the parents and families anything,” Hayes said. “The school board certainly doesn’t know. We certainly don’t have any impact or any input on that. So the transparency is lacking.”
It’s not the first time Lakeside residents have spoken out about the issue.
Last year, CBS 8 reported that a group of neighbors protested outside of a home on Sesi Lane after they discovered multiple sex offenders lived in the home. This is not an uncommon practice. Treatment facilities are able to house up to six registered sex offenders and are geared toward reducing recidivism.
Hayes, the school board president, said the group protesting today will draft a proposal for blanket restrictions to send to state officials.
WATCH RELATED: Lakeside residents protest home housing sex offenders