Blue Valley School District officials will consider policy changes at the next school board meeting to address the complaints of outraged parents who say a registered sex offender was allowed into an elementary school dance.
Since the Feb. 8 social event at Blue River Elementary in Stilwell, parents have been contacting school officials demanding an explanation for why a man on the registered offender list was allowed into the event.
Multiple parents who spoke with the Post about the incident say the man made his way to the edge of the dance floor area and was seen pointing a phone’s camera in the direction of students.
But Blue Valley officials say no laws were violated. The man had a “functioning parental relationship” with a student or students at the event, a district spokesperson said, and had received permission to be there, per school guidelines.
Parents address concerns with principal at dance
The Post spoke with four parents about their concerns regarding the incident.
All asked not to be identified because of fears of repercussions against their children. According to their accounts, the man was recognized by some parents near the raffle table and the dance floor shortly after the event began.
His presence caused a stir among the parents in attendance, who said they met in another room in the school to discuss what to do without upsetting the children at the party.
Ultimately, they conferred with school principal Melissa Blevins, who took the man aside. He left shortly after that, the parents said.
The parents said the man was seen pointing his phone’s camera in the direction of the dance floor, but no person the Post talked with said they could be sure he was videotaping or taking pictures.
The man in question was indicted in 2010 in connection with an investigation into sharing sexually explicit images of minors on LimeWire, a peer-to-peer sharing platform.
He pleaded guilty in 2011 to the distribution or receipt of child pornography via the internet and was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, plus seven years of supervision on release, according to his court file. (“Child pornography” is how it is referred to in federal criminal statute, though many victim advocates prefer the term “child sex abuse materials” to avoid any implied consent regarding such acts.)
He is also required to be on the offender registry.
The Post is choosing not to name the man in this story because, in this case, he’s not accused of committing a crime. When reached for comment for this story, the man said he wanted to consider whether to reply but had not provided a comment as of publication.
The district said no laws were broken
Some of the parents have expressed shock on social media not only that the man was allowed to attend but that they were not notified beforehand. At least one parent asked for a full investigation and review of the school’s safety policies.
But school officials say their guidelines were followed and no laws were broken.
Kansas law does not mandate where registered offenders may live, work or go to school, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
District officials say they have no policy barring registered offenders from school buildings, and Kansas law does not prohibit it either. However, the district does have an administrative guideline requiring pre-approval to attend an event.
“These requests are rare and carefully reviewed,” said a district spokesperson. “In this instance, permission was granted for one event at Blue River Elementary on Saturday night [Feb. 8] to accompany a student with whom the individual has a functioning parental relationship.”
Families also are asked during enrollment about permission for their students to be photographed. However, those permissions don’t extend to events organized by parent groups, like the parent-teacher organization at Blue River Elementary.
The superintendent has called for policy review
Blue Valley Superintendent Tonya Merrigan wrote back to 10 parents, assuring them that when permission is given for a registered offender to be on the property, appropriate supervision is ensured.
“This process is designed to uphold the safety and well-being of all students while allowing the student to have their parent or guardian in attendance at the activity,” she wrote.
“That said, I have requested an immediate review of this administrative guideline with direction to provide additional clarity around the specific steps required when considering a special request,” Merrigan added, noting that the review would address who can authorize the request, specific expectations for supervision, photo restrictions and family notifications.
School board President Gina Knapp also sent out a similarly worded letter to parents.
What happens next?
To that end, the topic will be discussed at the March 3 board meeting.
According to the district’s process, the revisions will be posted on the website for 30 days for community feedback before final approval is expected at the April 14 board meeting.
“We understand concerns were generated with this issue,” a district spokesperson said. “We have responded with accurate information, and we believe the best way forward is to take action as previously suggested.”
The Post last week reached out to Blevins, the Blue River Elementary principal, via email and received an automatic “Out of Office” reply. She had not responded to the Post as of publication of this article.
