Code of Alabama - Title 15: Criminal Procedure - Section 15-20A-17 - Adult sex offender - Loitering in certain areas; requirements for entering K-12 school property or attending K-12 school events

Section 15-20A-17 - Adult sex offender - Loitering in certain areas; requirements for entering K-12 school property or attending K-12 school events.

(a)(1) No adult sex offender, after having been convicted of a sex offense involving a minor, shall loiter on or within 500 feet of the property line of any property on which there is a school, childcare facility, playground, park, athletic field or facility, school bus stop, college or university, or any other business or facility having a principal purpose of caring for, educating, or entertaining minors.

(2) Under this subsection, loiter means to enter or remain on property while having no legitimate purpose or, if a legitimate purpose exists, remaining on that property beyond the time necessary to fulfill that purpose. An adult sex offender does not violate this subsection unless he or she has first been asked to leave a prohibited location by a person authorized to exclude the adult sex offender from the premises. An authorized person includes, but is not limited to, any law enforcement officer, security officer, any owner or manager of the premises, a principal, teacher, or school bus driver if the premises is a school, childcare facility, or bus stop, a coach, if the premises is an athletic field or facility, or any person designated with that authority.

(3) For purposes of this subsection, a school bus stop is any location where a motor vehicle owned or operated by or on behalf of a public or private school stops on a regular basis for the purpose of transporting children to and from school.

(b)(1) No adult sex offender, after having been convicted of a sex offense involving a minor, shall enter onto the property of a K-12 school while school is in session or attend any K-12 school activity unless the adult sex offender does all of the following:

a. Notifies the principal of the school, or his or her designee, before entering onto the property or attending the K-12 school activity.

b. Immediately reports to the principal of the school, or his or her designee, upon entering the property or arriving at the K-12 school activity.

c. Complies with any procedures established by the school to monitor the whereabouts of the sex offender for the duration of his or her presence on the school property or attendance at the K-12 school activity. For a public K-12 school, the local school board shall adopt a policy to effectuate this section.

(2) Procedures established to effectuate this subsection are limited to rules that allow the principal of the school, or his or her designee, to discreetly monitor the adult sex offender.

(3) For the purposes of this subsection, a K-12 school activity is an activity sponsored by a school in which students in grades K-12 are the primary intended participants or for whom students in grades K-12 are the primary intended audience including, but not limited to, school instructional time, after school care, after school tutoring, athletic events, field trips, school plays, or assemblies.

(c) Any person who knowingly violates subsection (a) or subsection (b) shall be guilty of a Class C felony.

Act 2011-640, p. 1569, §17; Act 2014-421, p. 1537, §1; Act 2015-463, §1.)

Last modified: May 3, 2021