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Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_07.04.08 - Index

10A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION JULY 4, 2008
PTA mom pushes for Megan’s Law Beat the bugs
at the library
Several years ago on a drive to Pittsburg to visit her specialneeds
daughter’s new school, Discovery Bay resident Bobbi Nugent
was disturbed by the graffi ti and abundance of local security
guards at nearby convenience stores and gas stations.
“It disturbed me, I have to say,” said Nugent, who, because of
her daughter Elizabeth’s needs, considered the Pittsburg non-public
school the family’s only option. “When I got home I tried to look
up the school on the Megan’s Law Web site, and I couldn’t fi nd it.
I thought, ‘Why can’t I arm myself with information like any other
parent?’”
After considerable maneuvering through various Web sites
and search engines, Nugent discovered that 136 sex offenders lived
in the vicinity of the school, although far enough from school
grounds to conform to the law.
Megan Kanka, for whom Megan’s Law is named, was murdered
in 1994 by a known sex offender living in the 7-year-old’s New
Jersey neighborhood. The subsequent passage of Megan’s Law
was intended to give the public Internet access to lists of known
sex offenders. The law was also designed to include the names of
offenders living within 2,000 feet of a public school.
What Nugent soon discovered was that access to Megan’s Law
information did not apply to private institutions such as specialneeds
facilities – and that’s when she got busy.
“This is something that I thought was so unfair. It’s backwards,”
said Nugent. “Children with special needs are especially
vulnerable to predators. It was clear there was a crack in the system;
a huge crack.”
In an attempt to plug the crack, Nugent – who is also the president
of the Discovery Bay PTA – took her plan to the annual California
PTA convention last May. The result was the adoption of a
resolution requiring that non-public schools be covered under the
Megan’s Law ruling.
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by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
July 12 th
9pm
Birthday Bash
Band, Music
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July 20 th
“Ride for the Cure”
Photo courtesy of Kim Schenck
Discovery Bay PTA President Bobbi Nugent – far right,
with fellow PTA members Denise Dimock, left, and Kim
Schenck – is the author of a resolution recently passed by
the California PTA to change the current parameters of the
Meagan’s Law sex offender Web site guidelines.
“I thought the PTA would be a good vehicle for something
like this – you know, ‘every child, one voice,’” said Nugent, whose
fi rst attempt to pass the resolution in the California legislature, in
2005, came up empty. “And you know what? It was unanimously
passed (at the recent PTA convention) in less than three minutes.
We’re thrilled.”
The next step, said Nugent, who has two other children in the
Byron Union School District and one in the Liberty Union High
School District, is to present the PTA resolution to the California
Attorney General’s offi ce. From there, it will be determined whether
the ruling falls under state or federal jurisdiction.
Either way, says Nugent, it’s a great fi rst step.
“It’s kind of out of my hands right now, but we’ve had a lot
of local support and I’m hopeful it will become offi cial very soon.
When I tell people how it all came about, they can’t believe it, and I
agree. Something like this is just a no-brainer.”
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The theme of this year’s Contra
Costa County Library summer
reading program is Catch the
Reading Bug, so why not celebrate
by trying to catch some real bugs?
The bugs that haunt your home,
that is: termites. Learn all about
the pesky mites in an introductory
workshop presented by licensed
termite inspector Steve Swantner.
The program will be presented at
the Oakley Library on Thursday,
July 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Swantner will talk termites –
their biology, lifestyles, habits and
what types we fi nd and deal with
in Contra Costa County. Learn
what to expect from a termite inspection
and what to ask. Also
learn a little about the effi cacy and
popularity of green treatments
– all useful information, no matter
the condition of your home.
The Oakley Library is located
in Freedom High School,
1050 Neroly Road. The library
is open Tuesday and Wednesday
from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday
from 2 to 9 p.m.; Friday from 2 to
6 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m.; closed on Sundays and
Mondays. For more information,
call the library at 925-625-2400.