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State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
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NO MORE CATALOGS OF KIDS FOR SEXUAL PREDATORS
When Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL – Inver Grove Heights & South St. Paul) unveiled the first piece of his 2008 legislative package to crack down on sexual predators last month – an initiative to keep predatory offenders away from schools – he received over a hundred supportive phone calls, letters, and emails from parents, teachers, and other concerned Minnesotans statewide. An email of encouragement from Eden Prairie resident Jan Forsberg particularly struck a cord when she informed Atkins of another loophole that sexual predators can use to prey on children.
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act passed by the United States Congress in 1974 was originally intended to allow parents access to their children's education records. These records include the child's name, address, photo, height, weight, and academic information. However, state law under the Minnesota Government Data Privacies Act currently allows schools to release this information to anyone, including predatory offenders. This raised concerns with Rep. Atkins, leading him to draft legislation to close this loophole in Minnesota law.
"These student directories are like a JC Penney's holiday catalog full of potential victims for a sexual predator," said Atkins. "We need to do a better job of making sure that our students' personal information doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
Atkins' proposed legislation would restrict the disclosure of student directory information to only parents, legal guardians, school personnel, and certain parties that have a contract with the school such as school photographers and yearbook companies. It is one of several measures Rep. Atkins will be authoring in the 2008 legislative session aimed at preventing sexual offenders from preying on children.
"Stricter punishment alone for sexual predators won’t keep sex offenders away from our kids," said Atkins. "That's why I'm working so hard this year to find effective preventative measures to stop these crimes before they happen. Loopholes existing in current state law are exposing our children to serious danger and we simply can't wait any longer to fix them."
Another loophole in state law that Rep. Atkins is working to close involves Minnesota teachers engaging in sexual activity with 18-year-old students. Currently it is legal for teachers to do so in this state. Atkins' proposed legislation would make it a crime.
"Most parents are shocked to learn that it is legal in Minnesota for a teacher to have a sexual relationship with a high school senior," said Atkins. "Just because a student happens to be 18 years old doesn’t make it any more appropriate for school personnel to have a sexual relationship with that student."
Atkins' proposed legislation is based off of a Texas law prohibiting this kind of activity. Simply stated, the Minnesota law would make it a felony offense for sexual contact between a teacher and student regardless of the student’s age.
Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom supports both of Rep. Atkins' bills, calling them good preventative legal measures that will protect Minnesota children from the risk of sexual predators.
"Nothing is more important than protecting our children and eliminating loopholes in state law such as these related to predatory behavior," said Backstrom. "This is an important step in that direction."
Rep. Atkins will introduce these bills when the Legislature reconvenes on February 12, 2008. He is hopeful that his legislative colleagues will support these initiatives for the wellbeing of all Minnesota children.
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