Notification of Registered Sex
Offender
Policy and Procedures
Purpose: To increase the safety and
welfare of the students and staff of Highline Community College by providing
timely and appropriate notification of the presence of a convicted sex
offender. This notification shall be in accordance with applicable state law
and shall be in such a manner that maintains safety without creating excessive
anxiety among students and staff.
Authority: Pursuant to RCW 4.24.550,
Immunity: Public employees and/or public agencies are immune from
civil liability for damages for any discretionary decisions or release of
relevant and necessary information regarding a registered sex offender, unless
it is shown that the employee or agency acted with gross negligence or in bad
faith (RCW 4.24.550).
Notification: Notification from law enforcement will be made to the
Highline Community College Security Office.
The Security Office will verify records to determine if the offender is
a registered student or a college employee and/or communicate the offender
status to the Vice President for Student Services.
Student Sex Offender Responsibility: Within ten days of
enrolling or by the first business day after arriving on campus, whichever is
earlier, the student must notify the sheriff for the county where the student
resides of intent to attend the College.
(RCW 9A.44.130)
Employee Sex Offender Responsibility: A prospective college
employee must notify the sheriff for the county where the employee resides of
the intent to accept a position at the college by the first day of employment. A college employee must register within five
working days of becoming a registered sex offender.
Disclosure: The extent of public
disclosure of relevant and necessary information shall be directly related to:
(a)
The level of risk posed by the offender to the community.
(b)
The locations where the offender resides, expects to reside or is regularly
found.
(c)
The needs of the affected community members for information to enhance their
individual and collective safety.
Record Keeping: Any record received from local law enforcement
agencies shall be maintained in the Campus Security Office.
Procedure:
1. Upon
notification to Campus Security from law enforcement that a sex offender has
registered with local law enforcement, the Vice President for Student Services
will be informed. All official
notifications to the College community shall come from the Vice President for
Student Services or designee. Requests
for additional information will be referred to the appropriate law enforcement
agency.
2. Upon learning of the
enrollment/presence of a convicted sex offender at
a. Obtain additional
information, as necessary, from law enforcement and
about the offender’s
enrollment and employment history on campus.
b. Meet
with Executive Staff and review relevant information to assess safety issues
posed for currently enrolled students and the
c. Notify the
convicted offender to make him or her aware of the notification procedure. Other than the notification procedure,
convicted sex offenders will receive the same rights and privacy protections
provided to all students or staff.
3. Notification
will correspond with the classification level in the following manner:
a. Level I – Low Risk
(1) Executive Staff
(2) Selected Deans/Associate Deans of Instruction and Student Services
(3) Selected Administrators/Directors/Supervisors
(4) Faculty and staff in whose program/courses the offender is enrolled
or employed
(5) Security Office delete
b. Level
II – Medium Risk
(1) All Level I notifications
(2) “Public Notification: Sex Offender Release” posted on various
bulletin boards around campus including the Security Office, Child Care Center, Entry Services, Student Development Center,
Bookstore, Highline Student Union, International Student Programs, Library, Computer
Labs, and other areas frequented by students.
c. Level
III – High Risk
(1) All Level I and II
notifications
(2) Information provided to all college employees via campus mail and/or
list serve
(3) Vice President for Student Services will provide notification to the
classes in which the offender is enrolled.
APPROVED BY PRISCILLA BELL
HIGHLINE COMMUNITY COLLGE PRESIDENT