Deer Lakes School Board delays decision on relocating bus stop near sex offender's home

Residents were left unimpressed Tuesday night after Deer Lakes School Board members voted to table a motion that would set a policy that would require all school bus stops to be at least 300 feet away from any Megan’s Law offender’s residence.

The motion comes after state Rep. Jeremy Shaffer, R-Pine, a member of the state House Education Committee, proposed similar legislation in late September.

Shaffer previously told TribLive the legislation was a result of parents in the Deer Lakes School District fighting to move a stop they say puts their children at risk.

A bus stop was added to the district’s route at the intersection of Ford and Liberty streets in West Deer this school year. Parents began requesting the district move the bus stop when they learned it is close to a registered sex offender’s home.

A search of Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law offender database shows two registered sex offenders live on the street where the bus stop is.

While all members of the board were in favor of pursuing a policy that addresses the matter, the urgency of taking action was not agreed upon.

Board member Pietro Porco motioned to table the matter saying the board is still reviewing data provided by the district and because of pending litigation against the board.

“I think we need thoroughly think through this and review the data and then come up with the right, commonsense policy that aligns with the state laws that are not even on the book yet, but could be,” Porco said.

He questioned why 300 feet was the distance chosen, if the motion could open the board to possible litigation and what actual action the motion would require from the district.

Porco said the district doesn’t have data to know if there are other district stops within 300 feet of a sex offender’s residence. As of now, there’s no way to know how many bus routes and stops would be affected if any, Porco said.

“This started with one student, one bus stop,” Porco said. “And we’re talking about potentially impacting 10 buses with hundreds of students and changing their routes after the school year has started.”

Porco said, while he’s in support of a policy that addresses these concerns, it would be irresponsible of the board to make a motion without looking at data or getting recommendations from experts.

School Director Eric Bieniek seconded the motion to table a vote. He suggested sending a district survey to gauge public interest for the initiative.

“I don’t know that we’ve heard enough from the whole district as opposed to a select number of families,” Bieniek said.

A petition started on Change.org by Deer Lakes parents in September to move the bus stop has garnered 750 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon. According to the petition’s webpage, the signatures are from people within and outside the district.

Bieniek said it would be irresponsible of the board to pass a new policy without having a full plan such as how often the system would be updated.

“Megan’s Law offenders have residences, but they also have places of worship, they have places of employment,” Bieniek said. “And if we’re above and beyond the requirements of the law, it’s responsible for us to put together a policy that is going to address all of these little idiosyncrasies that are moving to this direction.”

He also said there may be some costs associated with the policy if stops are relocated drastically enough that it causes a need for more drivers to be hired and more buses to be utilized.

Board member Jonathan Majernik said, while he “absolutely supports” the desire for an informed process, he suggested passing the motion for an immediate solution for families concerned about the situation, with a stipulation that the district will continue to examine and develop the policy.

“I think we can still address the immediate need,” Majernik said. “I think we’ve heard loud and clear what the community needs are in this space.”

Other board members were hesitant to speak on the topic due to pending litigation brought against the board majority.

Board members and district Solicitor Raymond Sekula declined Tuesday night to disclose the nature of the litigation. But on Oct. 15, School Director Leonard Verdetto filed a lawsuit against board members Porco, Bieniek, Larry Neidig, Cristy McCloskey, Kristi Minnick, Jim Calvert and Jeremy Love, according to the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas.

The suit accuses the board majority of voting on the matter of relocating the stop at Ford and Liberty streets during an executive session Sept. 16.

Verdetto alleges the subject matter of the relocation of the bus stop does not qualify as a permitted topic of closed-door, executive session discussion. He is asking a county judge to rule the vote violated the state Sunshine Act.

The motion to table the policy passed in a 6-2-1 vote. Majernik and Verdetto voted against tabling the item, while Neidig, McCloskey, Minnick, Calvert, Bieniek and Porco voted for it. Love abstained from the vote.

Paul Zalus, a parent whose child walks past the sex offender’s home to reach the bus stop, said he proposed an alternative stop for the board to consider. He said concerns about financial cost of the policy should come second to concern for student safety.

“We’re spending (money) on turf or on a scoreboard. This is, you know, safety. This should come way before stuff like that,” Zalus said.

He expressed his disappointment with the board, saying they need to do a better job representing students and residents.

“You guys need to be the heroes to these kids,” Zalus said. “You guys got to step up.”

The board will continue to discuss the matter and develop the policy.