Comments on: Member Submission: Son Denied College Admission Because of Registry Status

By: Sharon Smith

Sharon Smith — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 08:41:49 +0000

In reply to Dustin. I agree with Dustin! Don't let them take money! Maybe they didn't, hope not.

By: Sharon Smith

Sharon Smith — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 08:38:38 +0000

To mom and your son. I am so sorry that you have had to learn the dark side of human nature this way. I suggest an on line college. Apply and keep applying to colleges, you will find one somewhere… and do not throw out information to anyone unless you have to. If a college asks, then toss that application, not all online schools care. The degree will make him feel better and it’s important to have a goal. But warn your son to find a way to be self employed. There are people out there with many degrees who cannot get a job because they are on the registry, I know because I have a relative that has several degrees, he is a RSO and had good jobs before, but now, nothing, and the sad part is that he would not listen or try when he was healthy enough because he got angry at not having the life he had before. It is very important to not fall apart.
Help your son get knowledge in business or/ and writing, with the intent to start his own business,but he will need your help to begin. There are a few jobs like truck driving and landscaping, but for the young, there is time to build a business. Mom, you can be his rock and you can help him. Just be smart and do not try to go places that will bust him in the teeth. Think calmly, think deep, and you could even start something that he can finish with your name, & status. Just be smart. I guess if I was young I would start a landscaping business, I hear the owners make good money.
Actually, I know that I would start a landscaping business,but now even I can’t because I am too old. Just don’t let time go by without seriously thinking about options, and realize that most people out there are downright cruel when they hear the words, “sex-offender”, it does show up people for who they really are and it exposes the masks that they hide behind. Generally speaking, unless it happens to them they will not change, and even if they sympathize, sometimes they are fearful of being targeted.
Do not let this destroy, be strong!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 21:36:59 +0000

In reply to Roger Mansfield.

There is an avenue to appeal an administrative denial… it is called DOAH court.
Eastern State College tried that shit with me… once I got an attorney and forced them to explain “how” my attendance would be harmful they completely backpedaled and did not want what would have been an arbitrary and capricious reasoning on record for me to take them to court. The way to do it is as follows….
FLORIDA RULE 9.190.
JUDICIAL REVIEW OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
(a) Applicability. Judicial review of
administrative action shall be as in civil cases except as specifically modified by this rule.

(b) Commencement.
(1) An appeal from final agency action as defined in the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 120, Florida Statutes,
including immediate final orders entered pursuant to section 120.569(2)(n), Florida Statutes, or other administrative action for which judicialreview is provided by general shall be commenced in accordance with rule 9.110(c).

By: Roger Mansfield

Roger Mansfield — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 17:48:12 +0000

I recently tried to register at Eastern Florida State College for several classes but was stopped less than halfway through the process. The application clearly asks if you’ve ever been convicted of a sexually related offense. If you answer yes the process stops and you’re told that you cannot be granted admission. If you answer no your name is still run through the FDLE and uncovered that way. There’s no administrative process to appeal, it’s just “no”.
I also applied to University of Central Florida but ran into complications there also. It wasn’t a flat, immediate no but I will need to go through the Office of Student Conduct for a review hearing. I want to finish a program I started back in 2007 but was interrupted in 2009 by my arrest.
Since I am fortunate enough to be retired and therefore financially stable my heart breaks for registrants who are making strong full efforts to become self-supporting and build a meaningful life but run into walls like these. I simply want to finish what I started so my problems are minimal compared to young or even middle-aged folks trying to restart life. I struggle with pushing my application at UCF because I’m afraid of the outcome setting a precedent for others applicants if I’m denied admission.
Seemingly the political and social focus is to demean and disable registrants. Society speaks out of both sides of their mouths….. “redeem yourselves, your shouldn’t be allowed to feed from the public trough so you need to work and take care of yourselves” but the other side says “you’re not worthy and are a public danger incapable of any recovery. We don’t want you in our schools to prey on our children”.
I honestly don’t know if we’ll be able to bring about change in the current political climate.

By: Jg

Jg — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 17:17:20 +0000

I had problem with a local college as outlined in the story, but, I was on probation at the time. The college after attending for a year and a quarter pulled me out of class during finals week. They just found out about my conviction, when in fact my probation officer sent them a letter about my status, when I applied to the college. I took the college to court, pro we, and a agreement was reached after a month and was aloud to return. In this,story, I would have taken the college to court and having my ducks in a row, would put this college on the same path as the one I had to do. You can only hope that we stand up and say we paid out debt and are trying to improve and show the world we are not the monsters that the news uses to get ratings. But, are people trying to show as the real facts show, we can be model citizens in a place of people.

By: Joe123

Joe123 — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 04:20:32 +0000

Please SEND THIS STORY TO LOCAL NEWSPAPERS/STATIONS. Maybe someone will be interested in writing about this.

ALSO, while I sympathize with this family, the lesson is:

Do NOT offer your SO information to any party. It’s none of their damn business. Simple as that. If they cannot prove that knowing such information would prevent public harm, then it is NONE of their damn business. School or not. I understand that you mean well, but there is a sense of ‘naivety’ throughout this article. Being Honest isn’t going to open doors for you. If you read other situations on this forum, people who went out of their way to be honest were Screwed. You don’t owe it to anyone to explain your offense, unless you choose to.

By: JZ

JZ — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 00:45:36 +0000

Although I feel for anyone being denied an education, I am forced to agree with @no hope. Any degree, prior military service, citizen of the year honor, etc., means NOTHING once you become a registered citizen. I was able to finish my bachelor’s degree before Florida State College at Jacksonville [FSCJ] invoked restrictions on “sexual offenders” and total denial of attendance to “sexual predators.” Yet, I am unable to find a job which requires any degree or x years of experience. Even with an economy at full employment, registered citizens are still unemployable.

What the government has done by making the registry public is get other organizations, institutions, and businesses to inflict the punishment and call it unintentional or indirect “collateral consequences.” Really? Let us examine the chain of events concerning FSCJ:

1) FDLE introduces University/Campus Search
2) FSCJ includes a link on their login page
3) Local “yellow journalists” jump on it and incite media hysteria:

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/crime/2013-11-26/story/registry-shows-high-number-sex-offenders-jacksonville-campuses

4) “High number” [51] greatly exaggerated. According to FSCJ, they have over 50,000 students:

https://www.fscj.edu/discover/about-history

So, a total 51 registered citizens enrolled at all FSCJ campuses out of a student body of over 50,000….yeah, that’s a pretty high [and frightening] number…..about 1/10 of 1 percent!!!!

5) FSCJ unveils new policy:

https://www.fscj.edu/discover/public-safety-security/campus-policies

So here we are, another avenue of rehabilitation and reintegration into the community closed off. Registered citizens represented about 1/10 of 1 percent of the student body and had caused no newsworthy incidents on any FSCJ campuses. A college degree, like so many other things most people take for granted, are now unattainable for us.

By: MJ

MJ — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 13:25:12 +0000

I am so sorry to see this happen to such a promising, vibrant young man. Nothing like getting the passion for something sucked right out of you because of government bureaucratic idiots like what’s over there in Chipola, and pretty much all of Florida.

But this just further proves the point that this ass backwards state and country and is willing to give EVERYONE a second chance, except sex offenders. I’m excluding murderers from that statement, because if by some chance, they are allowed to get released from prison, they can go and live wherever they want and in most cases, move on with their lives. Examples like this, compounded by all the ridiculous requirements we have to face, just further prove that we will NEVER have a chance to live a decent life and get integrated back to society.

So sad. Sorry to hear this young man got the run around by so many idiots. I’m so thankful that I at least got all my education before getting arrested.

However, even with a Master’s degree, I STILL can’t get a decent job and am having to work 3 PT jobs just to survive. So in all fairness, even if this young man WAS able to continue his education and graduate, it still might not mean a hill of beans because nobody will hire him. I hate to sound doom and gloom, but it’s what I’ve experienced even after getting my education. His best bet is to go to a trade school like welding or something or building construction, get his degree in something like that or a business degree if he can get admitted to school somewhere else, and start his own business. Those seem to be the only options that will work for RSOs like myself.

By: Mark L Phillips

Mark L Phillips — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 01:12:05 +0000

To the author of this post…. I had a similar situation with a Community College, all of which receive government funds to operate. The obfuscation and derision this college is engaging in is a flat out civil right violation… once I got an Attorney the college that was trying the same crap with me completely changed its position and accepted me in. YOU NEED TO SUE… FLAT OUT. Make them understand such behavior will not be tolerated.

By: joseph

joseph — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 18:15:32 +0000

I had that problem with Gateway Community College in Phoenix AZ, Here is what I did I went to Google views of the school. I got done posting a few times writing negative reviews about the school (they) The Dean of Students called me in and now I have An Assoicates degree and still cant get a job. I explained to the Dean that they have students that work behide the counter for intake process who don’t know what the hell they doing. I also told the Dean It is a Public School If I were to contact the IRS and see if they could be audition, weather or not the IRS could or not I don’t know. I do know I never had a problem enrolling again However Fla is in its own little world than the rest of the Country