Have you ever played the game telephone? It is the game where one person in a line tells a secret to the next person and it continues down the line to the last person, who then says the secret out loud. Nine times out of 10, the secret is completely different than when the first person started.
Lately it seems as though Levittown and Island Trees have been caught in an endless game of telephone. As I was gathering information on my article about how the districts were reacting to Megan's Law, I heard so many different versions of what was going on that my head began to spin. The one fact that nobody disputed, even if they could not confirm it, was that a convicted sex offender had moved into the area. From there the issue got blurry and people began quoting many different sources for the information that they had obtained. Many fingers have been pointed, over the past two-weeks, about who was saying what and who did what to whom. This could have all been avoided if the state had clear guidelines on what information could be released to whom when a situation like this arises. At the moment no such guidelines are set, therefore confusion has reigned.
The school districts should not be blamed for the misunderstandings that have occurred. The sex offender registration act, as it currently stands, is so unclear that it is no wonder that the two districts interpreted the law in two completely different ways. Rather than pointing fingers at the school districts, who are at just as much at a loss as everyone else about what can or cannot be done, look towards your local legislators, not to point fingers but to make a change. It is these people who have the power to change the law and make it more clear, with one set of rules that everyone must follow.
The game telephone may be fun for children but it can get out of hand with adults and may have serious implications. Dr. Herman Sirois made a statement at the board meeting about how gossip and speculation travel faster than the US Postal Service and it is so true. I know many of you are scared for your children but don't make the situation worse. If you don't have all the facts please don't make things up or put the blame on people who have no say in the matter. Don't let this game of telephone get any further out of control.
