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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>67853</law_id><section_number>18.2-370.5</section_number><catch_line>Offenses prohibiting entry onto school or other property; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-392.02</reference><reference>53.1-40.02</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="8">Crimes Involving Morals and Decency</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Family Offenses; Crimes Against Children, etc</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Every adult who is convicted of a Tier III <span class="dictionary">offense</span>, as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Offenses requiring registration" href="/9.1-902/">9.1-902</a>, shall be prohibited from entering or being present (i) during school hours, and during school-related or school-sponsored activities upon any property he knows or has reason to know is a public or private elementary or secondary school or child day center property; (ii) on any school bus as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/46.2-100/">46.2-100</a>; or (iii) upon any property, public or private, during hours when such property is solely being used by a public or private elementary or secondary school for a school-related or school-sponsored activity. <a id="paragraph-245749" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.5/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The provisions of clauses (i) and (iii) of subsection A shall not apply to such adult if (i) he is a lawfully registered and qualified voter, and is coming upon such property solely for purposes of casting his vote; (ii) he is a student enrolled at the school; or (iii) he has obtained a <span class="dictionary">court order</span> pursuant to subsection C allowing him to enter and be present upon such property, has obtained the permission of the school board or of the owner of the private school or child day center or their designee for entry within all or part of the scope of the lifted ban, and is in compliance with such school board&#x2019;s, school&#x2019;s or center&#x2019;s terms and conditions and those of the <span class="dictionary">court order</span>. <a id="paragraph-245750" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.5/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Every adult who is prohibited from entering upon school or child day center property pursuant to subsection A may after notice to the attorney for the Commonwealth and either (i) the proprietor of the child day center, (ii) the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the chairman of the school board of the school division in which the school is located, or (iii) the chief administrator of the school if such school is not a public school, <span class="dictionary">petition</span> the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> court in the county or city where the school or child day center is located for permission to enter such property. The court shall direct that the petitioner shall cause notice of the time and place of the <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> on his <span class="dictionary">petition</span> to be published once a week for two successive weeks in a newspaper meeting the requirements of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Newspapers that may be used for legal notices and publications" href="/8.01-324/">8.01-324</a>. The newspaper notice shall contain a provision stating that written comments regarding the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> may be submitted to the <span class="dictionary">clerk of court</span> at least five days prior to the <span class="dictionary">hearing</span>. For good cause shown, the court may <span class="dictionary">issue</span> an order permitting the petitioner to enter and be present on such property, subject to whatever restrictions of area, reasons for being present, or time limits the court deems appropriate. <a id="paragraph-245751" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.5/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> A violation of this section is punishable as a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. <a id="paragraph-245752" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.5/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2007, cc. 284, 370; 2008, c. 781; 2010, c. 402; 2011, cc. 648, 796, 855; 2015, c. 688; 2020, c. 829.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
