There’s a misconception that Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law bars sexual offenders from living within so many feet of schools. The law requires their whereabouts be tracked and that the public be notified of their presence in the community, Longietti said.

Part of the problem for Sharon, Longietti said, is that out of about 50 halfway houses across the state, most of them are run by private companies that prohibit sex offenders from living there. That leaves 15 state facilities to deal with all the sexual offenders in Pennsylvania, Longietti said, and one of those is in Sharon.

While it seems prudent to monitor the inmates and try to ease them into society, Longietti said it doesn’t make a lot of sense to house them so near schools.

He said it’s particularly an issue in Sharon, because Sharon school district does not provide busing.

Mrs. Hout asks that people bring their own signs to the rally and encourages folks who can’t stay the whole time to stop even briefly to show their support for the cause.

Mrs. Hout said that police have told her that the group must not block roadways or the entrance to the facility. Anyone who goes onto the center’s property or behaves in a disorderly manner could also be arrested, she said.

“I hope that (state officials) see that the people in Sharon and the surrounding communities aren’t going to stand for being a dumping ground.”

Another thing Mrs. Hout said bothers her is how many of these parolees appear to stay in the area after they get released from the center.

According to the Pennsylvania Megan’s Law Web site, there are currently 53 sex offenders living or working in Sharon.

“How many of them originated from the halfway house?” Mrs. Hout wondered.

None of the sex offenders registered in Sharon now are classified as sexually violent predators, the highest level of offender, Menster said. There are two in the county, both incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution in Findley Township.

Menster also suggested to legislators that sexual offenders should be required to return to the county where they committed their crime after they are released from prison.

The vast majority of Sharon’s sex offenders are from other areas. In September, Menster said two of the 41 sex offenders registered as living in Sharon were originally from the city.

According to “save our children” fliers passed out Monday around the city, the plan is to march from McDonald’s to the halfway house.