Auditor Report Finds Sex Offenders at Registered Child Care Facilities

A new report from State Auditor Suzanne Bump suggests that a surprisingly large number of sex offenders statewide may be living in properties also used as childcare facilities.

According to the report, the recent audit found 119 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders living at addresses that were also registered with the state as child care providers. The audit took place over 15 months from July 2010 through September 2011.

“While we recognize that all 119 may not pose a problem because some of the information in the sex offender registry may be outdated, we believe that routinely conducting this match will serve to better ensure the safety of children in (Department of Early Education and Care’s) programs,” stated the report.

Meanwhile, the Auditor's report does not provide information on how many Level 1 sex offenders may be living at registered child care facilities, in part because their lower rating currently affords them greater anonymity in the eyes of the law.

In the child sex abuse case against John Burbine, officials say Burbine was a Level 1 sex offender while he was running an illegal daycare with his wife, Marian, in Wakefield, Mass. At least one of John Burbine's victims is from Newton, officials say.

Soon after the John Burbine sex abuse case first broke, Patch spoke with a local mother who said she tried to do a background check on Burbine when she enrolled her child at the Burbine's Waterfall Education Center.

John Burbine is facing nearly 100 counts involving the alleged molestation of children. He was also indicted in Essex County this week for an allegation involving a boy in Saugus.

Burbine was classified as a Level 1 sex offender stemming from an incident that occurred years before the child molestation scandal. His wife, , for having allegedly known of her husband’s Level 1 status and allowing him to work with children.  

In response to the legal loophole that allowed Burbine to go undetected, state lawmakers proposed some reforms early this year to the state classification system.

"There is no excuse and no justification for allowing sex offender information to be inaccurate, outdated, or inaccessible, and it’s time for comprehensive reform and legislative action," said State Senate Republican Leader Bruce Tarr in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

In other findings, the state audit found that “EEC is not ensuring that its licensed child care providers are performing the required Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) checks on their staff, both at the point of hire and then every three years.” A sample found that CORI checks had not been performed for 15 of 152 child care workers.  

“I am extremely disheartened that it takes reports like the one published by State Auditor Suzanne Bump to expose glaring deficiencies within certain state agencies when it comes to protecting Massachusetts’ children and families," House Republican Brad Jones said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. 

The full text of the auditor’s report is available here.