What's worse than being told your kids is an evil person? Being fined because your kid is an awful person? One town is betting that parents of kids tht bully others won't like being charged for their spawn's awful behavior.
To address the seriousness of bullying, the police in Shawano, Wisconsin, now have the right to hold parents accountable if their child fits the description of a bully. Critics of this new law are livid, saying it doesn’t properly address the factors which could drive children to bully at all. Shawano Police Chief Mark Kohl was adamant law enforcement had made the right call, saying:
It creates an avenue for us to work with parents to help find solutions.
Parents with children under the age of 18 will receive a 90-day warning from police if their child is caught bullying others. Bullying is not limited to physical altercations alone. Under this new legislation, verbal harassment and cyber bullying will also be considered. The police will work in conjunction with the Shawano School District to identify bullies and then notify parents.
Parents whose children don’t heed warnings could find themselves slapped with a hefty $366 fine. And they won’t necessarily be in the clear if their child is found to have committed a second offense. Another offense causes the fine to nearly double, leaving parents with a whopping $681 debt for kids who refuse to behave themselves.
But will this legislation actually produce results? Some are positive it will; others are not so certain. Sheriff Kohl says that many parents may not even be aware that their child is a bully to other children and that these fines will serve as a wake-up call. Parents can commit to curbing their child’s actions before it gets worse and the fines will make them aware of such actions. Bullying, says Kohl, has harmful effects.
It can lead to other things [like] drug use…and unfortunately suicide.
It is unclear who will have the final say what is defined as bullying. Will the community look at all forms of bullying, even kids bullying LGBTers?
Do you think this is a good idea?
h/t: the-dailybuzz.com and nbc26.com
I think it will be
I think it will be interesting to see how this works out. Kids can be really cruel nowadays and this should not go unpunished; parents have a responsibility for their children and should be held accountable. If they are not aware what their children are up to, it can only lead to better communication between child and parents, and hopefully help address whatever is causing them to bully others.
I do not think that finning
I do not think that finning is the solution. Bullies typically have issues themselves, and this is a way for them crying out for help. I feel that parents should be made aware of this, and look into what is the underlying cause. I also understand that many of the children come from homes that their parents are bulling them. This also needs to be addressed in order to break this cycle. This can be a very difficult problem to solve.