Parents in Menona, Wisconsin can now be ticketed and fined in municipal court if their kids are found to be bullying other children.
The Menona City Council passed the ordinance on May 20, and their decision is now entering the national dialogue. The decision has become of interest as an increasing number of children report acts of physical and mental abuse.
The new bullying ordinance took effect on Thursday, and, according to the municipality, it is the first of its kind.
The decision to pass the blame for bullying onto parents was not made because of a recent event in the area. Instead, lawmakers for the city simply wanted to avoid future problems.
The hope is that parent-liability will make parents keep a closer eye on their children and start an open dialogue about bullying with their kids.
The council notes that parents who are making a good faith effort to deal with their child’s acts of bullying will not be ticketed or fined.
Parents will not be blindsided by a ticket or fine. Instead, a parent or guardian will be informed of their child’s bullying in a written letter from an officer. Parents must then deal with the child’s actions within 90 days. If further actions are taken because of the child, a ticket will be issued and a fine levied against the child’s parents or guardians.
The ticket is a municipal code violation and not a criminal offense. The first offense carries a fine of $114 and each offense after that point carries a $177 penalty.
The Menona bullying ordinance focuses on any person age 12 or older who engages in bullying. The ordinance defines bullying as “an intentional course of conduct which is reasonably likely to intimidate, emotionally abuse, slander, threaten or intimidate another person and which serves no legitimate purpose.”
With various discussions regarding the state of bullying popping up on a daily basis, this ordinance could soon spread to other cities and states.
Do you think parents should ultimately be held responsible for their child’s bullying?
No comments:
Post a Comment