What do you think of this?: Parents of bullies should have to pay fines each time their kid bullies another kid. There's a town in Wisconsin that's trying to make this into law.
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin is considering a new way to handle the issue of bullying, by holding the parents financially accountable. A city official in Sun Prairie, Alder Maureen Combie, has proposed that parents get fined if their kid is bullying other students. She’s proposing a city-wide anti-bullying ordinance, similar to one enacted by nearby Monona in 2013.
Combie is asking the city to consider issuing tickets to the parents of bullies that would fine them anywhere from $50 to $1,000. The proposal comes after other parents have asked for more accountability for adults to help stop bullying. The ordinance would include verbal, physical, and electronic harassment.
“It’s basically just another tool in the tool box,” Combie says. The proposal will be brought up in Sun Prairie’s Youth and Family Commission this Thursday.
This isn't the first law of this type...in Western New York, one district can impose fines, and even jail time, for parents of bullies. Wow!
Now, I don't have kids, but I absolutely remember being bullied in school. I lost track of how many times I was tripped, punched, had spitballs blown into my hair...yeah, kids can be awful. And I saw plenty of other kids deal with way worse...and it's only harder now that everyone is online. So although I've never had to deal with it as a parent, I definitely had to deal with it as the student. Do you think fining the parents is an appropriate way of dealing with a bully, especially one who's a repeat offender? I personally think it's a good idea, because it forces the parents to be more involved and engaged in their kid's life. But if you feel differently, I'd love to know about it. Sound off in the Facebook comments!
[Yahoo]