After having tried and failed with different initiatives, in the city of North Tonawanda, New York, they have implemented a new and controversial way of dealing with bullying.
Under a new local law, if a child violates the curfew of the city or any other city law, including bullyingTwice in a 90-day period, his parents could be fined $ 250 (223 euros) and sentenced to 15 days in jail. With this measure they expect parents to take responsibility for their children, but Is it right to punish parents for the actions of their children?
The law was implemented after five students were expelled from North Tonawanda Middle School for bullying. Police Department Captain Karen Smith told The Buffalo News that she had not seen anything like it in her 19 years in the youth office, "this group of young people were getting into trouble regularly."
Should parents be punished if their children bully?
Obviously, parents have their share of responsibility if their child harasses other children. Behind a stalker who uses intimidation and violence to subdue others, there is a child who does not tolerate frustration, shows no empathy for others and only feels good in a situation of superiority.
From home, through education in values since they are young, bullying situations can be prevented, both to prevent your child from becoming a bully as a victim of bullying. However, it is not always possible to see it coming.
As for the law, there is a lot controversy about punishing parents if their child is bullying. School officials say that sometimes parents of troubled children give up, and do nothing to avoid it. By imposing punishment, they are supposed to get more involved, to talk to their children.
According to North Tonawanda City Attorney Luke Brown, what they are looking for is to involve parents in the process and try to work on a solution to redirect their children's behavior.
But taking responsibility away from children to deposit with parents is not a good idea for everyone. The American Council of Science and Health (ACSH) raised several concerns about the effectiveness of the law in practice, noting that "this new law transcends and extends the role of the State as a nanny."
There are those who think that putting parents in jail will not solve the problem. That if someone should be arrested, it is the child who harasses.
He also expressed concern about "the undue burden that it could pose for working parents or single-parent families," which could end up losing a job or not being able to care for their family due to the actions of their children.
