It doesn’t matter how long we look back, bullying has always been a problem. It was an issue for people 100 years ago when children bullied each other on the schoolyard and today, it is an issue when people bully each other on social media. The effect is the same, it crushes a person’s spirit and confidence.
Unfortunately, bullying has become an even bigger problem in today’s society. With the advent of social media channels, such as Twitter and Facebook, it becomes much easier because children have a platform where their bullying is taking place. This bullying is having such an impact that many children are even taking their own lives.
It seems as if one town has decided that enough is enough. A new law has been implemented that is designed to combat serious problems with bullying and to protect the children, but it comes at a cost.
This new law is designed to make sure the children are safe from the cruelty of bullying. It happened when the city Council passed the anti-bullying ordinance.
Under the new ordinance, the parents of the bully are held responsible for the behavior of their child. According to the local police department: “We feel without getting the parent involved, just giving a ticket or fining someone out of this isn’t the answer.”
The way it works is rather straightforward. The parent would first get a warning if the police suspects the child is bullying others. They then have 90 days to address the behavior of the child.
In this way, the legal guardians are given the ability to correct the matter and it is up to them how they decide to change the behavior of their child.
If the parent’s efforts are not successful, the town will then issue a fine of $366 to the parents.
If that doesn’t work and the child ends up with two offenses per year, the fine would be a total of $681.
Some parents feel as if this is the perfect solution but others are up in arms over the situation. They are concerned that bullying is subjective and needs to be judged on a case by case basis.
The police department wants the parents to know that it is not generated toward the kids and playground banter. It is directed toward someone that is using social media and saying things in an attempt to discredit, hurt or demean a person.
Other towns have also looked at the possibility of adding similar legislation.
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