The city of Shawano, Wisconsin has passed a new ordinance which states parents can be fined if their children bully others. Parents will receive a warning after the first instance of bullying. They will be fined $366 for the second instance. Another instance of bullying will result in a $681 fine.

Police Chief Mark Kohl is quoted by the Shawano Leader as saying: “Our goal is not to ticket our way out this. We need parents to acknowledge and directly participate in curbing this. When parents are more aware of what their child does, it tends to not involve these bad habits. It won’t come as a surprise to them. We want to work as a team. We want to help them be a little more watchful. Parental involvement is really important. If kids believe the parents don’t care, that’s when we see these problems.”

City residents are split on whether or not the new ordinance is a good idea. Do you think parents should be fined if their kids bully others? Is this a good or bad idea? Will the ordinance teach kids not to bully? Weigh in on our Facebook page HERE.