There’s no proof that fining a bully’s parents works, but more cities want to do it anyway

Bullying in schools has been a problem for years, and some Wisconsin towns believe they have a solution: Fine the bullies’ parents.

But there’s no evidence it actually works, even in Monona, Wis., which has had the policy for three years.

Shawano, Wis. passed an ordinance in April that would fine parents $366 if a child engages in bullying behavior and does not improve within 90 days. Another offense within a year would cost $681. In Monona, parents will be fined $124 for the first offense and $184 for the second within the same year. In Plover, Wis., they can be fined $124.

None of the towns have actually issued a fine for bullying, only a collective five warnings, according to local law enforcement.

Police chiefs of the three towns said with rising suicide rates among bullied teens and increased active shooter situations — typically involving kids who say bullying pushed them to their limits — they felt they needed to try something new to combat the issue. About one in four students report being bullied during the school year, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, and studies show many do not report it.

“You get these victims that are at their wit’s end,” said Monona Police Chief Walter Ostrenga. “This gives them another outlet. Come to us. We’ll help you.”

Shawano Police Chief Mark Kohl said he hopes they don’t have to use the fine, but that it’s a “last resort” to get parents involved in their children’s behavior if the parents won’t respond to warnings. The fine amounts are set in city ordinances as the average for any type of violation.

Plover passed its policy in November and Plover Police Chief Dan Ault said he believes the policy should be implemented everywhere, although he admits the department hasn’t been doing it long enough to see if it really decreases bullying behavior. Kohl said he got the idea for the policy from Ault, when he hosted a meeting among police chiefs in central Wisconsin encouraging other police departments to try to the policy.

Plover officers issue a warning if a child has multiple cases of harrassing, intimidating or threatening another student within 90 days. They then issue a warning to parents about their child’s behavior, and if the bullying does not improve the parents are assessed the fine. Ault said his department has only had to warn parents in two cases and hasn’t issued a fine yet. After warnings were issued in the two cases, Ault said both of the children’s behavior improved.

“Responsible parents are notified of the behavior and will get involved. It’s possible they didn’t know, and in those cases we want them to know,” Ault said. “But there are deadbeat parents out there, and if they don’t do anything about their child’s behavior they will be fined.”

Monona was the first city to implement the policy in May 2013. Ostrenga said it’s hard to assess how effective the policy has been, because many bullying incidents go unreported, but he believes it’s working.

The warning letter Monona issues informs parents that their child has engaged in bullying and provides numbers to a parental stress line, and human services in the county. It also encourages parents to go to stopbullying.org to see what steps they can take to address their child’s bullying.

Monona only issued three such letters in three years, and two were to the same family for different children. That family has since moved, so Ostrenga said he didn’t know how the kids are doing now. Typically, bullying complaints are handled by schools and the police department rarely gets involved.

“I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but it’s just another tool in our toolbox,” Ostrenga said.

Kohl said he is unaware of any areas of the country outside of Wisconsin that are trying this. While he has gotten several requests for his policy language from other towns in the state, Kohl said the only police department outside the state who has requested it is New Castle, Penn.

“I’m more than happy to provide the policy to other departments who want it,” Kohl said.

Ault said it isn’t about the money or punishing parents, but about making sure the parents are responsible for their children. Officers also meet with the parents to ensure they’re aware of resources they can use such as counseling or mentoring programs, particularly if they’re a single parent or have a low income.

“We’re not telling you how to raise your family, we’re telling you that you need to raise your family,” Ault said. “Don’t let them grow into little monsters.”

This story was originally published May 5, 2016 at 8:17 AM with the headline "There’s no proof that fining a bully’s parents works, but more cities want to do it anyway."