Should Bullies’ Parents Be Punished? Lawmakers in Plover, Wisconsin, say t's time for someone to pay the price for bullying. Butit’s not the bullies who will pay up—it’s their parents! Anew law in the town allows the police to fine parents. more than $100 iftheir kids are caught bullying more than once. The law is meant to senda message about a serious problem. ‘About 13 million kids across the country are bullied each year. Daniel Ault, the chief of police in Plover, came up with the idea for the law. He says simply telling kids not to bully doesn’t work, "You just continue to talk about itover and over again, and nothing really changes,” Ault says. He thinks the fines will force parents to deal with their kids’ behavior right away. However, not everyone thinks punishing parents will solve the problem, Some people argue that officials should instead help parents find ways to prevent their kids from bullying in the first place. “The answer isn’t punishment but information,” says Peter Sheras, an expert on bullying. Also, some people argue that the law Isn’t far to parents who can't afford to pay the fine. Here's what two of our, readers think, What's Your @SQESEOISI? Goonline to castyour vote and download ‘an opinion-writing skills sheet. wonvischolastic.con/sn56 Yes! Fines will encourage parents to take action. Parents are responsible for their kids’ actions. ifthey’re worried about getting afine, they might work harderto stop ‘their kids from bullying. ‘Also, some parents might not beaware that their childs a bully. fine could give parents an important wake-up cal. ‘About one in five elementary schoolstudentsin the US. are bullied regularly, according to 22013 report. Afineisa small price to payifit - helps top bullying salted, No! Fining parents punishes ‘them, not the bullies. It’s notfair to punish parents fortheir kids’ actions. Parents ‘can’t control what their kids do when they're notaround. Plus, these fines end the ‘wrong message. Parents are the ones being punished, so the bulliesaren’theld responsible for their actions. Also, some kids may bully because they have emotional problems. Fining their parents won'thelp. It’s better totalkto kidstogettothe bottom of their behavior. Joseph Chambers, Virginia eae era soar Ioan SO mu sertasie.com/snss | 7