Bullying ordinance targets parents

PLOVER — Parents whose children repeatedly bully other kids may now find themselves faced with $124 fine.

The Plover Village Board this month approved an ordinance that gives police the ability to notify parents in writing if their child is caught bullying and to ticket the parents if their child is caught bullying again within 90 days. With court costs included, the fine would total $124, according to Plover Police Chief Dan Ault, who wrote and proposed the ordinance.

The ordinance is intended to hold parents accountable for the actions of their children and motivate parents to confront their children if bullying is taking place, Ault said.

“You’re the parent,” he said. “You’ve got to have some responsibility in this.”

The police have to be involved in the incidents for the ordinance to apply, Ault said. The bullying doesn’t necessarily have to be happening at school, though, and could even be happening online.

A similar bullying ordinance was passed in Monona, a city in Dane County, in May 2013. The Monona ordinance was the first bullying ordinance passed that held parents accountable for their child's bullying, according to Monona Detective Sgt. Ryan Losby. The measure got attention from national and international media, and the department has gotten calls from many cities interested in the ordinance, Losby said.

It's been more than two years since the ordinance was passed and Monona police still have not given out any fines, but have issued three warnings, Losby said.

“I’m not saying that’s good or bad, but I’m starting to wonder if people are thinking we’re all bark,” he said.

Losby said he wishes the city would have surveyed students about bullying before and after the ordinance took effect to get a better idea of the impact.

"I have no doubt it would have showed a drastic reduction in bullying," he said.

In a national survey, 20 percent of high school students reported being bullied on school property and 15 percent reported being bullied online in the year before the survey, which was done in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Plover-Whiting Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary are the only two Stevens Point Area School District schools in the village of Plover. St. Bronislava Elementary, a Catholic school, is also located in the village.

Ault, who has three children of his own, said the Plover ordinance should encourage parents to act as role models and set guidelines for their children.

“If my kids broke something or something happened, I was responsible for it,” he said. “One way or the other, I was responsible for it as the parent.”

Ault said he hopes the ordinance will get parents to reach out to their children and teach them about bullying. That’s why the ordinance doesn’t ticket or fine parents until bullying happens more than once, Ault said.

The ordinance is also meant to try to prevent other consequences of bullying, such as suicide or school violence, Ault said. In 2014, a total of 12 people died of suicide in Portage County, according to the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Coalition of Portage County.

“If we can intervene before it turns ugly, that’s when we can really make a difference,” Ault said.

Chris Mueller can be reached at 715-345-2251 and christopher.mueller@gannettwisconsin.com. Follow him on Twitter as@AtChrisMueller.