HARRISBURG, Pa. — Under a proposed Pennsylvania bill, parents of school bullies would be on the hook for up to a $750 fine and a possible community service requirement.
House Bill 1778, proposed by Rep. Frank Burns (D-Cambria) is an attempt to curb the problem of students taunting and terrorizing their peers.
“Bullying is underreported and often unaddressed in any meaningful way,” said Burns, who has introduced similar legislation in the past. “When it’s not addressed, bullying can escalate quickly from taunts and hurtful online posts to physical assaults and -- in worst cases -- suicide. Holding students, parents and school officials at all levels accountable is the only way to put an end to this scourge.”
The bill would act as a bold parent accountability measure that would require schools to notify parents each time their child bullies another child.
After the first incident, parents would be told what action the school took. After the second incident, parents would be required to take a parenting class on bullying and would be asked to attend a bullying resolution conference.
But if a student bullies a third time or more in the same school year, Burns' bill would ensure that the bully's parents receive a court citation and the related stiff penalty of a fine up to $750 and/or community service.
“If holding parents accountable is what it takes to reel in their kids’ bad behavior, then let’s do it,” said Burns. “With the advent of cyberbullying making this problem even more pervasive, we can’t afford to sit back and do nothing."
For parents, it's an encouraging plan to address an ongoing issue.
"I think it’s a start, I do like the idea of the counseling and the conflict resolution piece," said Katey Weaver, a York Township resident with grandkids currently in school. "I would hope they’d be a little judicial in step three and trying to understand parents are making their best efforts versus those who are not."
Burns added the bill, titled the Pennsylvania Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, would clearly spell out the rights of students, parents and schools.
The measure also would require schools to designate an anti-bullying specialist to track, investigate and follow up on reports of bullying and cyberbullying. It also would lay out the detailed information that schools must send monthly to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for each verified incident of bullying or cyberbullying.
Additionally, Burns said school administrators who fail to report or follow through on resolving bullying incidents could face punishment by the Education Department, up to and including loss of teaching or principal certifications.
Dr. Melissa Brown, a psychologist with UPMC, says the most effective bullying prevention plans are ones where everyone is on the same page.
"Those that work is when everyone is on board and everybody is following what is being instructed and being taught on multiple different levels," said Brown. "The conversation and moving from that conversation to action then is really what I think this bill is meant to do."
In the end, parents hope this bill would be the beginning of a safer school environment for their kids.
"Our kids can’t learn if they’re worried about being beaten up or humiliated on social media," said Weaver. "They want to be able to focus on learning, we need to make that a safe environment for them and bullying is not a safe environment."