In the wake of the Antigo prom shooting, bullying and how to combat it is once again on the minds of parents and school leaders.
Now one local community is punishing not just the kids who behave badly, but also their parents.
“He shouldn’t have to even deal with it. I don’t think he should have to come to me every day and say ‘well, it happened again’,” says Kylee Jones of Shawano.
Jones says her 16-year-old autistic son has dealt with bullying since middle school.
“And he doesn’t even act like it’s something that shouldn’t be happening and it’s not right. And no kid, no kid should go through that,” explains Jones.
Jones is hopeful that a new City of Shawano ordinance makes parents more aware of how their kids may be acting towards other students.
“I need to know that not just my kids are safe but all the kids are safe. You know, like this shouldn’t be happening,” says Jones.
To deter it from happening, police are now going to work with the Shawano school district to talk to parents of kids who are bullying.
Under the new ordinance, parents and guardians will have 90 days after they’re informed by a police offer of their child’s behavior to intervene.
If the parent doesn’t stop their child from acting as a bully the parent will be fined $366.
If there is a second offense within one year, the parent will be fined $681.
“Right now I think the fines should stay where they’re at. I feel like parents need to communicate with their kids more,” says Jones.
Jones hopes the ordinance and steep fines will not only spark a conversation between parents and their kids, but that it will also make her community a safer place.
“Not that I am okay with what happened in Antigo, but I can see…you know, thank God my son is strong and I appreciate him being strong. I give him so much credit,” says Jones.
Local 5 news reached out to the Shawano Police Department, but no one was available to speak with us today.
However, we were able to speak with the principal of Shawano Community High School. He says he’ll be meeting with the police department in the coming weeks to discuss how he and his staff will help implement the new ordinance when necessary.
