Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
The Shawano School Board on Monday heard details about the city’s new bullying ordinance, which carries possible penalties for parents who allow their children to continue bullying after they’ve been made aware of the behavior.
Police Chief Mark Kohl said the department is looking for help not just from parents but also from the school district and other agencies in addressing the problem.
The new ordinance garnered a lot of media attention from outlets across the country after it was first reported in the Leader, even though several other communities in the state have already passed similar ordinances.
Kohl said Shawano’s ordinance followed conversations with Police Chief Dan Ault, of Plover, where a bullying ordinance is already on the books. He said the response to the Plover ordinance has been mostly positive.
That conversation also followed a presentation about the effects of bullying that had been hosted by the Shawano School District, Kohl noted.
“The school was one step ahead of us,” Kohl said, adding that the district also already has a policy discouraging bullying and harassment.
However, he said, police had no way of dealing with bullying or harassment that takes place off school grounds.
“A lot of these complaints happen outside of the school day,” he said.
Kohl also said communities that have passed similar ordinances have never gotten to the point of actually having to assess fines or forfeitures against parents, because parents have been cooperative.
“Many parents don’t know that they have a child who is a bully. The emphasis is to work closer with the parents.,” Kohl said. “We cannot arrest our way out of the bullying issue.”
Kohl said the department would like to see parents taking a closer look at what their children do, including social media interactions, and how they act with friends and outside of the household.
“What behaviors have they noticed about their child if they believe they might be bullied?” he said.
School Board members were generally supportive of the ordinance and its intent but wanted to ensure there would be an educational component that would make parents and others aware of the seriousness of the problem.
“I think it’s great what you’re doing; I really do,” board member Marcia Yeager said. “I think it is a problem and I think it is getting worse. I think it all comes down to education, of how to make them aware of bullying, how to handle bullying.”
Yeager said the problem can start as early as preschool, as soon as one student tells another, “You can’t play with me.”
Kohl said his department is looking to address the issue in stages with the help of parents and the community.
He said part of that will involve trying to break down stereotypes dealing with gender, race, and cultural and economic issues.
Board members Michael Sleeper and Diane Hoffman said raising awareness and getting the word out to the community about the problem would be important factors.
Hoffman added that the problem of bullying goes beyond children and can also be seen in the workplace.
Board member Derek Johnson questioned whether the district’s policy on reporting bullying was streamlined and comfortable enough for victims.
Superintendent Gary Cumberland said there are opportunities for students to report such incidents directly to guidance counselors and others.
Kohl said many instances of bullying are not reported by the victims but by friends or others who have witnessed the behavior.
The ordinance calls for a fine of $366 for the first offense and $681 for the second offense for parents who are aware of and allow their children to engage in bullying or harassment.
The fine would only apply, however, if the parent had already been informed by police within the previous 90 days that their child had been engaging in bullying or harassment.