USATODAY.com:
In North Tonawanda, N.Y parents could end up behind bars if their child is a bully.
It’s not us telling you how to raise your children,” said the police chief. “It’s us telling you, ‘Please raise your children.'”
A new law passed in the city north of Buffalo aims to punish parents of unruly minors too young to face jail time themselves, TV station WIVB 4 reported.
The North Tonawanda Common Council passed the law unanimously last week, according to the station, which threatens parents with up to 15 days of jail time, a $250 fine or both if their child is found to have bullied or attacked another student.
The law also targets parents who host parties with illegal activities or whose kids break curfew, per the Buffalo News. It comes after a wave teenage terror in the city, largely led this year by a pack of middle school boys, a juvenile aid officer told the newspaper.
After a classmates attacked her son in June, Victoria Crago teamed up with other parents to form a Facebook group called “North Tonawanda Coalition for Safe Schools and Streets.” The bullies are too young to face jail time, she told WIVB 4, and that’s part of the problem.
