[Ashley.]

Originally Posted by Brillopad

So poorer families shoudn’t be held accountable for any wrong doing. Talk about giving them a licence to behave in an antisocial way.

I believe that such a system is unequal for different reasons - it would actually be more beneficial for poorer families. I'm sure the more well-off parents wouldn't mind paying a "small" fine for their child's behaviour, whereas poorer parents wouldn't want to pay various fines and would be more willing to make an effort.

Again though, it isn't always the parents' fault, so it's complicated.

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Ashley.

I believe that such a system is unequal for different reasons - it would actually be more beneficial for poorer families. I'm sure the more well-off parents wouldn't mind paying a "small" fine for their child's behaviour, whereas poorer parents wouldn't want to pay various fines and would be more willing to make an effort.

Again though, it isn't always the parents' fault, so it's complicated.

This reminded me so much of this quote

'The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.'

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Ashley.

I believe that such a system is unequal for different reasons - it would actually be more beneficial for poorer families. I'm sure the more well-off parents wouldn't mind paying a "small" fine for their child's behaviour, whereas poorer parents wouldn't want to pay various fines and would be more willing to make an effort.

Again though, it isn't always the parents' fault, so it's complicated.

I agree with this, Ashley. In my high school, we had a truancy issue. One year, the administration had an idea. The police came and occupied the auditorium for about a week and called students with a certain number of inexcused absences into there by intercom to issue them all citations and fines based on the amount of days they missed without a notice. So all the kids and their parents had to go to court and either bring proof proving the reason(s) for their chronic truancy or they were fined... attendance was better after that, sure, but a lot of parents were distressed by the extra financial strain.

With bullying, I think it would be difficult to tailor a system that is objective enough for what it's meant to dissolve. It may just cause those children being excluded even more hardship in it's interpretation, just because it limits the tools of the bullies. So it will just lead to further pervasive bullying by exclusion, etc, which is far worse... than if folk have a fight and then "work it out after". It's not like they can "compell" students to interact with one another in a friendly manner that isn't purposeful. It may actually worsen the situation for the student and make the bullying more deeply ingrained into the culture of the school... kind of like how it works at internet forums that have really heavy moderation, there is a lot of "exclusionary" behavior(s), etc to such a degree.

Truancy is a bit different, it's pretty black and white when someone doesn't show up to their classes or are caught down the road by a Constable eating a hamburger at Burger King.

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Maru

Truancy is a bit different, it's pretty black and white when someone doesn't show up to their classes or are caught down the road by a Constable eating a hamburger at Burger King.

I don't see what this has to do with parents tbh. Unless we are talking like 10 year old kids who are deposited in school and thats that, or schools with large high fences all around so the kids literally have no freedom at all and thus cannot leave after a parent brings them in I do not think truancy is black and white at all, again especially when it comes to teens..and is something else that a parent may be responsible for but most likely is not. So yeah, I disagree 100% that truancy is black and white.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

I don't see what this has to do with parents tbh. Unless we are talking like 10 year old kids who are deposited in school and thats that, or schools with large high fences all around so the kids literally have no freedom at all and thus cannot leave after a parent brings them in I do not think truancy is black and white at all, again especially when it comes to teens..and is something else that a parent may be responsible for but most likely is not. So yeah, I disagree 100% that truancy is black and white.

Yeah I agree, it's not the parent's direct fault if the child skips school. The only other option would be to homeschool if it doesn't stop, and that's not a possible alternative for most poor folk. The fine(s) though were a one-time thing, so it wasn't like they were there every year fining people. I'm not sure I "agree" with it personally (but it happened so..)

However, when I said truancy is 100% black and white, I meant it in the sense that they would know for sure yes, their precious angel skipped school.. We caught 'em... it's absolutely clear in those instances whether or not trauncy has actually occurred and if there was any reasoning to justify it. With bullying, it's not necessarily immediately clear if the situation is/was a result of bullying or not. Sometimes things escalate, the fact of a child behaving like a child for one, that maybe what happens instead is that two kids don't get along, not necessarily that it is a case of bullying in the most generic sense. I think even with clearest of guidelines, it would probably just add more headaches for families of kids who are just going through the process of growing up...