Should We Hold Parents of Bullies Financially Responsible?

I recently watched the video of Karen Klein, the bus monitor from New York who was harassed unmercifully by four teenage bullies. (Read the article at the Huffington Post.) She received apologies from the parents and two of the boys. The four boys caught on video deriding, verbally abusing, taunting and throwing a book at the bus monitor received suspension, anti-bullying education classes and community service hours. The outrage from sympathetic viewers of the video on the web netted nearly $700,000.00 for Ms. Klein. According to the comments on articles written about the incident, some folks seem to believe that Ms. Klein should NOT accept the money or should donate it to charity.

The question for me is not whether she deserved the money, or what she should or should not do with it, but rather, who takes responsibility for these despicable actions and who should recompense for the pain and suffering of the victim. The punishment allotted the four bullies was justified and we can only hope that it has a positive effect on them. I, however, that the parents of the bullies should also bear a portion of the burden of responsibility for the incident.

Obviously, schools alone cannot teach children basic values of respect, tolerance and good manners; primary caretakers (in most cases parents) must also model these behaviors for their children. We all know that parents are responsible financially for their children until they come of age. I firmly believe parents should be liable for damages incurred by their children through thoughtless, inconsiderate, vicious, and reprehensible actions. One Canadian teenager who was bullied sued the parents of his tormentors, winning a judgment of nearly $400,000.00 and, sending a very clear message that parents are at least financially, if not morally, responsible for the behavior (and misbehavior) of their children.

Perhaps if we hit parents of bullies in their pocketbooks--threatening the retirement nest egg, the vacation, and the college education funds--the message would resonate far more deeply than suspension, ‘re-education’ or community service. I know I cannot afford to shell out a half million dollars for something my child should not have done in the first place. Can you?