Are Parents to Blame for Bullying?

I’m seeing a few articles addressing this question. Can parents be held accountable for the bullying behavior of their children? In an article by Amanda Scherker, on November 6 this year, it was reported that a New York student was “taking her aggressors and their parents to court. Caitlin Rocco and her mother are preparing a lawsuit against her bullies and their parents.

“HuffPost blogger Steve Siebold, addressing parents, schools, and lawmakers, writes: ’They need to stop denying the problem and closing their doors, and start acting like leaders. Parents need to be more involved with their children, and stop bullying in its tracks. If not, parents need to be held accountable, too.’”

A Florida-based legal advocacy group, Justice Outreach, proposed a bill in October that would punish parents whose children are involved in cyberbullying. ”This bill, called ‘Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Harassment-Parental Responsibility,’ would legally define bullying and cyberbullying, and would hold parents of bullies and bullying victims accountable for failing to supervise their children.”