The school year's end is drawing near for many Illinois communities, but bullying won't necessarily end when classes do. A new city ordinance might change disciplinary actions for those offenses, but will it be enough to get bullies to stop?
Under the new provisions, the consequence for bullying is anywhere between five and 20 community service hours or a fine. Several communities, particularly in northern Illinois, have their own bullying ordinances, and similar measures have been introduced at the state level.
"The school resource officer came up with this idea. I had him do some research on other communities, and that's kind of how we created ours,” Sycamore police sergeant Rod Swartzendruber said. “We took bits and pieces of all of those different ordinances and made our own."
The ordinance will be especially useful for when school's not in session, because school officials aren't able to address that behavior during the summer. It addresses cyberbullying, since police officials say it kind of replaced traditional schoolyard bullying, and it also bridges the gap between a verbal warning and criminal charges.
Sycamore Police Chief Glenn Theriault says ordinances or criminal laws for minors especially are designed to be vague so they can have a second chance later in life.
"At the end of the day, that's what this is all about, is changing behavior,” Theriault said. “It's not about catching another kid in a crime, it's about changing behavior when it's brought to our attention."
Michelle Demaray, a psychology professor and researcher at Northern Illinois University, says there are many reasons why a student may bully someone, including the school's social climate. Demaray says even a legal punishment may not be enough to get bullies to stop.
"It could range from family, family conflict and family discord, or lack of warm relationships in a family, so therefore, implementing a fine or punishment isn't going to solve that problem,” Demaray said.
According to Sycamore police, the actual punishment for bullying under the ordinance will be determined on a case-by-case basis.