PHILADELPHIA, MARCH 15, 2010 — State Sen. Anthony H. Williams welcomed a key Senate committee to Philadelphia today to discuss his legislation intended to hold parents accountable for the actions of their children.

“Parents must be involved in the lives of their children,” Williams said. “This isn’t just an issue of punishing parents for a child’s actions. It’s about intervening and taking steps to prevent children from making future negative choices.”

Under the measure (Senate Bill 99), parents and guardians could face charges if their child is truant from school, taken into protective custody, or otherwise violates the law.

The bill also seeks to institute a formal, voluntary diversionary training program that teaches parents and guardians how to play a positive role their children’s lives.

The bill is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held a hearing at the Boys Latin Charter School of Philadelphia to take testimony from local experts, including Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams and School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman.

“Typically, troubled children come from homes with little structure,” Williams said. “We need a system that holds parents accountable for their inability to instill discipline, but also ensures parents that they can steer their children in the right direction. Today’s hearing offered a wealth of knowledge and positive suggestions from our speakers.”

Also testifying were: state Rep. William Keller (D-Philadelphia); Harvey Rice, 1st Safe School Advocate for the School District of Philadelphia; Dr. Deborah Vereen, president of Parent Accountability Initiative in Public Education; Dr. Charles Williams, assistant clinical professor at Drexel University and director of the Center for Prevention of School-Aged Violence; Shelly Yanoff, executive director for Public Citizens for Children & Youth; Michael Churchill, Esquire, Public Interest Law Center; and Henry Gordon, retired teacher.

Senate Bill 99 currently sits in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Williams introduced a similar bill (Senate Bill 1092) in the 2007-08 session.

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