Despite a U-turn from the United Bermuda Party, Senators yesterday backed a new law to compel parents in public schools to take an active interest in their children?s education.

The UBP supported the legislation in the House of Assembly, but voted against it in the Senate on the grounds that it made no sense to pass the bill when the rules which spell out the responsibilities of parents have not yet been made public.

But Senate voted by 7-3 to support the Education Amendment Act, with Independent Senators and also backing the legislation.

Parents now face fines of up to $200 if they don?t get involved in the child?s school, including attending parent teachers meetings, spending a half day a year in the classroom and supervising a field trip. Principals can order recalcitrant parents to take parenting classes, but if they do not comply, the head teacher can recommend prosecution in Magistrates? Court.(UBP)warned thatteachers will be forced to act like Police officers and with 37 public schools covered, he said principals would have to act as judges with no guarantee of consistency.

But Government education spokesman said the legislation was about ?raising the bar? to ensure parents became true partners in their children?s education.

Sen. Roban said Government was prepared to meet employers to discuss their concerns about allowing time staff off to attend their child?s school events.

Guidelines will be prepared for employers on releasing staff for school events, he said.

?We have got to find constructive means to have greater involvement in schools,? he said.

?This is not to penalise parents but to entice them to partner with the school and with teachers, (and is for) parents who repeatedly fail to meet their parenting responsibilities.?

The current code of conduct for schools, which spells out parents? responsibilities, will be the basis for the new rules when they are published.

They include ensuring that their children pay attention at school, do their homework and are respectful, and that parents attend school functions.

?These are reasonable responsibilities to adhere to by the majority of parents, but increasingly there are parents who are not fulfilling their roles.?

There had been complaints that the Act was singling out black families who predominate in the public school system or single parents, but it was not aimed at anyone, he said.

Private schools could not be forced into accepting the legislation because the day to day running of these institutions was out of the hands of the Ministry of Education, he said.

The Ministry was preparing presentations for teachers, administrators, and possibly employers as well, about the scheme. These presentations will begin in January, although the legislation will not take effect until next September.

Referring to suggestions that employers might have problems releasing parents for school events, Sen. Roban said: ?There is no suggestion that all parents should show up in one fell swoop.?

Parents should be able to reach mutually agreed arrangements with their bosses, he added.

?The Ministry is prepared to offer some suggestions on this, but some parents might want to use part of their vacation on a day to spend quality time with their children. Teachers in the public schools will have to make the same arrangements.

?The Ministry is seeking to raise the bar on standards of behaviour in Bermuda?s public schools, (and for) those few recalcitrant parents to know what they stand to face if they do not comply.

?In order to build the world class educational environment that our students deserve, this community must be willing to go the extra mile.?said the Opposition supported the aims of the legislation but regretted the way the legislation had been handled, which had caused great disquiet.

?There has been significant reference to the code of conduct. I regret that we need to be clear on what the rules are. The rules are unknown at present, which in part constitutes the disquiet in the community,? he said.

Education Minister Paula Cox had a good record on consultation, but had not done so on this occasion, he said.

?Government is inviting people to buy in before the legislation is brought forward,? he complained. ?The rules have not been determined or circulated.?

The legislation ?has the potential to require teachers to become police agents and prosecutors, and they become judges because they will have to have hearings?.

?They will also be the jury. It will make the teacher the advocate for formal proceedings.?

He said there should be a division within the Ministry of Education dealing with parental prosecutions.

Sen. Santucci said he was one of six children whose mother had had to work four jobs, and he feared she would have been hauled before the courts for failing to meet these new responsibilities, even though she was a good mother.said legislation was often passed without all the rules being available, and he assumed they would be sensible.

Government Senate Leader said the Opposition was being ?reckless? in trying to claim to bill was about convicting parents.

?Before we get to conviction, there are rafts of alternatives first?, for principals, he said.

Employers ought to regard the rules as beneficial because parents would be taking an active role in their child?s education, and it would produce a better educated workforce for the future.

?If a parent reaches the point where a principal has to introduce an option of taking them to Magistrates? Court, then it is time for intervention,? he said.

He added that the rules ?would be reasonable and would not be onerous?.

Opposition Senate Leader said he was not alarmed that the UBP had changed its position, because it was concerned about a lack of consultation. (UBP)said there was an increasing tendency to legislate every time there was a problem.(PLP)said principals were already acting as judges every day when parents entrusted their children to them.

Government had a duty to ensure children were in the best shape to take advantage of their educational opportunities, and if they were not in good shape, the school should know why.(PLP) said the Opposition was constantly talking about being punitive, without recognising all the steps in between.

?The Opposition talk about penalising parents when what we want to do is help them. If a student is not in a learning mode, don?t we want to have the parents in?? he asked.

?Of course we do. Any reasonable person would. The children will benefit.?

?I think this is an amendment which is long overdue,? said (PLP).

It had been his experience that single mothers are usually very concerned about and supportive of their children?s endeavours in school, and he said he expected the legislation would only really affect a very small minority of parents.

?It is unfortunate that it has come to this,? he said, adding: ?I am hoping parents and children get something out of it.?agreed with Sen. Burrows.

?I think we?ve reached a sad and sorry day when we have to go to these extremes to get parents involved in their children?s schooling,? he said.

However he also believed those parents were in the minority, and even the ones targeted by the legislation probably had some sort of extenuating circumstance.

Regarding the rules, he said he was sure they would not be draconian, and as for the code of conduct, it ?has been around for years ? all this is is an upgraded version of what we had in the past.?

Sen. Oughton was also concerned about who would be regulating the parenting classes, and what would happen to habitual offenders.

He added:?There is a lot of focus on students in the senior schools. But by the time students are there it is too late ...

?Parenting should start the day after the child comes out of the womb.?

The purpose of the bill was to empower the Minister to draw up the rules, said . ?The rules are coming ... they may be closer than you thought.?

Principals will have much of the control, including discretion in situations where, for example, a parent has children in different schools.

Work is being done to ensure parental involvement at the pre-school level, he said, and parents who cannot meet their obligations under the legislation can ask another ?significant? family member (such as a grandparent or aunt/uncle) to take their place.