Since when did taxpayers become responsible for co-parenting a community’s out-of-control teens?

That’s what’s being asked of Somerville residents as the town considers private security guards to keep the Central Library open after dangerous and raucous teen behavior forced the facility to close for several hours during the day.

A city spokesperson told the Herald in a statement last month that “While we are not disclosing the specific details of these incidents, we can say that there have been repeated situations that raised concerns about the safety of library staff and visitors.”

The library is supposed to be a calm, quiet, civil place, where patrons can bring their children for story hour, check out the latest books and read or do schoolwork in peace. In order for that to happen, visitors have to have basic respect for others. That’s a lesson that used to be, and should be, taught at home, along with the basics of right and wrong.

Too many have apparently missed that message.

First responders were called to Somerville public libraries 60 times since Sept. 1, 2023, or approximately once a week over the past year, James Stanford, deputy chief of the city’s police force told the Cambridge Day.

The best case scenario would be if the parents or guardians of these teens got their children on the right track, taught them to respect those around them and that the library is not the playground. That’s not happening, and the town’s solution lets them off the hook.

During a Somerville City Council Public Health and Safety Committee meeting Monday, Neha Singh, director of intergovernmental affairs for the mayor’s office, said the city is interviewing companies with crews trained in de-escalating stressful situations.

“Our preference is for a vendor with experience serving youth and other populations who frequent the library,” Singh said. They would respond to issues cropping up that didn’t need police – but bring in police officers as needed.

In a library.

During the meeting, first-term councilor and teacher Naima Sait asked if the security guards would be able to form productive relationships with teens at the library, including those who might be prone to challenging authority.

If teens are challenging authority in the library, chances are good they challenge authority at home. What have their parents been doing about it? Parents, not security guards, not police, are responsible for raising children to be responsible adults.

Unfortunately, when they drop the ball, it’s the taxpayers who must pick up the slack.

When the city hires private security, that comes out of the city budget, which is funded by Somerville taxpayers. They shouldn’t have to pay extra to make sure they and their children can spend a few hours at the local library without being afraid of teens acting out to the point police might need to be called.

Somerville is trying to get its Central Library reopened, and that’s an excellent, necessary move. It’s unfortunate that misbehaving teens have so much power here — to close a library, to force the city to spend money on private security — just so a basic community space can function.

Editorial cartoon by Chip Bok (Creators Syndicate)