There is plenty to discuss about what happened Friday night at the Poughkeepsie Galleria.

An estimated 100 young people were involved in a disturbance that began after an argument and spilled out of Bounce Trampoline Sports and into the mall and parking lot. Police from the Town of Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, Beacon, Fishkill and the city of Poughkeepsie, along with the Village of Fishkill, New York State Police and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, responded. The sheer number of law enforcement agencies required to restore order tells us this was far more than a minor disagreement among teenagers.

The mall subsequently closed its interior stores for the remainder of the evening. Bounce said one incident involving a group of teens was addressed by its staff and police, but that the situation continued outside its facility and onto mall property. The company said it closed the event early and will review what happened before holding future events.

Those are appropriate steps. Businesses have a responsibility to provide a safe environment. Event organizers have a responsibility to anticipate potential problems and have appropriate security and crowd-control measures in place. The mall has a responsibility to enforce its policies. And police have a responsibility to respond when public safety is threatened.

But there is another responsibility that cannot be shifted to a business, a mall or the police.

Parents are ultimately responsible for the behavior of their children.

That may be an uncomfortable statement, particularly when we are talking about teenagers who are old enough to make their own decisions. But parental responsibility does not end when a child is dropped off at a mall, trampoline park, concert, sporting event or other gathering.

The Poughkeepsie Galleria has a parental escort policy requiring minors under 18 to be accompanied by a supervisor age 21 or older. Bounce’s policies also address adult supervision for younger children. Those policies exist for a reason.

Parents cannot simply drop their teenagers at a crowded venue, hand them a few dollars and a cellphone, and assume that whatever happens afterward is somebody else’s problem.

Most of the young people who attended Friday night’s event apparently went there for exactly the reason Bounce intended: to have fun. The company itself said the event was successful overall and that the vast majority of guests were there for the right reasons.

Those young people should not be defined by the actions of a relatively small group.

But neither should the conduct of that group be dismissed as “kids being kids.”

There is nothing harmless about a large fight in a crowded public place. There is nothing amusing about hundreds of people having to flee a disturbance or about dozens of police officers being summoned to restore order. And there is nothing acceptable about businesses having to close their doors because a group of teenagers cannot control themselves.

Parents need to know where their children are, who they are with and what they are doing. They need to establish expectations before their children leave home and make clear that fighting, vandalism, harassment, threats and other disruptive behavior will have consequences.

And when a child does misbehave, parents should not immediately look for someone else to blame.

It is fair to ask whether Bounce had adequate protocols for an unexpectedly large crowd. It is fair to ask whether the mall’s security measures were sufficient and whether the existing policies were properly enforced. Those questions should be answered as part of any review of Friday’s incident.

But even the best security plan cannot replace parenting.

Police should not have to serve as substitute parents. Mall security should not have to teach teenagers how to behave. Businesses should not have to anticipate every possible act of misconduct by young people whose parents have entrusted them to behave responsibly.

There is also a broader lesson here.

When businesses offer special events intended to bring young people together, they should be able to do so without becoming responsible for every child’s conduct. Community events depend upon a basic level of personal responsibility and respect.

Parents are the first line of that responsibility.

If a teenager is old enough to be given the freedom to spend an evening at the mall with friends, that teenager should also be old enough to understand the rules and the consequences of breaking them. And if that teenager is not mature enough to handle that freedom, the answer is not to blame the mall.

It is for the parent to provide the supervision that is missing.

Friday night’s incident should prompt a serious review by Bounce, the Galleria and law enforcement. But it should also prompt a serious conversation in homes throughout the Hudson Valley.

Know where your children are. Know who they are with. Know what is expected of them. And if they cross the line, hold them accountable.

That is not the responsibility of the police.

It is not the responsibility of the mall.

It is not the responsibility of a trampoline park.

It is the responsibility of parents.