PER CURIAM.
The central issue before us in these consolidated appeals is the constitutionality of N.J.S.A. 18A:37-3, which reads:
The parents or guardian of any pupil who shall injure any school property shall be liable for damages for the amount of the injury to be collected by the board of education of the district in any court of competent jurisdiction, together with costs of suit.
The essential facts may be briefly stated. Plaintiff Board of Education of Piseataway Township brought suit against defendants Jay Caffiero, Francis O’Donnell and Dean Martone, seeking recovery from them for extensive damage caused to its school property. In essence, the board claimed that the damage was caused by acts of vandalism on the part of Jay, Francis and Dean who were at the time enrolled as students in the Piscataway school system. The remaining defendants in that action are the respective parents of the children. As to them the board sought recovery grounded: (a) in one count, on alleged negligent supervision of their children, and (b) in another count, on their vicarious liability under the above quoted statute. A judgment by default in the sum of $28,540 was entered in favor of the board and against the Caffieros and the Mariones. A consent order was thereafter entered vacating, on condition, the default judgment against the Caffieros. In their responsive pleadings, the Caffieros and the O’Donnells challenged the constitutionality of N.J.S.A. 18A:37-3. Seeking resolution of the constitutional issue, the board moved for summary judgment against the parents for any damage their children might ultimately be found to have committed. In his opinion reported at 159 N.J.Super. 347 (Law Div.1978), Judge Stroumtsos, the trial judge, held (at 351) the statute unconstitutional “for the reason that it deprives a parent of due process of law by imposing upon him unlimited liability, regardless of fault, for the wrong committed by his child solely on the basis of the parent-child relationship.” Plaintiff’s motion was accordingly denied and an order to that effect was entered. We granted the board’s motion for leave to appeal from that interlocutory order.
In another action plaintiff Board of Education of the Borough of Roselle sued to recover from defendant Angel Monagas for damage to its school property, claiming that Angel, a pupil in the Roselle school system at the time, caused the damage. The remaining defendants in that suit are Angel’s parents. As to them the board sought recovery based on their vicarious liability under NJ.S.A. 18A:37-3. Defendants interposed a general denial and by way of defense challenged the constitutionality of the statute, claiming that it deprived them of property without due process of law. The parents thereafter moved for a dismissal of the claim made against them. Judge Long, the trial judge who heard that motion, dismissed the board’s claim against defendant-parents “for the reasons expressed by the court in Bd. of Education of Piscataway v. Caffiero, 159 N.J.Super. 347 (Law Div.1978).” We granted the Board’s motion for leave to appeal from that dismissal and for consolidation of the two appeals.
While we can understand Judge Stroumtsos’ disagreement with the reasoning of another trial judge in arriving at a contrary result in Palmyra Bd. of Ed. v. Hansen, 56 N.J.Super. 567 (Law Div.1959), we find his reliance upon Doe v. Trenton, 143 N.J.Super. 128 (App.Div.1976), aff’d 75 N.J. 137 (1977), and Corley v. Lewless, 227 Ga. 745, 182 S.E.2d 766 (Sup.Ct.1971), to be misplaced. In Doe this court struck down as unconstitutional a criminal statutory presumption in a municipal ordinance “that a parent ... is responsible for the misbehavior of a child who twice within one year is adjudged guilty of acts defined as violations of the public peace.” 143 N.J.Super. at 130. The statute before us imposes vicarious civil liability requiring parents to respond in money damages for their child’s damage or destruction of school property. Here, we are not confronted with any criminal statutory presumption which would require for its validity a finding “with substantial assurance that the presumed fact is more likely than not to flow from the proved fact on which it is made to depend.” Leary v. United States, 395 U.S. 6, 36, 89 S.Ct. 1532, 1548, 23 L.Ed.2d 57, 82 (1969).
In Corley the statute which the Supreme Court of Georgia held unconstitutional imposed vicarious liability upon a parent or other person in loco parentis having custody and control of a child under 17, for the “wilful and wanton acts” of the child “resulting in death, injury or damage to the person or property, or both, of another.” 182 S.E.2d at 768. The court concluded that the statute, which imposed liability for both personal injury and property damage, “contravenes the due process clauses of the State and Federal Constitutions . . and is void.” Id. at 770. In doing so it relied heavily upon the policy of Georgia against imposition of liability without fault. The general trend is. of course, to the contrary. Thus,
. . the last hundred years have witnessed the overthrow of the doctrine of “never any liability without fault,” even in the legal sense of a departure from reasonable standards of conduct. It has seen a general acceptance of the principle that in some cases the defendant may be held liable, although he is not only charged with no moral wrongdoing, but has not even departed in any way from a reasonable standard of intent or care .... [Prosser, Torts (4 ed. 1971), § 75 at 494]
See, also, A. & B. Auto Stores of Jones St., Inc. v. Newark, 59 N.J. 5 (1971); Adler’s Quality Bakery, Inc. v. Gaseteria, Inc., 32 N.J. 55 (1960).
It is well settled that “[a] law will not be declared void unless its repugnancy to the Constitution is so manifest as to leave no room for doubt.” In re Freygang, 46 N.J.Super. 14, 27-28 (App.Div.1957), aff’d 25 N.J. 357 (1957). See, also, English v. Newark Housing Auth., 138 N.J.Super. 425, 431 (App.Div.1976). “[Ejvery possible presumption favors the validity of an act of the Legislature.” N.J. Sports & Exposition Authority v. McCrane, 61 N.J. 1, 8 (1972), app. dism., 409 U.S. 943, 93 S.Ct. 270, 34 L.Ed.2d 215 (1972). And, the guaranty of due process requires “only that the law shall not be unreasonable, arbitrary, or capricious, and that the means selected shall have a real and substantial relation to the object sought to be attained.” Nebbia v. New York, 291 U.S. 502, 54 S.Ct. 505, 78 L.Ed. 940 (1934); Schmidt v. Newark Bd. of Adj., 9 N.J. 405, 414 (1952). Guided by these basic principles, we discern no constitutional infirmity in the imposition by N.J.S.A. 18A:37-3 of strict vicarious liability on parents for the acts of their school children resulting in damage to school property. We find this to be an entirely reasonable means designed to achieve essential state purposes— compensating innocent victims (here, the taxpaying public generally) for damage to school property caused by juvenile misconduct, and attempting to deter juvenile delinquency by, in effect, obligating parents to exercise greater supervision, guidance, and control over their children who attend the local public school system. See Rudnay v. Corbett, 53 Ohio App.2d 311, 374 N.E.2d 171, 175 (Ct.App.1977); Kelly v. Williams, 346 S.W.2d 434, 437-438 (Tex.Civ.App.1961); Watson v. Gradzik, 34 Conn.Sup. 7, 373 A.2d 191, 193 (C.P.1977); Vanthournout v. Burge, 69 Ill.App.3d 193, 25 Ill.Dec. 685, 687, 387 N.E.2d 341, 343 (App.Ct.1979). See, also, Prosser, supra, § 123 at 871.
In In re Sorrell, 20 Md.App. 179, 315 A.2d 110 (Ct.Spec.App. 1974), the court noted:
Forty-six states are said to have enacted statutes imposing strict vicarious liability upon parents for damages caused by wilful misconduct of their infant children. Most of the statutes provided limited reimbursement for property damage only. Fourteen, including that of Maryland, impose limited strict vicarious liability both for property damage and for medical expenses stemming from personal injuries.
The constitutionality of such statutes has been attacked in four cases. In General Insurance Co. of America v. Faulkner, 259 N.C. 317, 130 S.E.2d 645; Kelly v. Williams, 346 S.W.2d 434 [Texas Civil Appeals], and Mahaney v. Hunter Enterprises, Inc., 426 P.2d 442 [Wyoming] the constitutionality of the statutes was upheld. In Corley v. Lewless, 227 Ga. 745, 182 S.E.2d 766 the statute was held unconstitutional.
Faulkner, supra, thus explicated its position favoring constitutionality (130 S.E.2d p. 650):
"[The statute’s] rationale apparently is that parental indifference and failure to supervise the activities of children is one of the major causes of juvenile delinquency; that parental liability for harm done by children will stimulate attention and supervision; and that the total effect will be a reduction in the antisocial behavior of children.”
thereafter declaring:
“It is our opinion, and we so hold, that the enactment by the General Assembly of G.S. § 1-538.1 is within the police power of the State of North Carolina, and that it is not violative of the provisions of Article I, Section 17, of the State Constitution or of the provisions of the Fifth Amendment to the Federal Constitution.” [315 A.2d at 114]
The legislation here under review does not deprive the respondent parents of property without due process of law nor does it deny them the equal protection of the laws. It is clearly constitutional, and we discern no sound reason for holding otherwise merely because it places no dollar limit on liability. See, generally, Annotation, “Validity and Construction of Statutes Making Parents Liable for Torts Committed by their Minor Children,” 8 A.L.R.3d 612 (1966); Annotation, “Parents’ Liability for Injury or Damage Intentionally Inflicted by Minor Child,” 54 A.L.R.3d 974 (1973). The Caffieros’ and O’Donnells’ challenge to the constitutionality of the statute on equal protection grounds is without merit. They suggest that the legislation is not free from invidious discrimination, noting that it imposes unlimited liability upon parents of public school pupils while the liability of parents of nonpublic school pupils is limited by N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-15 to $250. However, on January 18, 1980 Senate No. 650 was signed into law, and it is now Chapter 318 of the Laws of 1979. That act, in essence, amends N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-15 by eliminating the limit on liability previously expressed therein.
The orders under review are reversed. The matters are remanded to the trial court for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion. We do not retain jurisdiction.
The condition being that the Caffieros would not, pending further order of the court, “convey, dispose of or encumber any real estate owned by them.”
The first count of the board’s complaint.
The court in Palmyra, in upholding the constitutionality of N.J.S.A. 18:14-51, predecessor to N.J.S.A. 18A:37~3, reasoned in part that parents may, if they choose, escape liability under the statute since they “do not have to send their child to a public school and thereby be subject to the conditions under which free public education is provided.” 56 N.J.Super. at 572. We too disagree with that reasoning. It has no place in a proper determination of the constitutional issue raised.
The court held constitutional the “limited strict vicarious liability” statute of Maryland involved in the case. It remanded the cause for a hearing “wherein evidence is produced that is legally sufficient to support a conclusion that damages authorized by it were wilfully or maliciously caused by or committed by a child under eighteen years.” [315 A.2d at 117]
N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-15 applies generally to parents of all minors and, as amended, reads: