To report a mum for smoking a joint on the school run? WWYD?

[MAS7]

This morning I dropped my DS at school, on the way back I was walking behind a mum whose daughter is in my sons class, she was smoking and pushing her DS (about 18 months) in his buggy. I thought it was just a cigarette (still wrong IMO) but she stopped at the bus stop and as I caught her up I stopped to say hello. It was obvious from the smell she was actually smoking a cannabis joint with her 18 month old sat there in his buggy.

She is really a nice person and does seem very nice with her kids, I know she has problems as she has told me before about a restraining order on her kids dad. I just couldn't help be worried about what her day at home would be like with her DS if she is already smoking cannabis at 9am. Am I making too much of a thing about it?

Cote, I really don't know her well. The thing about her ex and the restraining order she just randomly came out with it one morning. When I say she is nice I mean from what I have seen of her at school...she is nice and affectionate towards her kids. When she is not smoking cannabis next to her baby that is.

No OP, you speaking to her yourself isn't a good idea, I doubt I would have responded positively if a random mum had approached me. Could other parents have walked past her and noticed? If so it could have been anyone who reported her so you have nothing to lose by speaking to safeguarding at school. I would do it anyway, if she's openly doing it in public any number of people could have seen her.

How do you know for certain it was a spliff? Maybe it was some other sort of herbal tobacco?

As I've said I know what cannabis smells like and there's no doubt.

Well, the thing with dope is that you remain able to function, in a way that you wouldn't be able to if you were having your first drink of the day at 9.00 am.

What complete nonsense. That makes the assumption that someone having a drink at 9am is going to carry on drinking until they are pissed and incapable and that anyone having a joint is just going to have one joint and then go about being perfectly efficient and productive and 100% on top of their game for the rest of the day.

The truth is that the sort of people who want a joint before they've even had lunch are either addicted, or just so fond of being mellow and chilled and stoned all day that they have no motivation to do anything else of use at all.

Cote - highly unlikely this woman is going to share her self medicating issues or whatever the reason, with a mum from school who she is not close friends with. Likely she would tell op to stick her beak out.

"highly unlikely this woman is going to share her self medicating issues or whatever the reason, with a mum from school who she is not close friends with."

As unlikely as telling OP about her restraining order against her Ex, you say?

Anyway, OP clearly prefers to call the police on this school mum rather than talk to her first and most of you agree.

It must be a cultural thing.

I have read most but not all of the thread so if i say something that's already been said.......
School are probably aware of this already. Depending on the area you are in the school response will vary. One education setting i worked in would have been highly alarmed; another would have been perplexed that something so commonplace and minor would be mentioned (not blase but compared to what else was going on!)
Social and police took the same view in these respective areas.

Anyway, OP clearly prefers to call the police on this school mum rather than talk to her first and most of you agree.

For the millionth time, not police, school. It's not the same thing.

Cote - restraining order reflects on the ex's behaviour, not hers, unlike self medicating etc.

She'd be admitting responsibility for something she's done rather then him.

That's the difference.

Mentioning it to the school will get you nowhere unless someone else has already reported her to ss. I had a similar situation about someone, except there was also severe dv going on around the child who was at school. The school told me they couldn't do anything as it was classed as hearsay. They contacted ss and as there was no case with them, they were powerless to do anything other than keep their eyes open for signs of neglect or abuse.

Yes you should, the only question is whether it should be the police or the school safeguarding lead.

You can report anonymously to SS and I wouldn't hesitate to report illegal drug taking in front of children.

Selfish behaviour and puts the child at risk.