To press charges against this parent?

[Rosegarden10]

I've name changed for this as obviously this is very outing.

On Friday, my child attended a school disco. Whilst they were at the school disco, another parent broke into the school and was banging on the hall doors to get in. When she couldnt access the hall she kicked the glass door and broke the window smashing the glass. The children and adults inside were terrified and they had to evacuate the children in an emergency lockdown procedure.

My child (and the majority of the other children) are now traumatised. My child doesnt want to go back to school tomorrow. The police arrived at the scene however it doesnt appear as though they arrested her as she the parent was on the parent WhatsApp group trying to justify her behaviour an hour after the incident.

Can I press charges against this woman for the trauma she has caused my child and the other children? I am so angry!!

Oh, and if this woman IS, by any chance, a cash millionaire she will undoubtedly hire her own shit-hot lawyer, who will have no trouble getting the case thrown out. ("Your honour, why are we even discussing this? Trauma caused by watching property damage that the school didn't even bother to have her arrested over? My client broke the window accidentally, and has made full restitution to the school.")

NO PARENT HAS SUGGESTED IT WAS A TERRORIST. THE OLDER CHILDREN WERE COMING OUT SAYING THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A TERRORIST ATTACK

Then that's easier to solve. That sometimes kids, when emotional sometimes exaggerate. They were wrong. It was an angry parent.

Do you want the older kids to pay for making this worse?

Yeah, she won’t get a custodial sentence over a bit of criminal damage and public order. And that’s assuming the children’s accounts are wholly true

No she has been banned from the WhatsApp group.

Was she pissed? Its obvs not 'normal' behaviour!

Sorry, thread's moved on a bit from the locked door comment.

I suspect what OP wants is some assurance that this idiot parent isn't going to show up at school banging in doors and behaving in an aggressive and threatening manner which the children found frightening again.

Our school has its doors locked during the day, absolutely. But for evening things like discos they're open so latecomers can come in, people can go home when they like etc.

Which is perfectly reasonable

They need to employ a better DJ. A decent sound system and 120 children should have drowned out the noise of a woman banging on some doors and kicking some glass

this is true!

That's a horrible thing to happen, but you seem to be very dramatic about it and maybe your DC is feeding off that. They have to go back to school, so best save your energy for that.

What crime were you considering pressing charges for?

Op, are you wanting to sue just for justice against this person, ie locked up, cautioned etc, or are you looking for monetary recompense? If money - what is it for? Therapy for you and your child?

Some kids thought it was a terrorist attack, how terrifying. Except it wasn’t so actually what is the issue? That they worried for a few minutes they were being attacked? My son worries for a few minutes there’s a monster under his bed, except there isn’t so although reality doesn’t make the fear go away I simply reassure him and we move on.

Seems like you and Crazy Mum have a lot in common.

*To the rest of your, go fuck yourself.

Thank goodness your child has someone calm and balanced to help her deal with this upset. She must feel very reassured.*

^^this!

I tell you what OP how about suing her for psychological damage as well?

OP arrent you going to answer the issue that you actually have no facts regarding this.

Or how she broke reinforced glass

And why you are believing children's accounts. When it's the children that terrified your kids saying they thought it was a terrorist. They were wrong.

I am expecting what happened was that she was banging on the door and the kids thought she might break the glass.

How would suing her help your DC? Are you just looking for a pay out?

What this woman did was appalling and must have terrified the kids. I assume we are talking primary school so these children were as young as four at the time of the incident.
She absolutely should have been arrested at the time for criminal damage and breach of the peace.
Those children will now not feel safe at school a place they previously thought noone could hurt them is now going to feel scary. I would be livid if that happened at my school and there were no consequences.
Unfortunately it’s up to the police and cps to decide if they prosecute but I can see why the OP feels angry and helpless.
I don’t know why people are minimising this. I was out at a club and someone starting smashing the door in, breaking glass and screaming abuse I would be shook up even as an adult, it wasn’t just an adult banging a bit loudly on the doors.

I cannot believe some of the responses on here - obviously you live in fucking fairy land that you think that people don't go into schools armed and willing to kill people!

OP generally this happens in America, it is certainly not common in UK. Especially in a rural village as you have said your school is and even less likely to be perpetuated by a woman. In fact I assumed that the parent was likely drunk from your description, which would be more concerning for me than assuming she was "armed" .

I do wonder how you will prove trauma. We had a tramp swearing and smashing a shop window on the high street last year in front of a load of kids, including my dd. She certainly wouldn't remember that now although it was threatening at the time. He was carrying a brick and completely off his head. The last thing I considered was pressing charges for trauma! What would that achieve?

I'd suggest that if the school isn't pressing charges they are not concerned about long term impact and are probably thinking she's embarrassed herself enough. Is it financial payout you want?

Children get easily frightened.
I find it a bit strange the school had to make the room completely dark and if someone banged on the doors they didn't bother to open the curtain and check. When we have a disco at school, first it's KS1 and then later KS2. The doors to the hall are not shut and there are no curtains used to make the room completely dark. There are teachers and parent-helpers. Parents come to collect children through the reception (doors with a code opened by a member of staff). If I came to school and couldn't get into it I would become a little worried as well but in no way I justify that parent's screeming and banging on the door. It must have been frightening for the little ones. One person would say it's a terrorist and then everyone would be talking about it.

Ps what kind of shit holes do the rest of you live in where this would be unremarkable behaviour?

My first thought when you mentioned ‘terrorist attacks’ was that some of the children were embellishing because they were enjoying the drama. Kids do that.

Then you broke out the caps lock and I started to think that maybe parents old enough to know better were the ones creating the drama.

OP, I understand what you are saying... this must have been frightening for the children. The parent acted in a manner that caused fear and alarm to your child. Surely, this is a reportable offence?

Locked up for kicking a door?
She needs to pay? For what? The glass?
Someone was angry. The school dealt with it. Nobody was injured. She was cross and behaved like an idiot.
You can either stop fuming and making something out of very little or do your best DM sad face and get a few minutes to rant in public. Which would be best for your child?!