Would you inform the school?

[Winterstorms2]

My friend recently got into an argument with her friend. The argument started off as a conversation which quickly turned into an argument, (my friends friend accusing her of things, name calling her etc) in the end my friend was spat at. She was horrified but does not want to do anything about it. My friend’s “friend” is a teacher. AIBU to think my friend should inform the school of this behaviour? Im tempted to do so myself! Our children both attend the school she teaches at. What would you feelings be?

89% yabu

I would imagine that a lot of schools would consider a teacher assaulting the parent of a child at the school to be relevant. And spitting at someone deliberately is assault.

Why would she tell the Head teacher? She isn't at school anymore. She should go to the police if she has been assaulted.

She should go to the police if she wants to report it anywhere. The school won't and can't investigate, it's nothing to do with them. What are you expecting the school to do?

So were you there or not?

did anyone witness it? Wonder if friends said it happened and is now backtracking?

If she was spat at the right course of action would be to go to the police.

The rest of it (informing the school) will happen as a result of that.

A teacher spitting at a parent of a child at the school is obviously very serious behaviour. I think you have had the the replies you got because you’ve come at it from the angle that you want to tell her employer, because she is a teacher.

The actual problem is that the teacher has a professional relationship with the parent. And that spitting is assault.

A decent head would protect a staff member who has allegedly committed assault?

All you can say is "I heard Miss X spat at a parent during an argument". There are no witnesses, nobody has come forward to complain about what happened to them or anything they saw. No head would act on that alone.

Yes quite possibly, I couldnt understand why people were condoning it.

Yes others witnessed it, it definitely happened, no back tracking, just worried about the implications of reporting a teacher.

Spitting on someone is assult! Your friend had been assaulted, if someone spat at me i would inform the police.
I was attached by a former work colleague (in my home) we work with vunrible people so I informed my place of work. But because I was assaulted I first contacted the police. It wouldn't occur to me to inform my place of work but not the police. , she now has a conviction for assult!.

Well the implications are clearly her getting into a lot of trouble, which is presumably also your motivation to report her.

Are you going to report your other friend to her employer for her part in the very public argument so that they can both be investigated at work for something that happened outside of work?

What implications do you want or expect? That's what I don't understand. If you report it, 99% sure naff all sill happen apart from an awkward conversation with the staff member and the head. The head can't go round investigating.

I work in a school in a Leadership role.
Those saying it's nothing to do with the school because it didn't happen on school site or during working hours are factually incorrect. Rightly or wrongly, Teachers, along with some other professions such as HCP's, are expected to adhere to certain standards of behaviour both in and outside of the workplace. Teachers know that, it's made very clear during their training, it's what they sign up for. I have worked with Teachers who have found themselves in serious trouble, and even dismissed, for their conduct outside of work.

As others have said, spitting at someone can potentially be a criminal offence, it is classed as assault. Since Teachers can find themselves in serious trouble for assaulting a random member of the public outside work, someone not connected with school, because they could be seen as "bringing the profession into disrepute", of course a Teacher assaulting the parent of a child who attends their school, wherever and whenever that assault takes place, could affect their job. I'm surprised so many posters can't see that. If the parent who has allegedly been spat at was to report the matter to the Police and/or the school then the Head would have to take it seriously, and it could potentially lead to disciplinary action but OP is not the victim, and she did not witness the incident so a report from her would just be hear-say.

No, you do nothing unless you witnessed it. You only have your friends account of the situation, you have nothing to prove the allegation.

Why wouldn't you also report the other person to THEIR employer?

Why are you getting involved at all?

Are you her mentor? 😵‍💫😳

Thank you I thought it was common knowledge that teachers have a certain level of conduct

No assault conducted by other friend

friend and its not right to be spat at

It isn't right to be spat at. But what does your friend think will happen?

If your friend feels like she wants action, she should go to the police. If not, the argument was between 2 adults and those two adults can sort it out or not.

No, a decent Head would protect a staff member who has been ACCUSED of assault, with no corroborating evidence, by someone who wasn’t there and has no connection to the alleged incident 🙄

The police would be the correct people to report it to especially as there are witnesses. If it's not reported to the police, it's just an accusation without evidence the school likely wouldn't act on.

Thank you all for your feedbback. Police it is.