what the most hilarious and groundless parental complaint you've ever fielded?

[HanneHolm]

I have heard of one parent complaining a member of staff wasn't singing in a parents assembly.

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

Not a teacher, but was an interfering PTA busybody for a while and got to see the minutes of the class reps meeting with head of pre prep...

1. Conkers are falling off the chestnut trees and are potentially exceedingly dangerous. One actually hit a lady ON THE HEAD...imagine if it was a child. What are you doing to do about it?
2. The school uniform sweaters get a lot of static electricity in them and make the children's hair stand on end every time they change for PE. What are you going to do about it?
3. Girls' school skirts go bobbly in the wash and look awful after only a few weeks' wear. What are you going to do about it?
4. The building work at the (private) house across the road (opposite the main school building) is taking too long and causing a worsening of congestion at school run time. What are you going to do about it?

I could go on...

[ThedementedPenguin]

These are hilarious :)

[mollymole]

I had a parent flame me that their daughter had not received a medal for a cross country race when the rest of the children had. - The fact that she had not competed meant nothing to them, she had not been sick or injured, it was just because the parent did not want to get up ridiculed in front of the class because the rest of them all had a medal It was because she had not been there, no sign, did not turn up. They reported me to the school,
the governers, the local authority and the sports governing body.

[mollymole]

Further to my post above - the girl was not ridiculed in the front of the class because the medals had been given out at the end of the race as each child crossed the line. A lot of the children wore the medal to school in the following week and that is how they found out that their daughter did not have one. - Sorry pressed post too soon above

[PrivatelyPeaceful]

Whatphifi, yours was a totally understandable complaint! Why would anyone mock that? Surely you can see the difference between that and the less rational complaints on this lighthearted thread? Come on, don't be such a grump. I think you are deliberately misunderstanding the tone of this thread.

I once had a father barge into the class where I was teaching (primary) and yell at me that I was deliberately dismissing the class late so that everyone would miss kick off! there was a major match starting at 3. Pm and I was 2 mins late-it was the World Cup or something. we were handing out something special at home time and it took a bit longer than planned but I genuinely forgot about the match ! Was upsetting tbh as I had supported the dc from this needy family to the best of my ability and thought we had a good rapport.

[RebeccaMumsnet]

Hi all,

We've moved this thread to classics now.

[Takver]

"Girls' school skirts go bobbly in the wash and look awful after only a few weeks' wear. "

Now this one doesn't seem that unreasonable to me if the school (as many do) are insisting on a particular style from their shop, charging a fortune for it, and it is crap quality.

I haven't complained to school, but I've certainly had a moan to friends about the school sweatshirts which are expensive, very cheapy-articificial feeling & fall apart pretty much instantly.

[HanneHolm]

New one just in.

Year 9 options. Large school. Three potential choices blocks.
One parent wants ONE kid to do something different. "Is that ok?"

[Bakingnovice]

I'm not a teacher but was helping on a school trip my ds class was going on. In the morning one mum stormed up just as we were getting on the coach demanding written confirmation that none of the parent helpers would be holding hands with her child. Further, she wanted written confurnation that none of the parent helpers would be allowed to take their child to the bathroom or even hold the public toilet door open. The teacher tried to explain that a parent may need to stand in the public toilet area but not inside the toilet to safeguard the child's safety, or to count in/out the kids but this mum was going mental. Held us all up and I could tell the teacher was annoyed.

After 20 minutes the teacher said ' either we set off with parent helpers or we will have to ask your child to stay behind'. Needless to say she pissed off v quickly.

[FelicityWasCold]

Parent once complained that I was punishing her for giving her son a sat detention (standard sanction, in home-school agreement, that she had signed).

Her complaint was she didn't want to get up and didn't want PFB to get the bus (through a busy city) on his own at 'that hour'.

That's 11am on a Saturday - PFB was 15YO....

[JakeBullet]

Am not a teacher either but along with loads if others enjoying this thread very much .

I promise I am not a parent like any of the I ones mentioned here lol.

[Charmingbaker]

Not a complaint, but could have been. A colleague was doing a topic on 'ourselves' and one parent brought in the video of their child's birth to be shared with the class (apparently you could see his 'enterance into the world'), can't remember how she politely declined but can you imagine the complaints if that had been shown to a Reception class!

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

I once had a parent come in about her son's science actual summer GCSE exam. she wasn't sure he could make the exam and wondered if we could move it to the next day

[PenguinBear]

Love these!!

I once had a parent complain because I had sent her son home with the wrong jumper. The jumper had his name in, but she insisted it was not his as his was smaller. It was brand new fitted him perfectly and had his name on. He eventfully insisted to his mum that it was his! Did she really think I happened to have one of her name tags and had seen it in?!

Same parent also complained that the head should increase the size of the classroom as she couldn't fit her double buggy round all the tables when 29 other parents were also trying to drop their children off.
We offered a member of staff to go outside and wait with her double buggy with 1 baby in but she declined. instead she wanted us to go and collect the whole class from the playground to save her the hassle. That is not the type of school we are so politely declined!

[PenguinBear]

Sewn not seen*

[Mynewmoniker]

Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaars ago. Multicultural music/dance group invited into small rural school. Letter of complaint 'cos parents were not sending their children to school THAT day to mix with "THAT sort!"

[candr]

On a school trip if it was cold could I buy her daughter a hot chocolate but if it was hot could I get her an ice cream? (no cash handed over and very cross that I refused to cater to her LO needs)
My class all smell jumpers to find owner!
A parent went to HT and LA to complain I was bullying daughter by not letting her out to play (child had broken leg and had chosen to stay indoors with friend
On school residential can I take him to the loo at 10pm and 4-5am, can I put his sun block on, brush his teeth and hair and help him dress - oh he also is not to be expected to do jobs, make bed or get muddy! He damn well did the same as others and was able to be dry at night without me interveneing (did have dry night on bed in case)
The list is endless!

[HanneHolm]

You lot who want a class teacher to apply THIRTY lots of sun cream. Just read this and fuck off. ;)

[Greensleeves]

When I worked in a nursery there was a very..... colourful, larger-than-life parent who used to being her dd in fifteen minutes late EVERY day, just as the keygroups were settling to their little circle activity. She would barge in, chuntering at the top of her voice, sit her dc down at the snack table, take some bread out of the teachers' cupboard and toast it for her child's breakfast.

One morning - I shit ye not - she brought her washing in and asked where the laundry powder was, then got shitty when she was politely declined - "this is supposed to be a bloody children's centre, so much for family facking support"

same mother used to have a fucking blue fit if her dc got a speck of organic matter - grass, banana, compost - on her immaculate clothing. How we laughed when it was her group's turn to "help" build the cob house in the nursery garden. Strangely we seemed to have run out of all-in-one splash-suits that day

[Roseformeplease]

Gave pupils a book to read which has a scene in which some children kill a chicken, rather cruelly, but it allows for class discussion of animal cruelty, bullying etc. A parent, who clearly hadn't read the book, complained that her daughter wasn't going to read it as she was a vegetarian. This child has never actually read any books I have given her....maybe the pages are made of horse meat?

[LilQueenie]

with regards to the parent claiming it unfair her daughter had the cervical cancer vac because the boys didnt have to is actually a fair point. Boys can be given it. In most cases the virus is caused by intercourse so it is being passed from boys.

[HanneHolm]

I can reassure you that the complaint was not from that position. (And that's really interesting ! )