Case
The Defensive Parent

About a month after you were hired, one of your middle school students sneaked into a closet in your classroom and hid there. You frantically search for the student. When you discovered the student was in the closet, you reported the incident to the principal's office. To avoid disciplinary action, the student claimed to his parents that YOU locked him in the closet. The parents complained to the assistant principal. They are coming for a meeting. What are your plans of actions?

Posted on: 03/02/13 | Views: 1298
Solution #1
Top Solution
In this situation, I would calmly explain to the parents, no matter how frantic and defensive they are, that I am a professional and I would never lock a student in a closet. This would go against my morals, general ethics, and it could get me fired. So, what motive would I have to lock a student in a closet? I would tell the parents that the student has minor behavior issues and thought it would be clever to sneak into a closet. I would say that the incident greatly upset me, because I was worried about the student's well being. If the parents are still defensive, I would meet with the administration. They could ask other students what happened, and check surveillance tapes.

I agree with this solution. The students past behavior may need to be mentioned in order to form a foundation.

I agree with this statement. I would think it would be a good idea to talk to the parents in a calm manner, and to remain emotionally level, especially with distressed parents.

This was a professional solution to this case. I would do the same thing. It is a touchy subject when student's claim things like that and some parents refuse to believe that their own children would ever lie.

Wow, what a disastrous situation. I agree that you should explain yourself and be as transparent as possible. Great suggestions!

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Solution #2
I would calmly explain to the parents that doing such a thing would be ethically inappropriate and would make me lose my job. I would also point out that I was the one who pointed out the incident to the administration, not the student. If such a thing had occurred, it would have been wise for the student to go to the administration himself to report the incident.

I like this solution. I would report the incident as soon as possible.

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Solution #3
That is a very difficult situation that the teacher is put in. My first advice is to talk to the administration before the meeting. It is very important for both of you to get on the same page. I am lucky enough to have a principal who would do most of the talking in a situation like that. Be sure in the meeting to stay calm and not get defensive. Explain to the parents your side of the story. They will probably side with the student, but that is just how most parents are.As a whole, you will need to talk to the student and make sure that this never happens again.
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Solution #4
That type of complaint will likely open up an investigation. I would speak to administration and tell them exactly what happened. Write down what happened and the timing of each event. You reported the information prior to the student giving false information, so you likely documented that information, so you should bring that documentation to the meeting. Documentation is always the key. Explain the scenario and state exactly what happened.
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