As the teacher, I would first and foremost respectfully ask the parent to try to bring their child in early (making sure to include that I understand the fact that mornings can be crazy and that things happen, but also expressing my concerns- the interruptions as well as the fact that the tardiness is interfering with the classroom routine, including explanations and examples). If the parent expressed some type of morning troubles, I would suggest (and offer to help if needed) to the parent to see if there are other families that live in the same area to see if there is a possibility of a car-pool. I would also suggest the bus system (if available), and look into the matter for the parent to help them out.

The excessive tardies will need to be handled by the administration. As far as the classroom interruptions; one morning when you see the parent and student coming, meet them outside. Advise the student to go inside, unpack, and join the class in the morning assignment. While outside, explain the situation to the parent. Tell them that their child is missing valuable education time when he or she is being brought late. Tell the parent that there are morning when everyone takes a little longer getting ready, but if it continues the mother will have to drop the child off outside the classroom. Once the bell rings, the inside of the classroom is for learning only.

I would have a conference with the parents to figure out the reasons behind their child's tardiness and come up with some solutions to the problem. In my experience, the main reason why students are late to school is because they no longer or do not live within the district or school zone. At this point, a social worker and administration referral should be submitted. Rarely has a child came to school late because of their parents' work schedule or just sleeping late unless some disorder or extenuating circumstance has been documented. That child deserves a quality education and arriving at school late hinders that child from maximizing their educational experience.

I understand that parents have situations that arise, but it is still the responsibility of the parent to get their kids to school on time. The student is missing valuable instruction time. I would hand the situation over to the Guidance Counselor. The GC would be able to get down to the reasons the parent is having a difficult at home.