Explain to the parent that for the safety of their child he needs to follow the rules. He cannot just leave and have the teacher wondering where he is. Explain to the parent that the student believes that his behavior is ok if it is validated at home, and for the safety and structure of the classroom he needs to follow the rules.

Classroom policies and procedures are present for a reason and when they are not fulfilled discipline can be used. Hopefully when the parents see that it is a bigger issue, they will be more cooperative.

My first step would be a conversation with the student. I would explain to the student the importance of following classroom rules and explain that they are for the student's safety, not just because. If that didn't work and the behavior of leaving whenever continued, I would have a conference with the parent and explain the same thing to them. To follow up with this, I would invite the parent to sit in the classroom one day (for a short period of time--disruption of the whole day would be more harm than help) and explain that interrupted schedules/teaching times results in chaos in the classroom. If the parent continued to not support me in the classroom, I would contact other teachers and/or administration for further assistance.

If the classroom policies and procedures state that a student must ask to use the restroom, then the student should follow the rules. If this issue is becoming a distraction in the classroom, then I would contact administration to discuss the next steps to resolving the issue.

Explain to the parents that it is taking away from the learning time and that it is a distraction for the rest of the class. Have conference with the student and explain to them the circumstances.

Try to understand where the parents are coming from. Are they being difficult? Or does the child have a medical condition? If they are only being difficult, this will need to be discussed further with both the student and administration.

I know that most parents are true to the rule, "When you live under my roof, then you do as I say." I know this sounds harsh, but my classroom, my rules. I would probably check with my administration to see if they support my rule or if they feel that the parent's wishes trump mine, but if they support me then I would stick with whatever rule was implemented from the beginning. Of course exceptions can always be made for documented medical conditions but other than that students and parents must be reasonable.

I would explain to the parent that as the teacher you need to be informed where the student is at all times for safety measures, and you classroom rules state that students must ask permission to use the restroom.

Explain to the parent that while at the home, it is acceptable to use the restroom whenever it is needed, that in the classroom it is not. You are a teacher dealing with X amount of students at one time, and for safety issues first and foremost you need to know exactly where each student is at all times. If the students could get up and leave the classroom whenever they wanted to, the teacher would have no way of managing a classroom, or really even noticing when who has gone where. Hopefully after the parent thinks this over they will be more cooperative and understanding.

Possible Solution: I would ask the parent for a meeting and have the principal sit in. In most cases the principal is going to side with the teacher and they can also make clear to the child and parent that their child is to follow the same rules as everyone else. The proceed to tell them that disciplinary action will be taken if this behavior doesn't change.

Explain to the parents that this is not allowed at school and there will be consequences for this action. Remind them it is hindering the student's education.