What to do if a teacher insults a student in front of the whole class

Photo source stockking/freepik

“I won’t go to school, the teacher offended me”; “Our teacher is rude and calls names all the time, right in class”; “Our teacher said today that although I have glasses, I’m not smart at all. And all the children started laughing”... Wild stories? It can not be so? Does your child make things up? A teacher can't behave like that?

It turns out it can. And such cases are not at all rare, especially recently. What to do? Do not mention it? Perhaps this is a pedagogical method, and the teacher does not break any rules?

A teacher has no right to insult a student

And this is not only a moral, but also a legal norm.

Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” N 273-FZ on the duties and responsibilities of teaching staff very clearly defines that teaching staff are obliged to respect the honor and dignity of students and other participants in educational relations.

That is, if you are sure that the child was actually insulted or humiliated, this problem needs to be dealt with. And if this is proven, the teacher will face punishment, up to and including dismissal.

Or maybe there was no insult?

This also happens. Children are touchy. And a harmless remark from a teacher may seem like a real tragedy to a little person with a great sense of self-worth.

In this case, the parents must first understand for themselves whether an insult has taken place. For example, a little girl was offended when the teacher reproached her for constantly being late for classes: “Vika, you sleep too deeply. You probably have very warm pajamas and a very soft bed?” Classmates laughed, and the schoolgirl began to cry. Mom, having learned about this, was at first indignant, and then decided to turn it all into a joke. At the “family council” they came to the conclusion that we needed to leave the house early, and that was the end of it. The child calmed down. The incident is over.

Another case is not so harmless. A schoolboy came to school after the holidays with a new hairstyle and dyed hair. The physical education teacher began to make dirty jokes about him about the fact that “now he’s not sure which group to put him in – girls or boys. And is he safe in the locker room? This can already be qualified as an insult to a student by a teacher. In this case, parental intervention is quite appropriate.

An insult is considered a public humiliation of dignity. Where to draw the line between a harmless joke and humiliation is primarily up to you to decide. And later, perhaps, to lawyers.

Photo source stockking/freepik

When a teacher insults children. The story of the struggle of parents and teachers

What to do if a teacher in the classroom offends, disrespects and refuses to teach children? You can transfer your child to another class or school, or you can, like our blogger, try to understand the situation and show the child an example of competent conflict resolution.

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My name is Sergei, my son is studying at the gymnasium, this year he graduated from fifth grade. The first four years of study went well for us: a close-knit, friendly class, trips to theaters, and holidays. All conflicts were competently resolved by our wonderful primary school teacher. She taught children to express their opinions, to be individuals, to stand up for their rights.

And then the children moved to fifth grade. The class teacher was Inna Nikolaevna, a woman over 60 who had worked at this school all her life. Soviet-trained teacher! In fact, she is a burnt-out woman, in my opinion, prone to lies and aggression.

Since the new school year, the son began to complain about the teacher’s behavior: he curses, yells, and calls him names. It turned out that the teacher only treated boys this way. A boy who was five minutes late could receive a portion of insults, and a girl who was ten minutes late was simply politely invited to class.

The class that used to be friendly quickly became mired in conflicts and wars

The teacher's granddaughter gathered around her a team of girls who were treated well. And all those undesirable were subjected to humiliation. The children split into warring groups. The parents of some students, in order to appease Inna Nikolaevna, began to give her expensive gifts in the hope that she would lag behind their children specifically.

The Russian language and literature lessons consisted of 80% showdowns. The Russian notebooks were empty. She forbade children to write “Homework” so that they would write exercises at home as if it were class work. The grades were given “from the lantern” - whoever she liked best received A's, those she didn't like - got B's. They were posted in the electronic journal all at once, at the end of the quarter. It looked funny. All grades in all subjects are given on the same day. Russian and literature - 2 empty lines for the entire quarter, and on the last day they are put “retroactively”

The first attempt to solve the problem is to call the teacher. No effect

The teacher said that children lie, no one swears at them. We began to continuously audio record lessons. Within three days we had a compilation of 5-7 episodes: the teacher called the children dummies, fools, crazy people, imbeciles for no reason. The children did not disrupt lessons, were not noisy, and did not disrupt order. One time the child dropped his pen and turned out to be a fool. The other one turned his head and became a dunce. And the third said that his jacket was not a plain color, but blue with a print - and was also classified as a dunce.

The second attempt to solve the problem is to communicate with the parent committee. But the parent committee, ironically, consisted entirely of parents of girls. And, as it turned out, they liked everything. And what? Girls are a priority, there are zero complaints against them. They humiliate the boys. All we got was a double dose of bullying against our children. And at this stage, unfortunately, parents began to transfer their children to other schools and classes.

Contacting the director and head teacher is a temporary effect. Together with the lawyers, we prepared a letter and came to the director to discuss the issue. Our parent committee was already sitting there, saying what a good teacher we had. You see, we are making up everything here. The director refused to listen to the audio recordings, saying that it was illegal. But overall, we were understood and heard. True, this did not last long.

After a two-week break, Inna Nikolaevna lost her temper

Deciding that the director was on her side, she began to simply “wet the children in the toilet.” Parents of boys and adequate parents of girls came to the director and said that the school had a week to remove the teacher, otherwise everyone would go in droves to complain to the department of education and to the reception office of the ombudsman for children's rights.

To somehow calm us down, they organized a meeting with the teacher. At first she apologized through gritted teeth, but in fact she did not admit a single mistake and considered herself right in everything. When she was played a recording of her own voice in class, she stated that she did not say this.

The end of a story that lasted seven months.

2 days after the last meeting, they announced to us that Inna Nikolaevna would no longer be with us. They changed our class teacher and assigned a different Russian language teacher. Our class is torn apart. Conflicts among children, confrontation between parents. We still have to figure all this out. And now I want to share my experience with you so that you understand and know how to defend your rights at school.

Make audio recordings

The law cannot prohibit you from recording everything that happens around your child. But you shouldn’t be forced to record your child’s conflicts on the phone: this is an extra psychological burden on the student, and the use of phones during the learning process is prohibited. Therefore, we did it simply - we put the switched-on voice recorder in the pocket of the backpack before school and after the child returned, we took it out and turned it off.

Expect teachers, directors, head teachers, and department employees to shout out loud and prove that this is illegal. After all, these records are unprofitable for them. If a recording from a lesson where a teacher humiliates children appears on social networks, it will not be good for anyone. If in doubt, consult a lawyer. But keep in mind that you cannot just distribute the recordings, you can only use them in the interests of protecting the rights of the child.

Record all meetings with the principal, teacher, and other education officials. No one has the right to prohibit you from making an audio recording, even if you speak one-on-one with the director.

Be prepared for pressure

Both from the teacher, head teacher, director, and from the parents who support this system. Nobody wants to stir up a conflict; they will try to crush you with authority. The principal may say that you will not achieve anything and, at best, you will be kicked out of school or transferred to another class. They will tell you that this is an honored teacher with 30 years of experience and there have never been any complaints against him, and therefore you have no right to slander him. But all this is irrelevant. Do not give up! Protect your child!

Don't look at the others

Most don't solve anything. Know that if a teacher violates your rights and is supported by 99% of the class and school, this does not give any privileges. If there are violations of the law, then no voting will help. Even one person can break the system. A support group is not required. However, if you are not alone and there are other parents who support you, this is, of course, an advantage.

Ignore other teachers

You may encounter blind teacher solidarity: without understanding the situation, other teachers will say: “How can you judge teaching if you are not a teacher?”, “How else can you talk to children whom you cannot educate?” And so on. Ignore it. Teachers have gone through a lot in our time, including from bad parents and the state, they can be understood. But common sense should always apply.

Write official letters

Phone conversations just don't lead to anything. There is a federal law on citizens' appeals, according to which any government organization is obliged to respond to your appeal within 30 days.

Do not write immediately to the city or regional department of education, follow the order. First try to resolve the issue verbally. Did not work out? Send an official letter to the school, then to the city education department, the regional (territory) education department, the Ministry of Education, and finally the presidential administration. If you violate the order, your letter will not be considered, but will be sent to a lower authority, and you will simply waste time.

If they don’t answer you or if they don’t answer the questions asked, write to the prosecutor’s office. You are required to answer all the questions you ask! Do not describe your emotions and indignation in letters, only facts, violations and references to laws.

Contact human rights organizations

In every region and territory there are organizations that can help you defend the rights of the child. There is an ombudsman for children's rights in each region. You can get advice and assistance from such organizations either by phone or in person.

Refer to documents on the school website

On the school website there are programs for subjects, which clearly indicate what and when children should learn. Also on the school website there are regulations on maintaining an (electronic) journal and job descriptions for teachers.

Learn the laws

If you want to achieve the truth, you need to know the laws. Read the Education Law, it will help a lot. When asserting your rights, you can refer to specific articles. So, in accordance with Art. 34 of the Federal Law on Education “Students are granted academic rights to respect for human dignity, protection from all forms of physical and mental violence, personal insult, protection of life and health, freedom of conscience, information, free expression of their own views and beliefs.”

Always remain a polite person

Do not stoop to the level of those who humiliate and insult your child. Always be polite, otherwise you won't succeed.

Do not give up

Don't rush to leave class or school. A transfer can become another stress for a child, and it is not a fact that it will help solve the problem. The child may subsequently be afraid of difficulties and strive not to solve them, but to avoid and hide. Explain to your child that you are there, you support him and will always be for him. And together you will win.

Dear workers in the education system, please don’t attack me and shout that parents are now brainless and believe that their children should be raised in school and not at home. There is no need to defend the rights of a woman who does not respect and is not able to teach children normally. I am an engineer and I have 2 higher educations. My son is a good student, well-mannered, and polite. I always teach him to stand up for his rights! I believe that in our country everyone is equal before the law and no one gave teachers the right to humiliate and insult children or suppress their self-esteem.

Let's be human and treat each other with respect. And children should be treated with respect too!

You are in the "Blogs" section. The author's opinion may not coincide with the position of the editors.

Illustration: Shutterstock/Abusive mother

Where to turn if you think your child is being humiliated by a teacher?

First of all, experts advise finding out whether such behavior is the norm for a teacher. Does he insult other students or is it only yours who is “lucky”?

If boorish behavior is generally characteristic of a given teacher, it would be useful to collect signatures from other parents. This is no longer the subjective opinion of one person, but a collective complaint. It definitely has more weight.

But even if only your child is abused, this cannot be left unpunished.

There are two schools of thought about what a parent should do if they believe their child is being abused by a teacher. The difference is whether it makes sense to talk with a boorish teacher or you need to go straight to the director.

Those who are sure that a “preventative” conversation can solve the problem rely on the common sense of the teacher. Seeing that the parents are aware of what is happening at school with the child, he will be more careful in his expressions. In addition, we cannot exclude the possibility that he treats the child/children very well and simply does not understand that he is insulting them with his awkward phrases. Your remark will help him correct his behavior.

Supporters of tough measures are confident that the teacher’s rudeness will not go away after talking with parents, and may even intensify. Such people should not work with children, they need to be “educated”, and it is better to fire them immediately.

Under no circumstances should you start a conversation in a raised voice. If there has been a misunderstanding, your aggressiveness will be completely inappropriate. And if you are dealing with a professional boor, you should not play on his field.

I think it’s still worth talking to the teacher. In any case, it will be useful to hear his position - at least in order to prepare counterarguments. For a conversation on a different, higher level.

Conversation

But don’t rush to run to school threatening and screaming, as many parents like to do. Teachers are beginning to be threatened with all possible punishments. And the result is only worse for the child.

First, find out whether the teacher behaves this way with all children? Or are you just “lucky”. This is easy to do if you communicate with parents from the class. Ask them if the children complain about the teacher's behavior. You can also give it to your own child. Like, the teacher is just picking on you or scolding others too. If your child names the names of classmates who also suffer from a tactless teacher, do not be lazy to contact their parents and talk about this topic.

Does a teacher have the right to insult a student? No, of course not. But for some reason this is often forgotten, and the child is humiliated with impunity in the presence of the entire class. After parents have collected the necessary information, they can go to the teacher.

Just don’t swear as soon as you enter the office. Be polite but firm. Report that you have received information about the humiliation of a child. And you know that it is not only your son or daughter who suffers. Do you want to talk about this topic?

Very often, such a “preventive conversation” is enough for a teacher. What to do if it doesn’t help? More on this below.

Meeting with the director

Many parents, having been confronted with the bullying of their child at school, do not want to get involved with this educational institution at all, but immediately look for the truth at the highest level: “this is corporate ethics,” “everyone will cover for each other,” “you won’t achieve justice.”

It is not right.

If you want to complain about a teacher, the first resort is to contact the director. And here it is no longer enough to simply “come to talk”: a complaint about the unlawful behavior of a teacher must be submitted in writing.

In any form. Just describe what actions of the teacher you think are unacceptable. It’s very good if you have proof - for example, a recording on your phone.

It's even better if your complaint is supported by other parents.

A complaint against a teacher must be made in free form in writing. Naturally, the application must include your contact details, information about the child and details of the teacher about whom you are complaining. The appeal must necessarily contain a requirement to check all the circumstances and take the necessary measures. It must be drawn up in two copies and officially registered with the secretary of the educational institution.

The director is given 30 days from the date of submission of the application for consideration (be sure to note: the date and registration number must be stamped on the application). One copy remains with you.

You will definitely receive a response to such a letter. Moreover, 30 days is the official period for responding to such statements. You have the right to request a trial within a shorter period of time - 15 or even 10 days. But this must be reflected in the application.

Photo source Racool_studio/freepik

Court or prosecutor's office

If the proceedings against the teacher do not reveal any violations in his behavior, and the children continue to complain, there is nothing left to do but go to court. Or complain to the prosecutor's office. Just remember that one statement is not enough here. More solid evidence is needed. What could it be?

• An audio recording in which a teacher can be heard humiliating a student or students. Everything can be recorded on a voice recorder without the teacher knowing.
• Video recording. You won't be able to make a video unnoticed. And a child who is humiliated will not have time to do this. His classmates can help him. The teacher starts to humiliate? Someone is filming this.

If a teacher insults a student, the article will punish him for it. This is an administrative offense, no less. But only if the victim provides compelling evidence.

Higher authorities

There are often cases when the director’s answer does not satisfy the child’s parents.

The most effective remedy against a boorish teacher and school management who turn a blind eye to what is happening is a complaint to the Department of Education. It exists at the local level (municipality) and at a higher level – regional (subject of the federation).

The lower the level, the faster the review will take place. Each application must be accompanied by a copy of the response from the lower authority.

Contacting official organizations will necessarily entail verification. If the facts stated in your complaint are confirmed, not only the teacher, but also the director will be punished. As a rule, disciplinary liability is imposed on the teacher, and administrative liability is imposed on the management.

Responsibility for insulting a student

Article 5.61 of the Code of Administrative Offenses regulates the punishment for insulting a minor child.
According to it, an individual must pay a fine of up to 3 thousand rubles, while a person performing official duties may be subject to a fine of up to 30,000 rubles.

The minimum amount for the first category of offenders is one thousand rubles, for the second - ten thousand.

In addition, you can demand compensation for moral damage under Article 152 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, declaring a violation of the right to protection of honor and dignity.

If a teacher disseminated false, defamatory information about a student, the teacher may also be subject to punishment under Article 128.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Slander”.

A case involving the use of physical violence will result in a much more serious punishment. If harm is caused to the life and health of a student, the teacher will definitely be held criminally liable. In such a situation, the case will be handled by law enforcement agencies.

To Moscow, to Moscow...

Don't give up if you feel like the local level hasn't paid enough attention to your problem.

After you have received a response from the regional education department and it does not satisfy you, you can contact the Russian Ministry of Education.

But not before. Naturally, the law does not prohibit filing a complaint directly with the highest authority, even the Presidential Administration - but you need to understand that if an appeal to a government body is not preceded by a complaint at a lower level, the Ministry of Education will simply redirect it for consideration to a municipal body.

It is not necessary to travel to the capital to file a complaint. It can be sent in writing, either by regular mail or electronically.

A written complaint is sent by Russian Post or courier or transport companies to the address: 127006, Moscow, st. Karetny Ryad, 2. An email can be sent to

Also on the website of the Ministry of Education there is a special resource for collecting complaints and appeals -.

What if the student is at fault?

We looked at several options for how parents can act if their child is insulted by a teacher. What if it's the other way around? The student insulted the teacher, what punishment will he suffer for this?

Several options for the development of the situation are possible:

• Independent problem resolution by the teacher.
• Appeal to parents.
• Appeal to the courts demanding compensation for moral damage.

Experienced teachers recommend dealing with the situation yourself. Children these days are such that they don’t give a damn about teachers. They are well aware of their rights, but they forget about their responsibilities.

The teacher can:

• Let the insult fall on deaf ears.
• Leave the bully after class and give him a moral beating.
• Turn the situation around in such a way that the student who allowed himself to offend the teacher looks for a way out of it.
• Boycott the student.
• Start underestimating.

The last moment is not one of the best. But sometimes the teacher has no other choice. For example, a child is very arrogant. But he studies well, and the teacher knows that he is scolded for bad grades. Earned a “four”? Put "three". If you want, you can find fault with everything.

Complaining to parents is not always beneficial. Today's children do not particularly value the work of teachers. Parents quickly take the side of their beloved children. If the teacher understands that the parents are adequate, you can call them to school for a conversation.

The court is a last resort. If there is no government for a child, he himself is constantly rude, his parents protect and support him, there is no point in going to the director. You just need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to leave your job after the trial.

Going to court

There are times when the traditional parenting horror story of “I will go to court” actually makes sense. This is a situation where psychological or physical violence is used against a child,

In this case, you don’t have to waste time with administrative authorities at all, but immediately contact law enforcement: the police, the prosecutor’s office. You can also go to court.

But here you need to understand that going to court is advisable when there is harm that can be assessed from a material point of view. In this case, you can count on compensation for property and moral damage expressed in monetary terms.

Author of the article

Syplyva Yulia

We prove the fact of insult

If the case does reach the prosecutor's office, parents need to draw up a special statement, similar to the one submitted to the school director. It is advisable to attach a copy of this application.

In addition, testimonies of other students and their parents with signatures, if any, must be attached to the appeal. It is worth remembering that students can only be interviewed in the presence of their parents or legal representatives, as well as a school psychologist. Recording insults emanating from a teacher on audio or video media can also serve as good evidence.

In a more serious situation, if physical violence was applied to a child - a teacher hit or pushed a student - it is necessary to remove the beating and submit the relevant documents to the prosecutor.

Based on the evidence provided, the prosecutor's office decides whether to open an administrative case or not. If a case is initiated, the prosecutor begins an investigation, the duration of which should not exceed one month. Accordingly, based on the results of the investigation, the prosecutor's office transfers the case to court, where the fate of the teacher is decided.

Read what is the responsibility under the article for beating minor children.

And here’s how to get a license to cremate animals.

Anonymous complaint against a teacher

Worried about the well-being of the child and his future relationship with the teacher, parents seek to write an anonymous complaint. However, such claims are usually not considered. This is due to the fact that the response to the received document must be sent to a specific address. If it is missing, employees of authorized bodies will not be able to report on the measures taken.

Attention

There are exceptions to the rule. If the document reports information about serious violations by teachers, an audit may still be carried out.

Such situations include:

• threats of terrorist acts;
• crime against the life of a student;
• crime against the health of students.

An anonymous complaint is drawn up according to a standard template, but the personal data of the applicant is not indicated.

The child is being bullied. How to act correctly?

So, in such a situation, parents needed:

1. Express your approval to the child for talking about what happened. Strengthen a new belief: “You can always tell your parents everything, much less complain. This is fine. Adults also seek help if they cannot cope on their own.”
2. Teach your child how to act in such situations. Give some speech algorithm what to say to the offender. For example, warn him that consequences will be inevitable: “One more time, and I’ll tell my mom! She will call yours! (The offender was convinced that they would not complain about him, which means that no punishment would follow.)
3. Tell the teacher the fact that you become aware of. You can talk about your feelings towards the situation (to the situation, not to the teacher!). No charges. Ask to take control of the situation. The general message is: “I want us to be allies on this issue.” Ask: “How can we prevent such incidents?”

There is no need to dictate to the teacher what she should do, but it is important to listen to her. Most likely, the teacher herself will say: “I’ll talk to the boy. I'll talk to the whole class. I'll talk to this boy's parents."

1. Next, you need to keep your finger on the pulse. The situation must change. If the situation does not change, then the next step is a conversation with the administration. But again, constructively, without shouting. We report the facts, without emotional overtones: “We did this and this. Unfortunately, the situation has not changed. What advice can you give us based on your experience? What should we do?"

You can give free rein to your emotions and enter into an open conflict if you definitely decide to take your child out of this school. Even if you are dissatisfied with the work of the teacher, even if you think that he makes obvious pedagogical mistakes, it is still better to avoid direct indications of what, in your opinion, the teacher should or should not do. This is perceived as an attack. (Unless, of course, your goal is not to quarrel, but to satisfy a need.)

Complaint to RONO against a school teacher

RONO is directly involved in the management of school institutions. Upon receiving a complaint, employees will conduct an inspection at the institution that appears in the document. The result of consideration of a complaint to the Regional Educational Institution against a school teacher may be:

• an explanatory conversation with the teacher who committed the violation;
• reprimand to the teacher;
• disciplinary action.

In extreme cases, the employee may be fired. The complaint is drawn up according to the classic model. It is written on an A4 sheet. The document can be filled out by hand or printed on a computer. The claim must indicate:

• the name of the institution;
• information about the person submitting the documents;
• the essence of the complaint;
• the name of the teacher who committed the violation;
• the requirements presented and references to regulatory legal acts confirming the applicant’s correctness;
• date of writing the application and signature.

You can download a ready-made complaint sample here.