SAITAMA (Kyodo) An elementary school teacher is seeking ¥5 million in damages from the parents of one of her pupils for repeated acts of harassment, her lawyer said Tuesday.
The woman, who works at a municipal elementary school in Saitama Prefecture, filed the suit with the Kumagaya branch of the Saitama District Court on Sept. 29, naming the girl's parents as defendants and complaining of insomnia caused by their actions.
Last June, the girl's mother lodged a protest over the telephone with the teacher over trouble involving the girl and another pupil, and wrote insulting messages in a parents-school liaison notebook eight times after that, according to the suit.
The teacher argues the parents also submitted a letter to the board of education defaming her. She claims the parents' acts led to her being diagnosed in September with insomnia.
She asserts the parents' actions represent an infringement on human rights and created a significant obstacle in her teaching career.
At the second court session Dec. 15, the parents claimed they acted properly for the sake of their daughter and urged the court to turn down the suit, according to the plaintiff's lawyer.
The girl's mother told the media she sees no problem with their actions as they simply lodged a protest over the teacher because they wanted her to stop treating their daughter in a discriminatory way.
The local board of education declined comment as the matter is under litigation.