A public school in Queensland, Australia threatens to call the police on parents who fail to pick up their children on time as announced on Facebook on May 19. Parents are mandated to collect their children at 3 p.m. every school day or until half an hour after classes end. They must notify the school’s front desk if they are unable to do so. According to the policy, parents are at risk of being reported to the police and Child Safety Services if they shirk this duty. “If you are not prepared to organise to collect your child after school and have not made arrangements with after school services, please organise a safe place for your child to wait. School is not that place as there is only supervision for 30 minutes after school,” the state school wrote in a comment on the original Facebook post.

The Queensland Department of Education and the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) support the motive of this policy. Cresta Richardson, the president of the QTU, said, “The job of a school is to provide education for students and school hours are really clear to parents.” Parents, however, are divided on the policy’s legality and ethicality. The rule sparked controversy: some agree while others consider it as an extreme response to a minor infraction. Some argue that leaving their children within school premises an hour or so after school unattended does not need to be reported to police or child safety. Drop-off zones are also difficult to navigate at the end of school days due to heavy traffic.