School slaps parents with legal notice for defamation

Some parents of the PTA committee of Billabong International School, Thane, have been slapped with a legal notice and asked to pay damages amounting to Rs 5 crore for defaming the school.

The school management said that parents have been complaining to the education department over the school hiking fees and have been illegally collecting fees from other parents on behalf of the school. A member of the Board of Trustees of the school said that the legal notice has been sent to stop illegal activities by parents of the PTA who are collecting fees from other parents and filing complaints with the education department.

A parent, who did not wish to be named, said, "Yes, we have been served a legal notice on May 13 asking to pay damages amounting to Rs 5 crore. We raised a voice against the school for hiking fees and for forcing parents to take SPA (Sports Performing Arts) that is not mandatory as per the rules of International schools."

School says
Sudhir Goenka, trustee of the school, said, "The parents knew that the school is unaided and can hike fees whenever it wants. With the inflation this was unavoidable. Some parents have been collecting school fees from other parents and that is illegal. We have served a legal notice to them to stop them from defaming us. They will have to pay further damages if they go on defaming the school on social networking sites, which they have been doing."