A father’s legal claim seeking £16,000 in damages after his 12-year-old son was asked to discard his Doritos snack at school has been dismissed by a judge. The dispute arose when staff at a Yorkshire school encouraged the boy, who is autistic and has a medically recognized eating disorder, to choose a healthier alternative to his snack, leading the child to refuse to eat anything.

The father filed the lawsuit against the local council, alleging that the school breached the child's individual support plan and violated his human rights. He also accused school staff of using excessive force during a previous incident when they restrained his son, who had been strangling another pupil. The father sought £10,000 for alleged discrimination and emotional distress, alongside £6,000 for breach of duty.

Representing himself in court, the father’s claim prompted the council to engage solicitors and a barrister to defend against the allegations. The judge ruled that the school’s guidance toward healthier snacks was appropriate and within reasonable measures. Additionally, the complaint regarding the restraint was rejected; the court found that staff acted reasonably while intervening in a dangerous situation, where the boy had applied maximum force to a fellow pupil for approximately 30 to 40 seconds.

During proceedings, the council’s barrister described the incident as “a high risk situation,” underscoring the necessity of staff intervention to prevent harm. Following the decision, the father has been ordered to cover the council’s legal expenses.

This case occurs amid broader concerns over litigation involving schools and local authorities. Data from local councils indicate that over the past two years, £3.75 million has been paid out in more than 200 cases in which schools faced successful lawsuits arising from what some campaigners have characterized as common childhood accidents.

Advocates such as Christopher McGovern of the Campaign for Real Education have criticized what they describe as an escalating culture of compensation claims in educational settings, attributing it to the influence of no-win, no-fee legal firms. William Yarwood from the TaxPayers’ Alliance supported councils’ efforts to challenge unsubstantiated claims and recover legal costs, emphasizing the impact of such cases on public school budgets.