The entitled California parents suing schools to overturn their kids’ bad grades

Some California parents aren’t willing to let a bad grade — or even an unflattering report-card comment — slide.

Palo Alto Unified School District has been hauled into court twice this year by parents challenging how their children were evaluated, according to the Wall Street Journal.

One dispute involves a third-grader’s playground behavior. The other centers on a high schooler’s English essay flagged by AI-detection software.

In the latest case, Walter Hays Elementary mom Weiwei Luo is asking a Santa Clara County judge to overturn a school board decision allowing three critical comments to remain on her son’s 2025-26 report card.

Teacher Holly Harrison wrote that the boy was “working on his responses to peers when he is frustrated or upset,” was “developing his ability to listen to others’ perspectives and collaborate with humility” and needed “continued practice with showing respect and cooperating with others.”

Takashi Kato, CEO of a Silicon Valley AI startup, sued the district in May. Bloomberg via Getty Images

Luo isn’t challenging his letter grades or even his social-emotional ratings — just the written remarks.

The dispute dates back to October 2025, when the boy was involved in playground disagreements, including a game of tag and an incident in which he accused another student of kicking him. The petition acknowledges that Luo herself previously admitted her son had been acting silly toward the other child and that sticking out his tongue was inappropriate.

But Luo argued the teacher’s comments were inaccurate and unsubstantiated, filing a formal challenge under student-records laws in June.

The district agreed to update one progress note but refused to remove the remaining comments. On Aug. 18, the school board voted 4-0 to reject her appeal, finding the remarks substantiated and not misleading.

Now Luo wants the comments removed or corrected — or a fresh hearing — arguing that her attorney was improperly excluded from the virtual board meeting.

Palo Alto High School in California is pictured. Palo Alto Unified School District

“My lawyer was been removed by the host. I don’t know why this Happen! Please add her in,” Luo emailed an assistant superintendent, according to the court filing.

The district disputes her account, saying Luo was told to remain available between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. and that she did not request a postponement when her case was called.

Luo is also seeking attorney’s fees. The district says it will respond in court.

Another Palo Alto parent took his fight over a school grade to federal court.

Takashi Kato, CEO of a Silicon Valley AI startup, sued the district in May after Turnitin flagged his son’s essay on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as 76% AI-generated.

The 10th-grader was ordered to rewrite the essay in class and received a 65 out of 100, dragging down a grade that had previously been a low A or high B, according to the complaint.

Walter Hays Elementary School in Palo Alto, California, is shown. Palo Alto Unified School District

Kato responded with a 1,162-page evidence packet containing drafts and revision histories that he said proved his son had written the essay himself. He also offered the district a deal: give his son a B by early March and end the dispute. The district declined.

His lawsuit alleged 14 violations, including discrimination, retaliation and denial of due process. Kato claimed his son was singled out because he was a multilingual Asian male and alleged that boys were four to five times more likely than girls to be forced to rewrite essays.

The complaint also alleged that another Asian student in the class, whose grade had been 99%, received a D after being ordered to rewrite an assignment.

Kato further accused an assistant principal of having a secretary type up his son’s handwritten exams so they could be submitted to Turnitin without the family’s knowledge.

He dropped the lawsuit in September. The district said there was no settlement.

The Post has reached out to Luo and Kato for comment.

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