In this special shared episode, Darrin Peppard and Dr. Frederick Buskey—host of The Assistant Principal Podcast—tackle a challenge leaders are facing more and more often: angry, escalated parent interactions.

This conversation was sparked by a real question from the field—a leader Frederick supports reached out looking for guidance on how to handle parents when emotions are high. Together, Darrin and Frederick unpack a practical, grounded framework for what to do before, during, and after conflict shows up at your door.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why the best time to prevent angry parent blowups is before anything goes wrong
2. How leaders build “relationship capital” through proactive, positive contact
3. Why it matters to separate the student from the behavior (and how that changes everything)
4. The value of student-written statements for clarity, due process, and aligned facts
5. How to make the parent call in a way that reduces defensiveness and keeps everyone grounded
6. What to do when a parent escalates—and why listening is your strongest tool
7. A powerful reminder: parents don’t always react to what happened—they react to feeling disrespected
8. The bottom-line takeaway: It’s not about you—and remembering that makes it easier to listen

Key takeaway

When conflict rises, your job isn’t to “win” the conversation—it’s to protect dignity, stay calm, listen deeply, and build partnership forward.

Episode Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by HeyTutor - HeyTutor delivers customized, evidence-based, high-dosage Math and ELA tutoring to K–12 school districts nationwide. Their focus is on in-person tutoring, while also offering flexible online options — all tailored to meet diverse student needs and aligned with state standards.

Head over to HeyTutor.com to learn more - tell them you heard about them on the Leaning into Leadership podcast.

This episode is also sponsored by digiCOACH — an easy-to-use mobile platform that empowers school leaders to provide teachers with positive, actionable feedback tied to research-based instructional practices, with real-time data to support fidelity and instructional decision-making.

Learn more at digicoach.com (mention the show for special partner pricing)