I think it would make a difference if it were an adult calling the school rather than one girl reporting on another. It's unfortunate but often the like-to-like reporting doesn't work, the adult, NuckingFutz, reporting to social services about the woman's treatment of her son didn't work but the school has "more" adults who can "see" what the boy looks like and see it's true and they have slightly more "public"/multiple viewers. I would imagine he rides a bus to school (or if he walks, there are other kids from the neighborhood) and getting several adults to complain to the school would make the school worry about its "image" whereas social services is more secretive and can come up with more excuses since they're supposedly helping "everyone" not just kids and don't have much discrepancy in how "bad off" people are? A school is going to have "regular" kids too and "see" the problems of this child differently.