They are the toxic disputes that can fester for years, casting a dark shadow over a child's education.
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Schools resolve thousands of disagreements every year, but hit a roadblock with about 40 ugly complaints from students and parents.
These are escalated to the Education Department's head office.
They might involve a student with a disability being excluded from an excursion, relentless bullying or the handling of a prep's medical condition.
Divorced parents might be fighting over where to enrol their child or maybe a vulnerable student believes they have been locked out of their local school.
In an Australian first, the Andrews government will on Wednesday launch a new independent umpire that will resolve the most difficult school disputes.
The Independent Office for School Dispute Resolution will be chaired by Francis Handy, who has more than 20 years' experience in dispute resolution, and has vowed to put the best interests of students first.
"My major challenge will be how to resolve the dispute for the benefit of the student while taking into account a school's resources," he said.
"We want to be responsive and quick. There are some very sad examples of disputes that have gone on for a long time."
If unresolved, these disputes can have a devastating impact on students, he said.
"It is so critical to have a good education experience."
Mr Handy has worked in schools and said the inclusion of students with a disability was a big issue due to a lack of resources and experience.
Education Minister James Merlino said the initiative would give parents a voice through a "simple and fair process".
"By boosting complaint resolution services in our schools, more complaints will be resolved quickly and fairly," he said. "This is better for the student, the parents and the school."
Mr Handy will be joined by two deputy chairs –Public Transport Ombudsman Treasure Jennings and dispute resolution lawyer Jo-Anne Mazzeo, who has worked in mental health and disability law. The office will also draw on the expertise of 13 independent officers.
Parents Victoria has been advocating for an independent office for more than a decade, and welcomed the news.
"Independence in resolving our toughest cases is vital to finding a solution all parties will be happy with," president Sharron Healy said.
Parents are advised to first raise their concerns with school staff, and if the issue remains unresolved to contact the Department's regional office and then the central complaints team. If the issue persists it can be referred to the Independent Office.
If both parties still can't reach a solution, the office can make recommendations to the Education Department. It will operate similar manner to the Ombudsman or Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission, and will not have powers to bind departments with its decisions.
Children with Disability Australia executive officer Stephanie Gotlib said she was inundated with complaints from parents whose children were being denied an education.
She said the office should have powers to enforce schools to take action.
"I am concerned that it only has powers to make recommendations and it is unclear what the consequences are if the school does not follow those recommendations."
She said the current complaints process was "brutal".
A document released by the government says some complex school disputes become "long-running, distressing and costly" for everyone involved.
"These disputes can disrupt a student's learning and affect the ongoing relationships in school communities," it said.
The Andrews government pledged ahead of the state election that it would investigate a new schools commissioner to address complaints from parents and students.
The office will publish de-identified interim and annual reports.
